About This Service
Technical compliance of gaming machines is not a routine operational matter for an organiser of gambling games — it is a set of statutory obligations whose non-fulfilment is recorded directly as a violation at inspection. The law of Georgia on the organisation of lotteries, gambling and profitable games establishes three pillars in this field: Article 23 governs the minimum provision of winnings on gaming machines, Article 33 governs the identification and equipment of tables and machines, and Article 36 establishes the control of the Ministry of Finance over every point of the law and the rules of play (regulations).
This service is designed for operators of casinos, clubs and halls of gaming machines who verify the readiness of their equipment before an inspection. We analyse your equipment on the basis of these three articles, identify defects and put in order what the law demands directly — so that no requirement is invented and no figure is taken from any other source.
The Minimum Payout Guarantee: Article 23
Article 23 formulates the principal economic standard of a machine briefly and categorically: gaming machines must provide for winnings of at least 80 percent of the stake placed. This means that the machine’s configuration must be arranged so that, in relation to the stakes placed on it, the provided share of winnings does not fall below that threshold. The law establishes a single numerical limit, and no other percentages can be derived from this article by anyone.
In practical terms this standard is the first object of verification: any change in a machine’s parameters, any reconfiguration or update must be checked for whether this minimum guarantee has been breached. If a machine does not meet this requirement, its use for gaming becomes unlawful in itself, regardless of how impeccable the rest of its equipment may be.
The Factory Number and the Electronic Control Device: Article 33
The first paragraph of Article 33 determines the legal position of gaming inventory: casino tables, club tables, gaming machines and other gaming inventory used for gaming may be in the ownership or in the use of the organiser of the gambling game. The law thus recognises both variants — inventory held in ownership and inventory held in use — but in either case it must be documentarily linked to the organiser of the games.
Under the second paragraph of Article 33, the use of a casino table or a club table for gaming is permissible only where a distinguishing mark — a factory number — exists on that table. The factory number is the means of identifying the table: during an inspection it is precisely by this number that a particular table is located and compared against its documentary description.
For gaming machines the requirement is stricter: under the third paragraph of Article 33, in force since 1 September 2021, the use of a gaming machine for gaming is permissible only where a distinguishing mark (a factory number) and a device necessary for electronic control exist on that machine. A machine without a factory number or without a control device cannot be used for gaming, however refined it may be in every other technical respect.
The Control of the Ministry of Finance: Article 36 and the Logic of Inspection
Article 36 lays the general foundation of control: the Ministry of Finance of Georgia is obliged to establish control over compliance with the requirements of every point of this law and of the rules of play (regulations). The word “every” is decisive here: control is not confined to individual, pre-named points — an inspection reaches any requirement of the law and the regulations, and the technical compliance of equipment is one of the first and most easily verifiable parts of that full spectrum.
This is precisely why preparation for an inspection must not be limited to what is visible: having factory numbers and a control device is not enough if the machine’s configuration substantially violates the requirement of Article 23, or if the inventory is not documentarily formalised as being in the organiser’s ownership or use.
The Inspection-Readiness Checklist
Our approach is simple: before an inspection, every requirement written in the three cited articles must be checked against your own operation. The checklist looks like this:
- every gaming machine is configured so that winnings of at least 80 percent of the stake placed are provided for (Article 23);
- every casino table and club table bears a distinguishing mark — a factory number (Article 33);
- every gaming machine bears a factory number and is equipped with a device necessary for electronic control (Article 33);
- tables, machines and other gaming inventory are documentarily in the ownership or use of the organiser of the gambling game (Article 33);
- you are ready to demonstrate compliance with every point of the rules of play (regulations), over which the Ministry of Finance establishes control (Article 36).
Detailed technical specifications, the formal procedure of inspection and deadlines are not set out in these articles — they are determined by other and subordinate normative acts. Our checklist therefore combines two layers: verification of the requirements written directly in the law, and verification of the subordinate acts currently in force, so that preparation does not rest on memory alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What minimum winnings must be provided for on a gaming machine?
Under Article 23, gaming machines must provide for winnings of at least 80 percent of the stake placed — this is the only numerical threshold that the law establishes in relation to the provision of winnings on a machine.
What must each table and gaming machine have?
Under Article 33, the use of a casino or club table for gaming is permissible only with a factory number, while a gaming machine requires, alongside the factory number, a device necessary for electronic control — a requirement established directly by the law.
Who verifies the fulfilment of these requirements?
Under Article 36, the Ministry of Finance of Georgia is obliged to establish control over compliance with the requirements of every point of the law and the rules of play (regulations), which makes technical compliance one of the first objects of any inspection.
Where are the detailed technical requirements and the inspection procedure written?
The cited articles set out the fundamental standards of the equipment; the detailed technical specifications, the inspection procedure and the deadlines are determined by other and subordinate norms, so verifying their versions currently in force is an integral part of preparation.
How We Help on Legal.ge
A defect discovered before an inspection is correctable; one discovered during an inspection is already a violation. We examine your equipment on the basis of Article 23, Article 33 and Article 36, compile a list of defects, prepare the documentary foundations for the ownership or use of your inventory, and provide concrete recommendations to remedy matters before the inspection. Contact us on Legal.ge and receive an exact assessment of your equipment’s readiness.