Lawmakers raised the minimum from the proposed 70% and removed a proposed ₾150,000 fine for unauthorized tournaments, while retaining a separate penalty for licensing violations.
Georgia’s parliament approved rules requiring at least 80% of international gambling-tournament participants to be foreign nationals, up from 70% in the original proposal. Lawmakers also removed a proposed ₾150,000 fine for organizing an unauthorized tournament, JAMnews said on 29 October.
The Georgian Dream-sponsored package passed its third and final reading on 28 October 2026, by 73 votes to five. Parliament used an accelerated procedure over two plenary sessions.
The adopted legislation retains a separate fine of ₾50,000 for violating the licensing conditions governing international gambling tournaments, Interpressnews said on 28 October. That penalty concerns licensing-condition violations, rather than the removed proposal covering unauthorized tournaments.
A qualifying tournament must be organized by a licensed casino, with a prize pool guaranteed in advance by the organizer. Events may take place inside a licensed casino or at another venue, and organizers may earn revenue from hosting them.
International poker tournaments already take place in Georgia: Batumi’s Eclipse Casino has hosted Eurasian Poker Tour events since 2024. The legislation creates preferential legal and tax treatment to attract larger tournaments rather than introducing such competitions for the first time.
For tournaments with prize pools exceeding ₾3 million (approximately $1.1 million), foreign participants’ tournament income will be exempt from tax. Organizers will also be exempt from the gambling-business fee on club tables used exclusively for those tournaments.
Georgian participants’ taxable winnings remain subject to a 20% tax. Existing participation restrictions also continue: public servants and people registered on Georgia’s gambling exclusion list cannot take part.
Armenia’s ministry says the sides reaffirmed commitments to cooperation in trade, defense, high technology, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, connectivity, education, culture and tourism.
Economic Policy Committee chairman Shota Berekashvili, one of the sponsors, said the changes were intended to attract visitors during quieter tourism periods, DFWatch said in its October 28 report.
United National Movement politician Lasha Parulava accused the government of giving the gambling industry preferential treatment without accompanying measures to address gambling-related harm.
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