Urushadze: UNM Calls for Ban on Casinos and Online Gambling for Georgian Citizens

The National Movement is advocating for a ban on playing in physical and online casinos for citizens of Georgia. Party leader Vaso Urushadze stated this at a briefing.

According to Urushadze, more than 1 million people are registered on gambling platforms.

"We propose that the Georgian government and parliament begin preparing accelerated legislative changes under which citizens of Georgia would be prohibited from participating in gambling in physical and online casinos operating in Georgia," Urushadze said, citing Monaco as an example.

According to him, an economic plan should be prepared for transitioning the gambling business to the international tourism industry, a state program for protecting people dependent on gambling should be created, and the fight against illegal online gambling platforms should be intensified.

Since 2022, the state has tightened its approach to gambling: the minimum age threshold was raised from 21 to 25, socially unprotected persons and public sector employees were banned from gambling, and advertising was also prohibited. In 2024-2025, the sector's tax burden also increased.

According to official statistics, growth rates declined after the restrictions took effect, but turnover still grew by 41 billion, from 48 billion to 89 billion. This figure reflects turnover and not the casinos' profits or players' losses. In 2024, the net profit of the sector's six largest companies (Crystalbet, Adjarabet, Crocobet, Liderbet, Europabet and Betlive) amounted to 547 million lari, which is 140 times less than that year's turnover.

In 2025, the gambling sector paid a total of over 1.7 billion lari in taxes and fees.

As for Monaco, residents there have been prohibited from gambling in casinos since 1987. Monaco's area is 2.1 square kilometers, and its population is 40 thousand.