Georgia Launches International iGaming Licensing Framework for Foreign Players

The Parliament of Georgia adopted the amendments at their third reading in June, formally introducing international permits for casino games, slot machine games and totalizator betting conducted electronically.

Parliament said:

The amendments regulate issues related to the international organization of gambling and/or prize games in a system-electronic format.

The legislation also establishes permit conditions, licensing requirements and mechanisms for supervision and control. Crucially, the international permits can be issued independently of the domestic land-based permits that previously formed part of Georgia’s gambling structure.

This creates a distinct route for businesses looking to operate from Georgia while serving overseas customers.

Applicants can seek separate international authorisation for online casino games, online slot games and system-electronic totalizator betting.

The amended law requires applicants to submit licensing documentation to Georgia’s Revenue Service and provide operating information covering areas such as game rules, player registration and deposit or balance management. Each international permit can be used for only one website domain and remains valid for five years. 

For operators comparing international licensing jurisdictions, the structure adds another option alongside established European regimes. Malta, for example, continues to adjust its gaming tax and regulatory framework as competition between international licensing hubs develops.

The international framework is specifically designed for customers outside Georgia. The legislation prohibits permit holders from allowing Georgian citizens to participate. Operator websites must also display information in Georgian and English stating that Georgian citizens and foreign or stateless players under 18 cannot play. 

This distinction separates the international licensing model from Georgia’s domestic gambling market and creates a clear compliance obligation around player eligibility.

Operators considering cross-border expansion will still need to assess licensing requirements in every country they target. Recent European cases have similarly highlighted the risks for operators serving markets without the required local licence.

Georgia’s June amendment to the Law on Licence and Permit Fees sets the annual fee at GEL 100,000 per permit category, covering international online casino, slot and totalizator permits. 

The Tax Code separately provides a 5% tax rate on taxable profit attributable to foreign citizens participating in system-electronic gambling or betting. The official wording reviewed does not describe this specifically as a 5% GGR tax, so operators should distinguish the statutory wording from commercial summaries of the regime.

That rate can be viewed alongside other European tax structures, including Estonia’s 5.5% online gambling tax introduced in 2026.

The gambling law also provides for fees payable to the designated monitoring entity, but the legislation reviewed here does not itself establish the reported 1% figure. Likewise, reported banking and MCC 7995 payment arrangements appear to form part of the commercial infrastructure surrounding the regime rather than a guaranteed statutory licensing term.

For operators, that makes the legal framework only one part of the due-diligence process. Banking availability, payment processing and the exact monitoring costs should be confirmed directly before market entry.