Georgian parliament approves international casino tournaments with tax incentives

The Parliament of Georgia on 28 October 2026 passed a law allowing casinos to stage international gaming tournaments, with tax incentives and regulatory relief for events with prize pools above GEL3m (€1.05m). The initiative, fast-tracked by the ruling Georgian Dream party, cleared the final vote with 73 votes in favour and 5 against.

What the new law allows

The statute defines an international gaming tournament as an event organised by a casino with a prize pool guaranteed by the organiser and with at least 80% foreign participants; that threshold was raised from the 70% included in the initial draft during parliamentary debate. Tournaments may be held either on licensed casino premises or in approved external venues.

When the prize pool exceeds GEL3m (€1.05m), operators and participants receive specific fiscal and regulatory benefits. Casinos that dedicate gaming tables exclusively to international tournaments meeting that threshold will be exempt from certain business levies normally applied to gaming tables. In addition, organisers will be authorised to realise revenue generated by the tournament.

Taxation and penalties

The law maintains a general 20% tax on winnings earned by tournament participants, but establishes an exception: foreign nationals competing in tournaments with prize pools above GEL3m will be exempt from tax on their winnings. The original wording had foreseen a penalty of GEL150,000 (€52,350) for unauthorised organisers; that sanction was removed during amendments. Nevertheless, authorised operators that fail to meet licence requirements to stage international tournaments will be sanctioned with a fine of GEL50,000.

Political debate and religious opposition

The approval prompted public pushback from the Georgian Orthodox Church and the Public Defender's Office, both of which questioned the advisability of promoting events linked to gambling. The Patriarchate indicated it will formally discuss the initiative before issuing a public position. Metropolitan Anton of Vani and Baghdati told local media:

“We will discuss it and express our opinion. To tell you the truth, many things are unclear, but maybe they will explain it to us.” — Metropolitan Anton of Vani and Baghdati

Archpriest Andria Jaghmaidze, head of the Patriarchate’s Public Relations Service, expressed surprise at the proposal and recalled the Patriarchate’s involvement in the regulatory process on the gaming sector that began in 2017.

Politically, the For Georgia faction voted against and members of the People’s Power party, aligned with the parliamentary majority, criticised the expedited procedure. Eka Sepashvili said during the second reading she was concerned about social effects: “the draft law may lead to unwanted popularisation of these games, which is an important issue for society”.

Giorgi Sharashidze of For Georgia described the initiative as follows: “Georgian Dream is attempting to turn Georgia into a gambling country. The party justifies this by claiming it will promote tourism. With all due respect, what kind of tourism development are we talking about? If we want tourism, fine — Georgian Dream could legalise prostitution, too, and tourism would flourish. It could also legalise drug use, and tourism would flourish even further.”

Government argument: tourism and off-season activity

Shota Berekashvili, chair of the parliament’s Committee on Economic Policy, defended the law as a tourism measure: “These tournaments are, in a sense, similar to sporting competitions. Such tournaments are held in many European countries, and their main target is to develop the tourism industry,” Berekashvili said. He noted events can gather “thousands” of participants and are organised particularly in the low season to generate additional economic activity. “This is not gambling in the direct sense of the word,” he added.

Recent regulatory context and licensing regime

The government confirmed last month the launch of Georgia’s new international iGaming licensing regime. Random Systems Georgia (RSG), the firm appointed by the government to advise on and oversee creation of the regime, began rolling out the structure after a soft launch in July. The regulatory and commercial package to attract operators targeting players outside Georgia includes a five-year licence and banking, payments and compliance services, with mechanisms for processing payments under MCC code 7995 for gaming activities.

The law adopted on 28 October complements that framework by creating a tourism product — international casino tournaments — with exemptions and operational permissions aimed at attracting foreign visitors and economic activity in periods of lower demand.

Key implementation questions

• Events must guarantee the prize pool announced by the organiser and verify that at least 80% of participants are foreign.

• The threshold for tax and fee exemptions for operators is set at a prize pool of GEL3m (€1.05m).

• Applicable fines are GEL50,000 for authorised operators who breach requirements; the GEL150,000 (€52,350) fine for unauthorised organisers was removed.

I, Gonzalo Marín, Correspondent for sector operations, will cover the development of the regulation and the practical implementation of the tournament regime as operators and regulators publish secondary regulations and timetables. For related regulatory context see coverage on [regulation](/regulation) and the licensing rollout in [news](/news).