In Georgia between January and March 2026, total budget revenues from gambling business fees and licenses for organizing games of chance amounted to approximately 43.750 million GEL ($16,139 million). This represents a 17.8% decrease compared to the same period last year. For comparison, during the first three months of 2025, the consolidated budget (excluding consolidation) accumulated 53.275 million GEL ($19,652 million) from these sources.
Regarding the gambling business fees specifically, 30.780 million GEL ($11,353 million) was recorded in the budget for January–March of this year, distributed as follows: 13.203 million GEL ($4,870 million) from slot machines, 1.014 million GEL ($374,000) from promotional draws, 3.583 million GEL ($1,322 million) from systematically-organized electronic betting (sportsbooks), and 12.978 million GEL ($4,787 million) from other unclassified gambling business fees.
Furthermore, during the current year, the budget received 403,539 GEL ($148,900) from club tables; 12.505 million GEL ($4,613 million) from casino tables; 65.9 thousand GEL ($24,3 thousand) from systematically-organized electronic gambling and/or prize-gaming cash desks located outside authorized establishments; and 3.6 thousand GEL ($1,3 thousand) from other unclassified fees.
In general, the gambling industry remains one of the fastest-growing sectors. According to the National Statistics Service, the gambling industry’s turnover in 2023 was 63.994 billion GEL ($23,614 billion), up 11.647 billion GEL ($4,298 billion) from 2022 (52.647 billion GEL – $19,426 billion). In 2024, the turnover of enterprises engaged in gambling reached a new record high of 76.155 billion GEL ($28,101 billion).
At the same time, the Georgian Gambling Association (GGA) states that illegal operators and websites remain a significant challenge in Georgia. According to Giorgi Mamulaishvili, the head of the association, the number of illegal operators has increased since 2021, following a sharp rise in sector taxes. He estimates that nearly 2 billion GEL ($737,735 million) flows out of the country annually in the form of deposits to these platforms, thereby reducing budget revenues.
He notes that a significant portion of the illegal segment is not controlled by the state, and it is through these platforms that minors are being involved in gambling. While legal operators are doing their best to combat illegal sites, and despite legal businesses managing to win back users and increase tax contributions in 2023, Mamulaishvili emphasizes that the fight against illegal operators requires joint efforts from both the industry and the state.
In contrast, the Ministry of Finance claims that the scale of illegal operators and websites is not significant and that the agency continuously takes appropriate measures against illegal business activity.
It was also recently announced that Parliament has begun discussing a bill that would significantly tighten regulations in the gambling sector. According to the proposed changes, if companies fail to pay the licensing fee within the established deadlines, their right to operate will be automatically revoked. Additionally, the fine for violations will be increased from the current 7,000 GEL ($2,500) to 20,000 GEL ($7,200).
According to the government, current penalties do not have a sufficient deterrent effect and fail to ensure effective prevention of violations. “In many cases, it is economically more rational for licence holders to breach conditions and pay the fine than to fully comply with the established requirements,” the government stated.
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