The Single Channel of Status Management
The status of a permit — issuance, amendment, suspension, revocation — is managed in the gambling business through a single channel. Article 7 provides that the issuance and revocation of permits for organising gambling and promotional games and for supplying games, the introduction of amendments to them and their passage through the official permit registry are carried out by the Revenue Service in accordance with the Law on Licences and Permits and with this law. This means that any status event — relocation of an object, renewal of conditions, amendment of the regulations — is lawful only through this channel; outside it, every change passes into the category of a violation of permit conditions.
The practical meaning of status management is that the life of the business is reflected in the permit: expansion and contraction, change of location, renewal of the list of games. Status decisions must therefore be planned in advance rather than becoming crisis responses.
The Procedure for Introducing Changes
Article 21 defines the changes connected with the object: where the location of a casino, a gaming machine hall or a gambling club changes, the organiser submits to the Revenue Service the conditions for organising the relevant game (the regulations). Where a totalizator cash desk is arranged, before amending the regulations the Service receives information about the address of the immovable property intended for the cash desk. Changes to the rules of the game, the lists and the descriptions are implemented only with the Service’s consent; for other changes, information is provided no later than 1 day before the change.
The control infrastructure follows from here as well: the Revenue Service may inspect compliance at any time during a calendar year and without quantitative limitation, while the electronic control system introduced through the selected person also monitors compliance in ongoing mode — in case of a violation, the inspection extends to the period of the current permit. For violating permit conditions the permit holder is fined by the Revenue Service or the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the fine is payable within 30 calendar days from the handover of the individual administrative-legal act.
Categories of Fines by Type of Permit
Article 37-1 distributes fines by type of permit, and these categories are the map of status management. The fine connected with a casino permit amounts to GEL 20 000; likewise in the case of violating the deadline for paying the permit fee — GEL 20 000. For a gaming machine hall, a gambling club and a supply permit the fine is GEL 10 000, and likewise for violating the fee deadline — GEL 10 000. For a totalizator the basic fine is GEL 2 000, while violating the fee deadline carries GEL 10 000. For lotto and bingo the basic fine is GEL 1 000, and for the fee deadline violation — GEL 2 000. For systematic-electronic permits the fine is GEL 20 000.
Reading these categories matters for management because they draw the risk profile: violating the deadline for paying the permit fee is often more expensive than other violations, and it is precisely the field where order converts into money. The fine on a promotional draw permit is GEL 1 000 — but conducting a stage without consent destroys the legitimacy of the whole campaign along with this amount.
The Angle of Suspension and Revocation
The grounds for suspending or revoking a permit are defined by the Law on Licences and Permits, while the gambling law fills that mechanism with categories of fines: the non-fulfilment of permit conditions is the factual base on which general licensing law builds decisions on suspension and revocation. Therefore every cycle of status management revolves around three knots: documentation of ongoing performance, timely registration of changes, and readiness to appeal in fine cases.
The same channel operates in the matter of transfer as well: changes connected with the persons of the permit and status decisions are reflected in the official permit registry, and the state of the registry is the measure by which third parties — banks, partners, customers — verify the operator’s legitimacy. The accuracy of the registry is therefore not an administrative formality but part of market reputation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who implements changes in a permit’s status?
The Revenue Service — issuance, amendment, revocation and passage through the registry are its exclusive competence.
What is the fine on a casino permit?
GEL 20 000; likewise for violating the fee payment deadline — GEL 20 000. Other categories: hall/club/supply — GEL 10 000, totalizator — GEL 2 000, lotto/bingo — GEL 1 000.
Within what period is a fine payable?
Within 30 calendar days from the handover of the individual administrative-legal act.
What happens when an object relocates?
For the relocation of a casino, hall or club the regulations are resubmitted to the Service; changes to the rules — only with consent; other changes are notified 1 day in advance.
How We Help on Legal.ge
We will build the full cycle of status management: planning and registration of changes, renewal of regulations, management of fine cases and early identification of suspension risks. Contact us on Legal.ge — a permit’s status is an asset preserved by daily discipline.