Legal casino gambling age in ArmeniaArmenia regulates gambling through a state licensing system. Land-based casinos are confined by law to a small number of designated towns, while online casino games, betting and lotteries may be offered only by companies that hold an Armenian licence and operate on the national “.am” domain. A new Law on the Regulation of Gaming Activities, adopted in June 2024, replaces the older statutes, and its main mechanisms, including central monitoring, website blocking and payment controls, are being introduced in stages up to 2027.
Key points
- Gambling has been governed by the Law on Games of Chance and Casinos (No. HO-1-N, adopted 13 December 2003) and the Law on Lotteries. Both are being replaced by the Law on the Regulation of Gaming Activities, adopted on 12 June 2024.
- Licences are issued by the state. The 2024 law originally named the Ministry of Finance as the licensing body; by 2025–2026 that role was exercised by the Ministry of Economy. The State Revenue Committee (SRC) supervises operators.
- Casinos and gaming halls may operate only in Tsaghkadzor, Jermuk, Sevan and Meghri, subject to limited exceptions. Online gambling is lawful only through licensed operators using “.am” websites.
- In March 2022 parliament banned gambling advertising in almost all media. The minimum age is 21 for casino games and betting and 18 for lotteries.
- Amendments adopted in 2026 introduce a five-year self-exclusion button, bans on participation by social-benefit recipients and a spending cap of 20% of declared annual income. Revised website-blocking and advertising restrictions against unlicensed operators are scheduled to apply from 8 February 2027.
- Operators pay annual state duties and bet-based duties that rose from April 2025 and are set to keep rising until 2028. A proposed 10% turnover tax was replaced by these higher duties in March 2025.
Last reviewed: 6 October 2026.
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Historical development
After independence in 1991, gambling grew quickly and largely in Yerevan. The first comprehensive statute was the Law on Games of Chance and Casinos (Shahumov khagheri yev khaghatneri masin), No. HO-1-N, adopted on 13 December 2003. The text on the official legal portal ARLIS shows that it was amended by Law No. HO-22-N of 25 December 2006, which added definitions and rules for “internet games of chance”, that is, games organised through the internet or similar global networks. Lotteries were regulated by a separate Law on Lotteries.
The second turning point was the removal of casinos from the capital. In June 2009 the news agency ARKA reported that, under the government’s plan, casinos and gaming halls in central areas would have to close by 1 January 2013 and could thereafter operate only in Tsaghkadzor (Kotayk province), Jermuk (Vayots Dzor) and Sevan (Gegharkunik). The southern town of Meghri, near the border with Iran, was later added as a fourth zone; it is listed alongside the other three in Article 9 of the 2024 law.
In the 2010s and early 2020s the market moved online. A 2022 student report at the American University of Armenia, citing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, put the money circulating in the sector in 2021 at AMD 3.3 trillion. Parliament responded with advertising restrictions and, in 2024, a new law. According to the Armenian law firm M&B Legal, total bets reached AMD 7.236 trillion in 2024, about 17 times the 2018 level. Turnover counts repeated stakes and is not operators’ revenue.
Legal framework
The main legal instruments are:
- the Law on Games of Chance, Internet Games of Chance and Casinos (No. HO-1-N of 2003, as amended), which still governs licensing and venue rules until the new law is fully applied;
- the Law on Lotteries (No. HO-3-N, according to the Chambers Gaming Law 2025 guide), which governs state and private lotteries;
- the Law on the Regulation of Gaming Activities, adopted by the National Assembly on 12 June 2024 (reported as No. HO-263-N), which brings games of chance, internet games of chance, bookmaking and lotteries under a single statute;
- the Tax Code, amended by Law No. HO-269-N of 12 June 2024 on the taxation of winnings, and the Law on State Duty, which sets licence and bet-based duties;
- the Law on Advertising and the Law on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing.
The government’s explanatory note to the 2024 bill states that the previous law did not fully cover the sector. It cited unverified software and equipment, disputes over what counts as a game of chance, weak monitoring of financial flows and the absence of rules for interactive lottery games.
Article 4 of the published text designates a licensing body (the “competent authority”), the State Revenue Committee as supervisory authority, and a separate “Operator”: a legal entity that runs the electronic management system and monitoring centre. Article 9 lists the four municipalities where casinos and gaming halls may operate. Article 8 defines online gambling hosted outside the “.am” domain as “foreign” and provides for its blocking. When presenting the package, SRC chairman Rustam Badasyan stated that the law would enter into force on 1 January 2025, according to an SRC announcement. In practice its central mechanisms depend on the Operator and on secondary legislation, and several provisions, including the new blocking rules and the tax rates on winnings, apply only from later dates. Armenian legal commentary in 2026 describes a phased implementation beginning on 1 January 2027.
Armenia is not a member of the European Union, so EU internal-market rules on gambling services do not apply. Gambling policy is set entirely by national law.
Regulator and licensing model
Armenia uses a licensing model: private companies may obtain state licences to organise games of chance, internet games of chance, bookmaking and lotteries. This differs from a monopoly, in which a single, usually state-owned, operator holds the exclusive right to offer gambling.
