Parliament approved the law on international gambling tournaments

The Parliament of Georgia approved amendments to the law "On the Organization of Lotteries, Gambling and Profitable Games" in the third reading. The discussion of the bill was conducted in an accelerated manner. At the final vote, 73 deputies supported the changes, while 5 voted against. 1TV+4

According to the law, an international gambling tournament is a competition organized by a casino, the prize fund of which is guaranteed in advance by the organizer. During the discussion process, the project was corrected and the share of foreign citizens among the participants was increased from 70% to 80%. According to the chairman of the Parliament's Economic Policy Committee, Shota Berekashvili, the participation of Georgian citizens was set at 20%, for whom all legal restrictions related to gambling remain in force. Interpressnews+4

According to the legislation, if the organizer uses a club table only for an international tournament and the prize fund exceeds 3 million GEL, they will not pay the gambling business fee. At the same time, income received by a foreign citizen in such a tournament will not be taxed, while the income of a Georgian citizen will be taxed at 20%. Interpressnews+1

The Patriarchate, the Public Defender, and opposition parties expressed a critical position regarding the initiative. Eka Sepashvili, a member of "People's Power," stated that the bill might cause undesirable popularization of gambling. The "Gakharia – For Georgia" faction did not support the bill. Publika+3