Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze stated that he was “not aware” of the amendments to the Law “On the Organization of Lotteries, Gambling and Winning Games,” as they are insignificant. The legislative initiative by the ruling party was previously criticized by the Georgian Patriarchate, the Public Defender’s Office (Ombudsman), the opposition, and civil society organizations.
Parliament adopted the package of amendments permitting international gambling tournaments to be held in the country under an expedited procedure. It took only two plenary sessions to debate and approve the bill.
“No special changes are being introduced. A broad discussion on this issue was not required. I was not in the loop at all, as these changes are fundamentally minor,” Kobakhidze said.
According to the prime minister, this bill genuinely has initiators rather than lobbyists.
“This bill does not introduce any particular innovations. We are talking about certain types of tournaments, such as poker tournaments that are broadcast on international sports channels. This is about introducing specific tax regulations. <…>
Any law can have lobbyists. If large sums of money can be generated, they will ultimately flow into the state budget. But this bill actually has initiators, not lobbyists. This is not some substantial change; even I was not aware of this bill. I only found out about it after it had been introduced and the statements followed.”
Kobakhidze believes that a broad discussion on this matter was not necessary because “it is not a bill of particular importance” and does not introduce significant changes to current regulations.
