Online gambling in Georgia is not a legal vacuum: organizing gambling or profitable games over the internet requires a strictly defined permit and operates under a dedicated electronic control system for the gambling business. If you plan to organize online games, or already run such a platform, every element of your operation — from the website to the selected person's server — must comply with statutory requirements. On this page we explain what systemic-electronic organization means, which permits are issued, who is barred from participating, and how the electronic control system works in practice.
The legal concept of systemic-electronic organization
The law defines the systemic-electronic organization of gambling and/or profitable games as holding such games in compliance with the requirements established by the law, using the internet, telephone, and/or specially equipped electronic means. The concept covers both ordinary and international organization: under international organization permits, participation is not allowed for citizens of Georgia. In practical terms, this means that a "foreign" online license does not lawfully support operations targeting Georgian players. Gambling games may be organized only in a casino, a slot machine hall, a gambling club, and/or in systemic-electronic form — any other form of organization is directly prohibited.
The organizer of games is the person holding a permit for organizing gambling and/or profitable games, a permit for systemic-electronic organization, and/or a permit for international systemic-electronic organization. A permit seeker is a person who intends to carry out any activity in this field, including the supply of gambling and/or profitable games. Understanding these categories matters because obligations attach to each of them, and the electronic control system monitors compliance for every permit holder.
Types of permits and conditions of issuance
A wide range of activities is subject to permitting, including: arranging a casino, a totalizator, a slot machine hall, lotto, bingo, or a gambling club; systemic-electronic organization and international organization of casino, slot machine, and totalizator games; and the supply of gambling and/or profitable games. These permits are issued only to an entrepreneur registered in Georgia. A permit for international systemic-electronic organization of casino, slot machine, or totalizator games is issued without the underlying physical-facility permit, while an ordinary organization permit may be issued both with and without such a base permit.
For online operators the following rule is decisive: under each permit for systemic-electronic organization and international organization, only one website organized under a single internet domain name is allowed. Changing the internet address and/or the location of the operation (place of management) is possible only through amendments in the sectoral permit registry. Also note two direct prohibitions: it is prohibited to organize gambling or profitable games in systemic-electronic form at an internet service facility (in effect, an internet café ban), and it is prohibited to place computers or similar electronic devices at a facility designated for gambling for the purpose of participation in games.
Permit terms and restrictions on operation
Permits for arranging a casino, totalizator, or slot machine hall, and permits for systemic-electronic organization and international organization of casino, slot machine, and totalizator games, are issued for a term of five years; a permit for arranging stimulatory draws is issued for one year; permits for arranging lotto and bingo and for the supply of gambling and/or profitable games are issued for five years. Permits issued on the basis of another permit remain in force for the remaining term of that underlying permit. If the activity under a physical-facility permit is suspended or terminated, activity under the online permit derived from it is allowed for the remainder of the current quarter, but for no more than sixty calendar days; in each subsequent quarter, such activity is allowed only if the physical facility has resumed functioning for at least thirty days. When the underlying permit is cancelled, the dependent online permit is cancelled as well.
The law also restricts who may hold a permit: where recognized tax arrears exist, a permit is not issued; transferring a permit to another person is prohibited; and a permit may not be issued to a person whose representative, founder/partner, or beneficial owner has been convicted, or has a criminal record, for a deliberate economic offense — including an offense in the sphere of financial activity — or for a deliberate grave or especially grave crime, unless the conviction has been expunged or extinguished. In gambling games, the possibility of winning in kind is not allowed — winnings must be monetary. Upon declaration of a state of emergency or martial law, the government may introduce a different regime for these licensed activities.