The Slot Machine Hall: Concept and Features
A slot machine hall is a specially equipped building or part of it where the organizer conducts gambling games by means of gaming machines — so defines the third article of the law. The gaming machine itself is also defined: an electronic, mechanical or electromechanical device with a special program or mechanism for monetary winnings. A multi-seat machine counts as as many machines as it consists of gaming seats — except an electronic roulette.
This detail is critical for budgeting: the number of machines also determines the base of the hall's fee, so when placing multi-seat devices their count must follow the rule of the law.
The Permit Regime
Under the eleventh article of the law, the organization of a slot machine hall and the organization of slot machine games in a systemic-electronic form are subject to permitting. The permit is issued for a term of 5 years, only to an entrepreneur registered in Georgia and separately for each object. The systemic-electronic permit may be issued both on the basis of a hall permit and without it, and a single permit allows no more than 2 internet domains.
Documentation and Regulations
The twentieth article of the law determines the documents needed for a hall permit. The regulations must indicate: the duration and place of conducting the gambling games; the list of gaming machines — the name, modification, factory number, year of manufacture, country of manufacture and manufacturer of each; the minimum and maximum bets and the maximum winnings on each machine; the list and detailed rules of the games conducted in the hall; and the procedure for examining claims — no more than 30 calendar days from the origin of the claim.
The documentation has a layer of authorization: an authorization certificate for the essential products to be used and a certificate of the content of each concrete game existing in each machine are submitted. For the systemic-electronic form, the rules of the game are needed — with the address of management, the list of games, the procedure and deadline for paying winnings, the website address, the rules of player registration and deposit management; on the website, in Georgian, the organizer's data, the permit number, the games and information on prohibitions on participation are indicated.
The Player Protection Parameter
The twenty-third article of the law establishes an economic parameter of the hall: the gaming machines must provide at least 80 percent of the placed bet as winnings. This norm is an instrument for protecting the player's interest and at the same time part of the content of the machine's authorization — the machine's programming cannot cross this threshold.
In closing, note that a hall project stands at the intersection of two cycles — the permit cycle and the procurement cycle. Ordering machines without a plan of authorization creates the risk that the devices arrive while the certificates are not yet ready; starting authorization without an order — that the certificate exists while the machine is late. Both cycles must be planned in a single schedule, and this is our first step in the conversation with a client.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a multi-seat machine counted?
As as many machines as it consists of gaming seats — except an electronic roulette. This rule concerns both accounting and taxation.
What is in the regulations?
The list of machines with identification details, the limits of bets and winnings, detailed rules of the games and the examination of claims within 30 calendar days.
What is the 80 percent rule?
A machine must provide at least 80 percent of the placed bet as winnings — this is a player protection standard controlled through authorization.
Is authorization needed?
Yes — at both levels: of the essential products and of the content of each concrete game in each machine.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team guides the opening of a hall and the expansion of a network step by step: from the plan of machines and the regulations to the coordination of authorization certificates.
Contact us through Legal.ge — a hall project is built on the precision of technical and permit details.
In the context of network expansion, three further observations from practice. First: the list of machines in the regulations is a living document — every new device must be added with identification details, and this process runs in sync with the procurement cycle. Second: the law requires authorization certificates at two levels — of essential products and of the content of a concrete game — and their preparation must precede the delivery schedule of the devices.
Third: the 80 percent rule is a mandatory part of procurement negotiations and of the due diligence of the supplier and its devices. The parameters of a purchased device must satisfy this threshold of the law, and this requirement should be written into the contract with the supplier — so that a non-compliant device does not end up among the machines that determine the base of the fee. Finally, the operational model of a hall also requires segregation: gambling and profitable games must be conducted segregated from each other, and in planning a hall this zoning must be reflected both physically and in reporting, otherwise the recalculation will have to happen after the opening, which costs both time and money.