The Gov’t of Georgia is considering online gambling prohibition

The Republic of Georgia is considering a total prohibition of online gambling as part of its gambling regulatory overhaul, although not all members of the government are convinced that it’s a good idea.

Special commissions are currently working in the parliament and the Ministry of Finance on the introduction of new regulations on gambling.

Unlike the Ministry of Finance, the parliamentary group is inclined to make a radical decision of a complete ban on online gambling.

Deputy Finance Minister of Georgia Lasha Khutsishvili confirms that this issue is being discussed, but notes  that international practice shows the ineffectiveness of the prohibitive measures in this field.

“We analyze the world experience to understand how effective are those or other measures taken with respect to online gaming. The international practice shows that at present there are no effective mechanisms to actually prohibit online games. Millions are spent from  the state budget on such measures, but in vain, “- said Deputy Finance Minister of Georgia Lasha Khutsishvili.

In his opinion, the ban in reality does not work, as modern technologies make it easy to circumvent such regulations, and full control over the Internet is the only real alternative.

“The Finance Ministry is also considering this issue from the point of view of fiscal policy, full control over the Internet is associated with very high costs,” commented the deputy minister.

In July, the Ministry of Finance announced plans to establish a Gambling Business Policy Division, which was given a mandate to develop the nation’s gambling regulations in conjunction with stakeholders, while ensuring appropriate consumer protections for local gamblers.