Armenia’s parliament has approved, in its second and final reading, amendments to the Law “On Regulation of Gambling Activity” that will prohibit socially vulnerable citizens from accessing online gambling. The bill was introduced by Hayk Sargsyan, a deputy from the ruling Civil Contract party.

Under the new rules, access to online gambling will be restricted for citizens receiving state subsidies, including mortgage, tuition, and agricultural loan support; recipients of social welfare benefits; pensioners whose sole source of income is their pension; individuals involved in bankruptcy proceedings; and those with a high debt burden, defined as spending more than 40% of their annual income on loan repayments.

Citizens not covered by the ban will still face spending restrictions, with total betting expenditures capped at 20% of their annual income.

The legislation also introduces a mandatory responsible gambling measure requiring all online casinos to provide a self-exclusion button in a clearly visible and easily accessible location on their websites and mobile applications.

“Once activated, the self-exclusion mechanism will prohibit access to online casinos for five years, with no option for early reinstatement. At the end of this period, the exclusion will be automatically extended for another five years unless the individual submits a request to lift the restriction within the five days preceding its expiration.

“Information about the self-exclusion will be shared with gaming operators, resulting in the suspension of the individual’s activity across all online casinos and gambling platforms,” Sargsyan emphasized.

According to data cited by Sargsyan in the bill’s explanatory note, the volume of online casino wagers placed by Armenian residents increased more than 35-fold between 2017 and 2025, reaching AMD 7.41 trillion (approximately $20 billion). 

Under the existing legislation, online gambling is already prohibited for individuals under the age of 21, as well as for civil servants and military personnel.

The new amendments are scheduled to come into force on January 1, 2027, following the establishment of a gaming operator institution responsible for administering the restrictions. The operator is expected to be selected by mid-2026 and become operational as soon as possible thereafter.

 

 

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