Alen Simonyan and Narek Karapetyan Continue to Accuse Each Other

Narek Karapetyan, a member of the board of the "Strong Armenia" party, accused the Speaker of the National Assembly yesterday, stating: "Last year, citizens of Armenia lost $20 billion in online casinos. Which politician is the sponsor of this? Who will be left alone in history for disgracefully 'settling' his own nation in a casino? It is strangely fortunate that I became the Speaker of the National Assembly!"

Following this statement, Alen Simonyan gave Karapetyan 24 hours to clarify whom he was referring to, stating, "You are talking about the Speaker of the National Assembly." Afterward, Narek Karapetyan published a draft law, attaching a note: "After adopting this project, online casino wagers increased 18 times over 7 years. Who is the author of this project that is impoverishing thousands of our compatriots, destroying families, and deserving a curse? The name at the bottom is - Alen."

Alen Simonyan's response was swift. "The draft law proposes to 'define that a citizen who has put his family in a difficult financial situation due to gambling shall be recognized as having limited legal capacity and his access to gaming halls will be prohibited. The procedure for enforcing this provision will be established, as well as administrative liability for the organizer of the totalizator if the aforementioned requirement is not met.' Now I want to understand, what connection does my law have with your writing, Mr. Karapetyan? By the way, I am not Alen for you; I am the elected Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, and when you speak to me, you can only address me as Mr. Simonyan, Mr. Speaker, or Mr. President, whichever you prefer. I will file a lawsuit; you must bear responsibility for that. Well then, let’s wait for the court, after which you will publicly apologize for defamation. But it is still interesting: are you planning to abolish this law and allow people who suffer from gambling addiction to enter casinos?" said Simonyan.

The remote debate did not end there. Narek Karapetyan made another post: "How the person who became the Speaker of the National Assembly sat the citizens of Armenia into gambling by changing the law on online casinos: In 2019, the amendments officially established the status and regulations of 'internet totalizators'. With the same amendments, organizers were allowed to also engage in software development for online games and manage win coefficients. With this change, the state did not actually restrict online casinos, but completely LEGALIZED them and provided an opportunity for technological development. As a result, wagering became a faster, more accessible, and professionally organized system, which naturally increases people's involvement and the volume of bets. Between 2022 and 2024, changes were introduced to establish special gaming accounts, identification by bank cards, and a fully cashless betting system, justified by transparency. (Article 5.2, changes: HO-139-N, HO-312-N, HO-133-N) Consequently, betting became entirely online, integrated into the banking system, and accessible with just a few clicks from a phone. This means that when 'reforms' eliminate technical barriers and betting becomes quicker and more accessible FOR EVERYONE, what was this done in return for?"