06 Dec, 2021
According to Giorgi Mamulaishvili, head of the administration of "Toy Business Association", restriction of legal operators will lead to activation of citizens in illegal direction, for which no one wants to take responsibility.
"If we restrict legal operators in Georgia, the player will still find a way to switch to other, including illegal, sites, returning to the so-called The principles of hand-me-downs that used to be there and the country has come a long way to eradicate that. Analysis of possible negative consequences has not been done and no one wants to take responsibility.
Part of the population is involved in illegal gambling. This amounts to 120 million GEL per year, and according to our calculations, it will increase at least ten times, but here too a complex approach is needed. A person aged 18 to 25 who gets used to illegal sites and their bonuses will not return to the Georgian market. Today, there are many ways to access the Internet and transfer money. I'm not even talking about plastic cards. I mean electronic wallets, cryptocurrencies. Many illegal crypto-casinos have already started advertising their products in the space of Georgia", George Mamulaishvili said on the air of "Business Formula".
According to him, gambling business in Georgia is regulated and the tax burden of the sector is already high.
"Increasing the tax burden, which is already high today - the tax pressure of the average business is 9.9%, and the pressure of the gaming business is 40%, will lead to the rejection of many social projects, cost reduction and optimization with various dependent areas. Therefore, everything is complex to consider. "Based on the current situation, no one will look at Georgia for at least three years. About 10 companies have already refrained from entering the Georgian market, such a categorical tone is quite damaging for any business," says George Mamulaishvili.
For information, according to Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili's announcement, the taxable base of gaming sector taxes will increase by 65%-70%, citizens under the age of 25 will be prohibited from participating in gambling, and at the same time, all kinds of television and outdoor advertising and placement of advertisements on Georgian websites will be prohibited.
