On July 3, the Armenian parliament held an extraordinary session and adopted amendments to the gambling regulation law in its second and final reading. These changes are aimed at strengthening control over online gambling, as reported by ARKA.
The State Revenue Committee will create an online resource where staff will daily update the list of unlicensed operators identified during monitoring. Telecom operators will be required to block access to websites on this blacklist, while only sites from the whitelist will be allowed to operate in the country under licensing.
Additionally, the amendments restrict advertising for unlicensed operators and prohibit commercial banks and payment organizations from conducting transactions related to the acceptance and transfer of funds for gambling activities. Deputy Head of the State Revenue Committee, Rafael Gevorgyan, explained that the current blocking procedure is too slow and can be bypassed using VPNs. While the agency blocks 50 sites, organizers manage to create 50 new ones.
According to the draft version of the package, the changes will come into effect simultaneously with the updated gambling regulation law, which is set to be implemented on January 1, 2027. The government is expected to adopt the by-laws on blocking within three months after that. This package marks the third tightening of gambling legislation in Armenia in 2026, following the February law on a single operator and the June limits for players.