Restrictions on Participation in Gambling Activities for Certain Citizens in Armenia

In Armenia, participation in gambling activities will be restricted for certain citizens, including those benefiting from government aid programs. The package of bills concerning the regulation of gaming activities was presented in the National Assembly by the Chairman of the State Revenue Committee, Rustam Badasyan.

"For the first time in Armenia, a system will be introduced that will enable the digital monitoring of compliance with legal requirements for all types of gambling, both from the perspective of consumer protection and fiscal oversight. An electronic management system is planned to be implemented, which implies the connection of organizational information systems and databases to the electronic monitoring center of the gaming sector's management, and the gambling products connected to the system must comply with international technical standards and have the necessary certifications," he noted.

It is emphasized that the introduced electronic management system will ensure transparency in the sector, covert oversight of organizers, receipt of information regarding the actual turnover of organizers, and protection of consumer interests. The creation of opportunities for gambling activities organized in foreign countries is prohibited, as well as their advertising within the territory of the Republic of Armenia or across the entire domain of the Armenian internet.

Restrictions have been established for participants who are citizens of Armenia. Thus, citizens who have benefited from any government support program funded by the state budget due to extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances will be prohibited from participating in gambling for a certain period after receiving aid. Participation is also prohibited for citizens registered in the social assessment system of families who benefit from programs based on family vulnerability, as well as individuals residing in state social housing or those recognized as bankrupt or having unresolved obligations to the state budget, or those registered at the national center for addiction treatment.

Additionally, responsibilities have been defined for the operators and organizers regulating gambling activities. According to the bill, the organizer must ensure the implementation of gambling activities exclusively with gambling products connected to the operator's monitoring center and certified as specified in this law, in case of organizing gambling through a gaming hall. The organizer is also required to ensure that the organization of the gambling activity takes place only at the location specified in the license, maintaining invisibility from outside the gaming hall, and so on.