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.