10 Dec, 2018
The ombudsman of Georgia publishes a statement on the official website. The statement said that the draft amendments to the Law of Georgia on Advertising, which provides for the prohibition of the distribution of gambling and gambling advertising, and the restriction of outdoor advertising, contain several critical issues.
"Members of Parliament have registered a legislative initiative in the Parliament of Georgia, which envisages banning the distribution of gambling and gambling advertisements, and restricting outdoor advertising. Also, the regulation of signs of gambling and gambling facilities.
The Office of the Business Ombudsman of Georgia is actively involved in the process of working on the new regulations of the gambling business and communicates with all parties involved in the process.
The draft law was preceded by discussions in the format of a working group set up at the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, where representatives of the sector did not have the opportunity to participate and only the Office of the Business Ombudsman of Georgia was of interest to the private sector.
We have had meetings with members of the Gaming Business Association in an extended format as well as with the advertising and media sectors, including specific companies, and we are aware of the position and concerns of the private sector regarding these changes.
We share the demands of the private sector and believe that the draft amendments to the Law of Georgia on Advertising, which prohibits the distribution of gambling and gambling advertising, while restricting outdoor advertising, addresses several critical issues.
We believe that the proposed changes affect not only the gamblers (advertisers) but also the companies producing and distributing advertisements and significantly limit the area of the advertising market.
The short deadline (14 days after publication) of the amendment to the bill will also pose a significant problem for businesses. It must be borne in mind that companies producing and distributing advertisements have ongoing contracts in the field of gambling and gambling, which can not be terminated in such a short period of time or their termination will cause significant harm to both these companies and their customers. Accordingly, it is necessary to set a reasonable timeframe for the implementation of this change.
The bill also does not contain any reservations or transition periods to comply with the new regulation (limitation of signage space) on signs placed on gambling and gambling establishments, which will also pose a significant problem in practice.
It should be noted that the bill registered in the parliament also addresses issues on which the working group did not agree (for example, the issue of regulation of signs) or otherwise agreed (for example, the distance of outdoor advertising from religious and educational institutions).
In view of all the above, we consider it important to ensure the involvement of representatives of the relevant business sectors in the work of the draft law in the committees of the Parliament of Georgia and to hold discussions in the interests of the field, "the statement reads.
