Parliament approves amendments to gambling law in third reading

The Georgian Parliament passed, at third reading, the bill amending the Law of Georgia on Organising Lotteries, Gambling and Other Prize Games.

Seventy-three MPs voted in favour and five against.

Before the vote, Shota Berekashvili, chair of Parliament’s Economic Policy Committee and one of the bill’s authors, explained that the bill had been amended.

He noted that the definition of an international gambling tournament has been clarified, now requiring at least 80% of participants to be foreign nationals. He added that various editorial changes have also been made to the text.

Under the bill passed at third reading, an international gambling tournament is defined as a game held by the holder of a casino licence, in which at least 80% of all participants are foreign nationals.

The bill also provides that if the organiser uses a club table solely to hold an international tournament and the tournament’s prize pool exceeds GEL 3 million, the organiser will not pay the gaming business fee.

It also sets out penalties for breaching licence conditions. Any breach of licence conditions by the organisers of international gambling tournaments will incur a fine of 50,000 GEL. Organising or holding an international gambling tournament without authorisation will incur a fine of GEL 150,000.

Parliament considered the bill under the fast-track procedure.