As a result of new gambling regulations, 1,457,526 people have been added to the list of banned persons in the Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia since March 1, 2022, said Minister of Finance Lasha Khutsishvili.
Additionally, 4,901 individuals were listed as addicted. Among these, 34 were registered by the court order, while 4,867 were registered by themselves.
According to the new legislative regulations, citizens under the age of 25, socially vulnerable individuals, public employees, individuals blacklisted by courts and those who apply to the Revenue Service to request self-restriction are banned from gambling from March 2022.
The minister also noted that the country’s budget has been positively affected by legislative changes regarding gambling taxation rules and principles.
He estimated that the amount of funds collected from the gambling business in 2022 was 739 million GEL ($287 million), an increase of 65% compared to 2021.
Khutsishvili also noted that the Ministry of Finance has prepared a package of legislative changes, according to which additional permissions will be required for online gambling operators.
Those actions were taken in order to fulfill the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Council for granting Georgia the European Union membership candidate status, as well as strengthen the fight against organized crime in the country.
Full implementation of these legislative changes is scheduled for 2024.
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