Online gambling compliance in Georgia means the complete fulfillment of the strict obligations established for holders of permits for organizing gambling and/or profitable games in systematic-electronic form — from player identification to the management of fine risks. On this page we explain the provisions of the Law of Georgia on Lotteries, Gambling and Other Profitable Games that govern the daily activity of an online operator. Legal.ge assists online gaming businesses in fulfilling these requirements systematically.
The online operator's core obligations
The twenty-ninth article sets out an extensive list of obligations for the game organizer. The operator is obliged to conduct the game and pay out winnings in accordance with the submitted conditions of organization (regulations) and/or the rules of the game organized in systematic-electronic form; to give the player, on request, a written certificate concerning the receipt of winnings; to decide on a player's claim within the deadline established by the regulations or the rules; and to keep confidential the data on the amounts won or lost by the player.
It is prohibited to demand additional conditions from a winning player when paying out winnings (except cases provided for by legislation), and to allow a player to transfer or move funds to the gaming accounts of other players. The operator must pay fees, taxes and the remuneration of the selected person on time, and must notify the Revenue Service in writing about the suspension or renewal of its activity before it occurs.
Player identification, verification and data protection
For systematic-electronic organization the law establishes a special regime: the operator is obliged to ensure the registration, identification and verification of each player on the basis of that person's identification data, in the manner established by Georgian legislation, and, from the day of the player's verification, to carry out the repeated verification of that person annually.
The protection of the database is a direct obligation of the operator. The deposit of funds into an account and their withdrawal from it are carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the Minister of Finance of Georgia. The operator also fulfills the obligations defined by the Law of Georgia on Facilitating the Suppression of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and submits information to the Financial Monitoring Service in the established manner; the registration of paid winnings is recorded in an electronic database.
Age restrictions and the lists of barred persons
The thirty-second article extends to online games as well: it is prohibited for a citizen of Georgia under the age of 25, or a citizen of a foreign country or a stateless person under the age of 18, to enter a gambling or profitable game venue for the purpose of playing or to participate in a game — including a game organized in systematic-electronic form. Age is checked through an identity document or another document issued in accordance with the law.
It is also prohibited to admit persons included in the list of dependent persons and/or the list of prohibited persons to participate in games — including systematic-electronic organization. The personal data of persons included in these lists are processed by the Revenue Service, which, on the operator's request, provides information only on whether participation is prohibited for a specific person. A holder of a permit for international organization is prohibited from admitting citizens of Georgia to participate. Information obtained on the basis of this article is stored for 5 years in a specially created electronic database or archive and is confidential.
Prohibitions directed at the operator
The law imposes three further significant prohibitions on the operator: it is forbidden to grant a loan to a player for placing a bet; it is forbidden to conclude an employment contract with a minor under which that person is required to work at the place where the game is conducted, or to control the organization or conduct of the game; and before accepting games or essential products or services from a supplier, the operator must demand from the supplier the permit for the supply of gambling and/or profitable games and must not use products supplied by anyone other than the holder of that permit. The non-fulfillment of these obligations is considered a violation of permit conditions.
The electronic control system
The central instrument of supervision over online games is the electronic control system of the gaming business. It is introduced on the basis of a contract between the Revenue Service and a selected person; the contract is concluded for a term of no more than 15 years, and the server of the selected person must be located on the territory of Georgia. Through the system, compliance with permit conditions and legislation is controlled for holders of permits for the systematic-electronic organization of casino, gaming-machine and totalizator games, as well as for the international organization of those games.
The operator is obliged to create appropriate working conditions for the introduction and operation of the system for the Revenue Service and the selected person, to provide the requested documents and information, and to connect the equipment needed for electronic control. Where an operator uses a system created with its own resources (in the case of the organization of a totalizator), the selected person checks that system and issues an authorization certificate; the permit holder pays the fees for the study of the system, the certificate and its operation.
Fines differentiated by type of permit
Fines for the non-fulfillment of permit conditions are differentiated by the type of permit: for a holder of a permit for the systematic-electronic organization of casino, gaming-machine and totalizator games the fine amounts to 20 000 GEL; for a holder of a permit for the international organization of the same games — likewise 20 000 GEL; and for a holder of a permit for the supply of gambling and/or profitable games — 10 000 GEL. For violations of the deadline for paying the permit fee, the same amounts are established: 20 000 GEL for holders of organization and international organization permits, and 10 000 GEL for holders of supply permits.
Note carefully: these are the fine amounts determined in accordance with the Law of Georgia on Licenses and Permits, adapted by this law to the types of gaming-business permits. A compliance deficit here is not a reputational matter but a direct financial risk.
Practical compliance management
For an online operator, compliance is a single system: verification procedures, data protection, relations with the Financial Monitoring Service, integration with the electronic control system and the prevention of fines are all interconnected. Legal.ge helps you analyze these elements, prepare the documentary foundation and maintain continuous compliance control — contact us before a deficiency turns into a fine.