Sports betting as a legal category
In Georgian law a sports bet is not a private contract — it falls within the legal regime of the totalizator, one of the types of profitable games. Under the statutory definition, the totalizator is a game conducted through players placing bets on the forecast of the outcome of a competition, a game or an event, the winnings depending on the size of the bet and the outcome. In sports betting this forecast concerns sporting results, but the legal construction is general. The interests of totalizator players are additionally secured through the prize fund, confirmed by a bank guarantee or an insurance policy.
One detail also matters: it is prohibited to organize a totalizator in cases where the result may be known in advance to one or both parties. This norm guarantees the fairness of the game and addresses the risks created by match-fixing.
Organizer obligations for player protection
The law imposes on the organizer of a totalizator a whole set of duties: to ensure public order and safety at the place where the games are held, as well as the protection of the lawful rights and interests of players and other persons; register the winnings paid out, create an electronic database and submit the relevant information to the Financial Monitoring Service; conduct the game and pay winnings in accordance with the submitted conditions of the event or the rules of the systematically-electronically organized game.
Especially significant for the player: upon request the organizer must give a written certificate of receipt of winnings; a decision on a player’s complaint must be taken within the period provided by the conditions; data on amounts won or lost by a player must be kept secret, with information released only in cases provided by law; and no additional conditions may be demanded of a winning player when paying out winnings, save for cases provided by the legislation. A player must likewise not be allowed to transfer funds to the gaming accounts of another player.
A separate prohibition protects the player’s financial independence: the organizer may not lend money to a player for placing a bet. The organizer must also pay in good time the statutory fees and taxes and notify the Revenue Service in writing before ceasing the activity. Video control serves the same goal: in the gaming hall, at the cashier and at the entrance, video recording must run during the entire working period of the totalizator, and the recordings must be kept for no less than 30 days and submitted to authorized bodies upon substantiated request.
Age restrictions
The law sets a strict age threshold: it is prohibited for a citizen of Georgia under the age of 25, and for a foreign citizen or a stateless person under the age of 18, to enter for the purpose of playing, or to participate in, a gambling or profitable game — except an incentive game — including one organized in systematic-electronic form.
The organizer must request from each person entering an identity document or another legislatively issued document confirming identity and identification data, in material or electronic form, and thereby verify the entrant’s age. For lottery tickets the threshold is 18 years: selling or otherwise distributing tickets to, and paying winnings to, a person under 18 is prohibited.
Protection of dependent and prohibited persons
The second instrument of player protection consists of special lists. Data are entered in the list of dependent persons on the basis of a judge’s order or of the person’s own application — a person dependent on gambling may thus request a ban on their own participation. The list of prohibited persons covers categories defined by law: employees of budget organizations, employees of national regulatory bodies and of the National Bank of Georgia, and members of families registered in the database of socially vulnerable families. Persons entered in these lists may not enter for the purpose of playing or participate in a game.
Information obtained through these lists is kept for 5 years in a specially created electronic database, is confidential, and may be transmitted to a third party only in cases provided by the legislation. The personal data are processed by the Revenue Service, which, at the organizer’s request, supplies information about a specific person only as regards the prohibition of participation. This balance of restriction and data protection is what secures the protection of the player.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most frequent questions on sports betting.
What is a totalizator?
A game conducted through players placing bets on the forecast of the outcome of a competition, game or event; winnings depend on the size of the bet and the outcome. Sports betting falls under this regime.
What is the age threshold for participation?
It is prohibited for a citizen of Georgia under 25, and for a foreign citizen or stateless person under 18, to enter for the purpose of playing or to participate in a game; age is verified by document.
What duty does the organizer have regarding winnings?
Winnings are paid under the conditions of the event, a written certificate is given on request, and demanding additional conditions from a winning player is prohibited. Lending money to a player for a bet is likewise prohibited.
How does the law protect persons dependent on gambling?
Persons entered in the lists of dependent and prohibited persons may not participate; the lists are processed by the Revenue Service, and the information is confidential and kept for 5 years.
How We Help on Legal.ge
If you participate in sports betting, check the organizer’s permit, study the conditions of the event and demand written confirmation of your winnings; if you are an organizer, observe the rules on age verification, the lists and video recording. On Legal.ge you can obtain a consultation on the law of gambling games — from the standpoint of both the player and the organizer.