Armenia: gambling regulation and licensing
- Online casinoRegulated
- Online sports bettingRegulated
- Online pokerRegulated
- Land-based (reference)Regulated
- Regulator
- State Revenue Committee
- Headline tax
- Not yet verified
- Licence required
- Yes
- Last verified
- 30 Aug 2026
Summary
Armenia licenses gambling across every vertical and has spent five years making it progressively harder and more expensive to operate. The Law on the Regulation of Gaming Activities, adopted in 2024 and in force from 1 January 2025, consolidates a regime that previously sat in separate statutes for winning games and lotteries, and covers land-based and online play under one framework. Only a legal entity registered in Armenia may hold a licence, a quota limits how many are granted, and the annual fee for online games, bookmaking and lotteries is a flat AMD 600 million, doubled on 1 April 2025 with further increases scheduled each year to 2028. A 10% turnover tax on all gambling took effect on 1 July 2025, charged on amounts wagered rather than on revenue. Domestic access has been narrowed in parallel: the minimum age is 21 for betting and casino play and 18 for lotteries, cash funding of accounts was banned in late 2023, and advertising has been prohibited in public places since September 2022. Amendments adopted on 17 June 2026 add a central monitoring system, payment blocking and a designated Operator from 1 January 2027, with policy moving from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Economy.
Key facts
- Regulator
- State Revenue Committee (SRC)
- Regulator type
- Government ministry
- Headline tax
- Not yet verified
- Licence required
- Yes
- Minimum age
- 21+
- Tax base
- A 10% turnover tax applies to all gambling activity, online and land-based, with effect from 1 July 2025. It is charged on amounts wagered rather than on gross gaming revenue, so it bites regardless of how the book performs.
Legal framework
Primary statutes
Law on the Regulation of Gaming Activities
- Year
- 2024
- In force
- Yes
- Summary
- Adopted by the National Assembly in 2024 and in force from 1 January 2025. It consolidates the regime that previously sat in the Law on Winning Games, Online Winning Games and Casinos and the Law on Lotteries, and covers land-based and online gambling under one framework.
Pending legislation
Amendments to the Law on the Regulation of Gaming Activities
- Stage
- adopted 17 June 2026 in second and final reading
- Expected
- 1 Jan 2027
- What it changes
- Introduces a central monitoring system, payment blocking against unlicensed operators, and a designated Operator carrying technical, administrative and monitoring functions under a public-private partnership style model. Policy responsibility moves from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Economy.
Licensing
- Licence required
- Yes
- Application window
- Capped
- Local establishment required
- Yes
- Local server required
- Not yet verified
- Typical time to licence
- A decision is issued within 23 working days of application, extendable by a further 23 working days where the documents require further study.
- Certification requirements
- Applicants undergo due diligence on shareholders, directors and key staff, and must demonstrate financial standing, submit a business plan, and have anti-money-laundering and responsible-gambling measures in place.
- Barriers to entry
- Three barriers rather than one: only an Armenian-registered legal entity may hold a licence, the annual fee for the online, bookmaking and lottery categories is set at a flat AMD 600 million, and a quota limits how many licences are granted. Fees doubled on 1 April 2025 with further increases scheduled annually to 2028.
Licence types
Internet games of chance (online winning games)
- Scope
- Online casino and online poker
- Annual fee
- AMD 600,000,000
- Fee basis
- Fixed annual fee
Bookmaking activity
- Scope
- Sports betting, land-based and online
- Annual fee
- AMD 600,000,000
- Fee basis
- Fixed annual fee
Lottery
- Scope
- Draw-based, non-draw and combined lotteries
- Annual fee
- AMD 600,000,000
- Fee basis
- Fixed annual fee
Casino and games of chance
- Scope
- Land-based casinos and gaming halls
- Fee basis
- Varies by the location of the establishment
Taxation
- Headline GGR tax
- Not yet verified
- Effective date
- 1 Jul 2025
- Turnover tax
- 10%
- Player winnings tax
- Winnings above AMD 5 million are taxable, introduced in 2024.
- Tax base
- A 10% turnover tax applies to all gambling activity, online and land-based, with effect from 1 July 2025. It is charged on amounts wagered rather than on gross gaming revenue, so it bites regardless of how the book performs.
Compliance
- Minimum age
- 21+
- National self-exclusion
- Not yet verified
- AML regime
- Licensees must have anti-money-laundering measures in place as a condition of licensing.
- Central monitoring system
- A central monitoring system is introduced by the amendments adopted on 17 June 2026, taking effect on 1 January 2027.
- KYC requirements
- Not yet verified
- Stake limits
- Not yet verified
Minimum age by vertical
- Online casino: 21+
- Online sports betting: 21+
- Online poker: 21+
- iLottery: 18+
Advertising
- Advertising permitted
- No
- Affiliate rules
- Affiliates are not separately licensed. Promotion of operators without an Armenian licence is prohibited outright.
- Celebrity and influencer rules
- Advertising may not target minors or vulnerable people, and the general prohibition on public-place advertising leaves little lawful scope for endorsement formats.
- Social media rules
- The permitted list is narrow and does not extend to social platforms, so promotion there falls outside what the law allows.
- Mandatory warnings
- Gambling advertising must display a 21+ label.
Restrictions
- Legislation passed in March 2022 and in force from 11 September 2022 bans advertising of betting, lotteries and gambling in all public places, including streets and public transport.
- Advertising is permitted only in four-star and higher hotels, at border checkpoints, on the operator own website, and on the frontage of premises where gambling is offered.
- Advertising must carry a clear 21+ label.
- Advertising may not target minors or vulnerable people, and may not present gambling as a means of improving one financial position.
- Operators without an Armenian licence may not advertise in Armenia at all.
Payments
- Credit card ban
- Not yet verified
- Crypto stance
- Not yet verified
- Permitted methods
- Non-cash payment through banks licensed in Armenia
- Payment blocking regime
- Cash funding of gambling accounts, including through payment terminals, was prohibited from late 2023, so deposits and withdrawals must run through non-cash channels at nationally licensed banks. Amendments adopted on 17 June 2026 add payment blocking against unlicensed operators from 1 January 2027.
Sources
- State Revenue Committee - gaming activity regulation
Republic of Armenia
Tier 1Accessed 27 Aug 2026 - Gaming Law 2025: Armenia
Chambers and Partners Global Practice Guides
Tier 3Accessed 30 Aug 2026 - Gambling and Betting in Armenia from a Legal Perspective
MB Legal (Armenia)
Tier 3Accessed 30 Aug 2026