Georgia Plans New Gambling Restrictions and Fees

The government of Georgia has reportedly announced its plans to increase fees for businesses operating in its online gambling industry. It also plans to ban ads and increase the lower age limit for gamblers to 25 years.

While announcing, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that about 1.5 billion GEL are being transported out of the country annually due to online casinos, which foreign operators mainly own.

Garibashvili admitted that the increased fees for the online casino businesses and new restrictions would reduce the number of users as well as the financial contribution of the industry to the state budget.

However, the prime minister said that the restrictions might be the first stage in a long process that may lead to the prohibition of online gambling in the state. However, this is not expected to happen in one or two years to come.

RELATED TOPICS: Regulation