The Authorization Certificate: Concept and Purpose
The legal form of the compliance of gaming systems in Georgian legislation is the authorization certificate. The third article of the law defines: an authorization certificate is a certificate issued by the selected person confirming the compliance of a gambling and/or profitable game, as well as of certain essential products/services, with the standards and requirements introduced or established by the minister of finance of Georgia.
Two details of this definition matter. First: the certificate is issued by the selected person — the entity selected by the Revenue Service for the purpose of deploying and operating the electronic control system of the gambling business. Second: the measure of compliance is the standards of the minister of finance — the legal boundary of qualification is embedded precisely in these standards.
The Procedure of Examination and Issuance
The article 36-1 of the law regulates the procedural side of authorization: the procedure and conditions for issuing an authorization certificate are established by a normative act of the minister of finance of Georgia. By the same article, where a permit seeker uses a system created with its own resources, the selected person must examine that system and issue an authorization certificate — in accordance with the standards established by the legal act of the minister of finance.
The certification route reads as follows: at the preparation stage the product or system is tested for compliance, and afterwards the selected person officially examines it and issues the certificate. In practice, independent laboratory testing is often used at the preparation stage as well, but the legal source of the certificate is only the authorization envisaged by law — a laboratory conclusion is preparatory material, not the basis of the decision.
The Control System and Obligations
Authorization stands within the broader framework of the electronic control system: on the basis of a contract concluded with the Revenue Service, the selected person is obliged to deploy the system and ensure its operation; through the system are controlled the fulfillment of requirements by the organizer of a gaming machine, of a systemically-electronically organized gambling and/or profitable game and by the organizer of a totalizator. The server of the selected person must be placed on the territory of Georgia.
Taking this into account in certification planning matters: testing and authorization are not a one-time act — substantial changes require renewed examination. Any change concerning the bet, the winnings, the architecture of the game, the combination lines, the random number generation platform or the jackpot requires a new certificate, and this cycle must be embedded in the content plan itself.
The Fee Layer
Certification and integration also create a financial burden: the permit seeker and the permit holder are obliged to pay fees for the first-time examination of the online gaming system, for the issuance of the corresponding authorization certificate, for the devices and equipment to be placed, for the control and monitoring system, for its installation and operation, and also for the delivery of a terminal for a totalizator. The types, amounts and payment procedure of fees are determined by a legal act of the government — the concrete figures require verification against the current act.
One further practical observation: in the certification process the dimension of time is decisive. The examination precedes the certificate, and the certificate is one of the supporting documents of the permit application — which means a delay in testing shifts the entire permit schedule. Therefore the testing plan is drawn up together with the permit calendar, not after it, and the change cycle — when a new game or a substantial change requires renewed examination — is reflected in the content plan in advance.
Remember also the server requirement: the server of the selected person must be placed on the territory of Georgia — this technical detail stands directly in the law and enters the planning of infrastructure at the very first stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues the authorization certificate?
The selected person — the entity selected for deploying and operating the electronic control system; the procedure of examination and issuance is established by an act of the minister of finance.
Is a laboratory conclusion sufficient?
Independent testing is preparatory material, but the legal source of the certificate is only the authorization established by law — the decision comes from the selected person.
When is re-authorization needed?
Upon a substantial change — the bet, winnings, architecture, combinations, the random number platform, the jackpot — a new certificate and the corresponding consent are required.
What does it cost?
The types of fees are enumerated by law — examination, certificate, equipment, operation — while the amounts are set by a government act and require verification.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team guides the certification route from beginning to end: from planning the preparatory testing to the authorization procedure and the embedding of the change cycle into the content plan.
Contact us through Legal.ge — certification is the critical path of a project, and its precise planning determines the launch date.