Parliament Allows Casinos to Host International Gambling Tournaments in First Reading

In the first reading, Parliament approved amendments to the Law on Lotteries, Gambling and Winning Games, which allows casinos to host international gambling tournaments.

The tournament must meet two main conditions: at least 70% of participants must be citizens of a foreign country, and the prize fund must exceed 3 million lari. Tournaments will only be possible on the basis of predetermined rules and regulations.

According to the explanatory note, current legislation does not define the legal framework or relevant definition for organizing international tournaments, which creates legal ambiguity in practice in the gambling business sector. The note states that such tournaments are linked to internationally scaled sports and entertainment activities, attract foreign citizens and create additional tourist flows.

The organizer of an international tournament will not have to pay the fee established for a club table under the Law on the Gambling Business Fee.

According to the bill, violation of licensing conditions by the license holder will be fined 50,000 lari. Organizing or hosting an international gambling tournament by an unauthorized person will result in a fine of 150,000 lari.

The Lelo party responded to the initiative of Georgian Dream. According to the party, when the annual turnover of gambling reaches 88 billion lari and these games have ruined the lives of many people, introducing new tax benefits for casinos under the guise of tourism development is unacceptable.

One of the party's leaders, Nika Cherkezishvili, said: "Through fair taxation of the gambling business, an additional 500 million lari can be mobilized annually, which, together with reducing bureaucratic costs and eliminating corruption in state agencies, will make it possible to increase the pension of all pensioners by an additional 200 lari from 2027".

The Public Defender also criticized the initiative. Her arguments include deterioration of mental health, impact on minors, financial difficulties, family conflicts and an increased risk of suicide.

Since 2022, the state has tightened its approach to gambling: the minimum age threshold was raised from 21 to 25, people receiving social assistance and public servants were banned from gambling, and advertising was prohibited. In 2024-2025, the sector's tax burden also increased. According to official statistics, after the restrictions came into force, the growth rate slowed, although turnover still increased by 41 billion, from 48 to 89 billion lari.