Armenia tightens gambling oversight with telecoms block

Armenia is preparing to roll out more restrictions against illegal operators through a new reform package that would tighten the oversight of online gambling. State news agency Armenpress has reported that the State Revenue Committee (SRC) is looking at measures to block unlicensed gambling websites through telecommunications operators. According to the state press, the new rules will be enforced on 8 February 2027, revising existing provisions under the current Law On Regulation of Gaming Activities that relate to the blocking of unlicensed operators offering online gambling and lottery services. The Committee added that the revisions are necessary to address the increased ease of access to offshore platforms through digital means. Under the new provisions, the advertising opportunities for these unlicensed operators will also be severely limited. Armenia’s gambling legislation is already undergoing a complete overhaul, having been adopted by the National Assembly in June 2024 and officially enforced on 1 January 2025. Armenia gambling overhaul in the works This year has already seen several major reforms introduced. In February, the National Assembly adopted amendments to create a single digital system for the regulation of gambling. The new system connects all licensed operators into a centralised digital infrastructure for better monitoring, provides real-time information on wagers, deposits and losses, covers both online and land-based providers, and is managed by a single operator selected by the SRC. That operator was subsequently chosen through an open tender process, with Malta-based digital RegTech firm Random Systems International (RSI) eventually winning the 15-year gambling regulator licence in August. RSI was then ordered to develop, optimise and launch its proprietary system in Armenia by January 2027. Another major development saw the cabinet of PM Nikol Pashinyan tighten the oversight around digital gambling through a payments block back in May, which gave the Ministry of Finance more control over Armenian banks and financial institutions to prevent them from facilitating payments associated with unlicensed gambling operators.