Georgia launches international iGaming licence
Georgia’s international iGaming licence regime has fully launched after a July soft launch, with the first operators expected to begin operations soon. The framework targets international operators serving players outside Georgia and combines licensing with banking, payments and compliance support.
International Licence Goes Live
Georgia’s international iGaming licence regime is now fully launched after a soft launch in July. Random Systems Georgia, which was designated by the government to advise on and oversee creation of the regime, confirmed the full launch. The framework is intended for international operators serving players outside Georgia. It is not designed to target Georgian citizens.
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The regime offers a five-year licence to operators entering the market under the new framework. It also includes banking, payments and compliance services. Those services include arrangements for gambling-coded MCC 7995 payment processing. Remote onboarding is possible, and operators are not required to maintain a physical office in Georgia.
Rules And Operator Costs
Operators under the framework pay a 5% tax on gross gaming revenue. They also pay a 1% regulatory monitoring fee and an annual permit fee of €33,370 (GEL 100,000). Reinvested profits are subject to 0% corporate tax. Breaches of licence conditions or payment deadlines trigger fines of €6,670 (GEL 20,000).
Legislation was submitted to parliament under an accelerated procedure in June. The changes amended the Law On the Organisation of Lotteries, Gambling and Profitable Games. The amendments introduced permits for online slots and sports betting offered to non-Georgian players. Access is restricted to foreign nationals and stateless persons, while Georgian citizens are to be automatically blocked.
Market Context And Controls
Each licence covers one website under the new regime. Georgia’s model has been compared with Malta, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man. Estonia is also reducing its gross gaming revenue tax to 4% by 2029. Vakhtang Katamadze, a supervisory board member at Random Systems Georgia, has described the approach as creating a country-level ecosystem rather than a standalone licensing jurisdiction.
Georgia already has software providers, live casino operations, game studios and customer-support functions serving international companies, according to the Georgia International Strategic Group. Flutter Entertainment’s Adjarabet and Betsson Georgia continue operating in the country. Lawmakers say the framework could attract investment and create skilled technology and marketing jobs, expanding the service sector. The legal gambling age in Georgia rose to 25 in 2024, and new exclusion rules for public-sector employees and citizens with criminal records introduced last year have led to more than 1.5 million citizens being banned from gambling in a country of 3.8 million people.
