The Armenian parliament handed on Friday a set of latest restrictions to playing promoting. The legislation was permitted by a vote of 63 to 24 abstentions in a second and closing studying.
The brand new laws restricts the commercial of playing by casinos, lotteries, bookmakers or different organizations that present gaming, studies the ARKA Information Company. Playing promoting is now solely allowed in four-star and better motels, border checkpoints, corporations’ web sites, and the entrance of buildings providing playing, whereas prohibited in another locations.
Deputy Minister of Finance Armen Hayrapetyan, who put the amendments ahead defined that the restrictions return to these of 2020, a time limit wherein promoting was solely allowed by means of the 4 aforementioned methods. The Ministry of Finance serves because the Armenian playing licensing authority.
The modifications now permitted had been harshly criticized by promoting corporations, which declare that about 60-70% of their earnings is generated by means of on-line playing video games. Nonetheless, the Armenian authorities has countered that different estimates place this determine manner under that, at about solely 20-25%.
Civil Contract Social gathering MP Tsovinar Vardanyan remarked that the invoice is a part of her celebration’s promise to combat playing dependancy within the nation, studies Armenpress. In response to the federal government, the variety of bets made in 2020 elevated 6 occasions when in comparison with pre-pandemic 2018, and younger folks at the moment are getting hooked on playing as nicely.
Babken Tunyan, head of the parliamentary committee on financial points, warned in earlier debates on the proposed modifications that about 3.2 trillion drams ($6.2 billion) value of bets had been made within the nation from January to November 2021, whereas compared, the federal government’s revenues from final yr amounted to 1.6 trillion drams ($3.1 billion).
Hayrapetyan defended the necessity of banning promoting throughout all media codecs -including tv, radio and press- by stating comparisons to worldwide developments place Armenia at a really dangerous spot: playing is rising at a really quick tempo, thus additionally resulting in extra drawback playing.
The Deputy Minister of Finance instructed the Armenian parliament that, compared to the UK, the place one in six gamers turns into a gambler, the nation’s index is “six occasions increased.” In response to a research by the State Income Committee, wagering volumes are additionally nicely above these in neighboring international locations.