How gambling is regulated in Georgia: the law, the regulator and the permit system

Georgia has a single statute at the centre of its gambling framework, one body that issues permits, and a clearly defined list of activities that need one. Since mid-2026 it also has a dedicated permit route for operators that serve players outside the country. This guide sets out how the system fits together, so that product, legal and technology teams can plan around it.

The law: one statute, regularly updated

Gambling in Georgia is governed by the Law of Georgia on Organising Lotteries, Games of Chance and Other Prize Games (Law No. 1180 of 25 March 2005), published in English on the legislative herald of Georgia, matsne.gov.ge. The law defines the regulated activities, sets out who may organise them and on what conditions, and gives the regulator its powers of supervision and enforcement. Related laws on licence and permit fees and on advertising sit alongside it.

The statute is amended often. The most recent amendment recorded on matsne.gov.ge was adopted by Parliament on 25 June 2026 and published on 3 July 2026. It introduced the concept of international organisation of games in a systemic-electronic form, which we cover below. Because the text moves, the practical habit for any operator is to work from the current consolidated version on matsne.gov.ge rather than from a summary.

The regulator: the Revenue Service

Permits are issued, monitored and, where needed, revoked by the Revenue Service, a public-law legal entity operating within the Ministry of Finance of Georgia. The Ministry of Finance sets the policy and technical framework, and the Revenue Service handles applications, permit conditions and supervision day to day.

For online operators there is one more name to know. Random Systems Georgia is the entity appointed to run the electronic gaming control and monitoring system and to issue authorisation certificates for gaming software. In practice, an applicant secures this certificate before approaching the Revenue Service for the permit itself.

Which activities need a permit

The statute covers the full range of land-based and remote gaming. The main permit categories are:

• Casinos, covering table games and the other casino games defined in the law.
• Slot clubs, covering gaming machines.
• Betting houses (totalizators), covering wagering on sports and other events whose outcome is not known in advance.
• Lotto and bingo games, which have their own permit category.
• Promotional prize games, which are issued for a shorter period than the other categories.
• Lotteries, which follow a different route: the law reserves them to an exclusive right that the Ministry of Finance awards through a tender.

Permits are issued for a specific operation and are not transferable. A permit holder cannot hand it to another company, so a change of operating entity means a new application.

How online gambling is permitted

The law allows casino, slot and betting games to be organised in a systemic-electronic form, meaning over the internet, by telephone or through other electronic platforms. There are two routes.

Domestic permits

Holders of a casino, slot club or betting house permit may run the corresponding games electronically under the law's systemic-electronic provisions, connected to the state monitoring system operated by Random Systems Georgia. This is the route for operators serving the Georgian market.

International permits (in force since 3 July 2026)

The June 2026 amendments created a separate regime for the international organisation of games in a systemic-electronic form. It offers three permits:

• International casino games in electronic form.
• International slot machine games in electronic form.
• International totalizator games in electronic form.

The main features of the regime are:

• Each permit is valid for five years and carries an annual fee of GEL 100,000, charged separately for each permit category.
• An operator does not need a land-based casino, slot club or betting house permit to qualify.
• One permit covers one website on one domain.
• Applications and supporting documents go to the Revenue Service, which also supervises the holder through the electronic monitoring system.
• Holders must not let Georgian citizens take part in these games, and the site has to state that restriction clearly. Players must be adults.
• The operator's website must show its name, registered address, telephone number and permit number in Georgian and English, together with the list of games, their rules and the participation restrictions.
• Material changes to products, services or technical solutions are reported to the Revenue Service in advance in the cases the law specifies.
• Missing the annual fee deadline can lead to a fine of GEL 20,000.

For technology teams, these conditions translate directly into product requirements: geo and citizenship controls at registration, bilingual disclosure pages, a clean one-domain-per-permit architecture and a change-management process that records what was shipped and when.

Main conditions that apply across permits

Where to find the official texts

The authoritative sources are short and easy to bookmark:

1. The legislative herald of Georgia, matsne.gov.ge, for the consolidated statute and every amending law, with the amendment history listed on the document page.
2. The Parliament of Georgia news pages, which announce each reading of amendments to the law and summarise what they introduce.
3. The Revenue Service, rs.ge, for application procedures, permit registers and announcements to permit holders.
4. The Ministry of Finance, mof.ge, for policy and for the technical requirements that apply to gaming systems.

What this means for building on Georgia

Georgia gives operators a defined route: a named statute, one permit-issuing authority, a published list of regulated activities and, since July 2026, a specific international permit with a fixed annual fee. That clarity makes it straightforward to plan platform architecture, reporting and localisation before the first application is filed. Our Tbilisi team builds iGaming platform technology with these requirements in mind, from monitoring-system integration to bilingual compliance pages, so that operators can move from permit to launch on a clean foundation.