Responsibility is divided among three bodies. The competent authority issues, suspends and revokes licences and drafts secondary legislation. The 2024 law as published named the Ministry of Finance in this role. The Chambers guide (November 2025) and M&B Legal state that the function passed to the Ministry of Economy in 2024. Ministry of Economy Order No. 1083-N of 2026 (see Position of players) is consistent with this. The State Revenue Committee supervises licensees, examines player complaints, enforces the advertising rules and acts as the anti-money-laundering supervisor of the sector. The Operator will run the central monitoring system, certify gaming products and maintain the database of restricted players.
On 13 February 2026 the National Assembly adopted amendments providing for a single Operator selected by tender for a 15-year term, as reported by ArkaTelecom. SRC deputy chairman Rafael Gevorgyan said that the state “currently lacks comprehensive data on the industry’s activities”. The trade publication SBC News reported in September 2026 that a Malta-based technology company had won the 15-year contract in August 2026 and was due to build the system by January 2027. We found no official announcement of the award.
According to the Chambers guide, licences are issued for an indefinite period. A standard application is decided within 23 business days, which may be extended once by the same period. Applicants must show the lawful origin of their funds, and anyone acquiring a stake of 10% or more requires prior approval. The guide lists the annual state duties applying in 2024:
| Activity | Annual state duty (AMD) |
|---|---|
| Internet games of chance | 600 million |
| Bookmaking | 600 million |
| Lotteries | 600 million |
| Casino in Tsaghkadzor | 180 million |
| Casino in Sevan | 150 million |
| Casino in Jermuk | 100 million |
| Casino in Meghri | 35 million |
| Casino in other permitted locations | 5.5 billion |
Outside the four towns, the same guide notes exceptions for the free economic zone at Zvartnots airport and for government-approved projects involving investment above AMD 40 billion. A draft law published for consultation in March 2026 would add a minimum share capital of twice the annual state duty for online, lottery and betting licensees and three times the duty for land-based operators, capped at AMD 1 billion, according to Iravaban.net. Its status could not be confirmed, and we found no official count of current licensees.
Online gambling: what is permitted and how it is enforced
Online casino games, online betting and totalisator (pool) betting are lawful in Armenia when the organiser holds an Armenian licence. Under the 2024 law, online gambling must be offered through websites on the “.am” domain. A site hosted elsewhere is classed as “foreign” gambling, which may not be offered or advertised in Armenia. Since the 2024 law, internet lotteries are no longer permitted, according to the Chambers guide.
Article 8 of the 2024 law sets out the enforcement model. The SRC approves a list of blocked foreign websites, internet service providers must block access to them, and the list is sent to the Central Bank of Armenia so that receiving and transferring money for gambling through those sites can be restricted “in the manner established by legislation”. The SRC has acknowledged that, without detailed procedures, these tools proved insufficient against foreign organisers (A1+, October 2026).
A government package to close that gap was presented to parliament at first reading on 17 June 2026. Hetq described it as three layers: a daily-updated SRC register of unlicensed sites for telecom operators to block, wider payment restrictions, and a bar on international advertising services targeting Armenian users. Armtimes reported on 3 July 2026 that parliament had adopted the amendments, including limits on transfers for gambling purposes through commercial banks and payment organisations. The SRC has announced that the revised blocking mechanisms, including blocking through telecommunications operators, and the restrictions on advertising by unlicensed platforms will apply from 8 February 2027, as reported by Panorama.am. In May 2026 trade press reported that Armenian banks had begun refusing card payments coded with the gambling merchant category code (MCC 7995) to operators without an Armenian licence. SBC News gave 1 May 2026 as the start date; we have not found the underlying Central Bank instrument.
Advertising rules are strict. On 4 March 2022 the National Assembly adopted, by 63 votes with 24 abstentions, amendments banning “all kinds of gambling advertisements, including advertisements of online casinos, casinos or bookmakers”, as reported by Armenpress. Advertising remains allowed only at border checkpoints, in and at the entrances of hotels of four stars or more, and on operators’ official websites. In March 2026 the SRC warned that the ban also covers disguised promotion by bloggers and athletes and that a foreign licence gives no exemption (Armenpress). From 8 February 2027 persons without a licence may not use terms such as “game of chance”, “casino”, “lottery” or “bookmaking”, or their translations, in company names, trademarks or websites, on pain of a fine of AMD 500,000 per violation (Armenpress, September 2026).
Position of players
Armenian law imposes several personal restrictions on participation. According to the Chambers guide and M&B Legal, the minimum age is 21 for games of chance, internet games of chance and betting, and 18 for lotteries. Recipients of state social assistance and members of families registered as socially vulnerable are also excluded. PanARMENIAN reported in June 2026 that public officials and military personnel were already barred from online gambling. The Criminal Code penalises gambling by service members and by persons in detention, according to Chambers. Under Ministry of Economy Order No. 1083-N, in force from 3 May 2026, gaming halls must check a passport or other identity document at the entrance and refuse entry to anyone on the list of persons whose legal capacity a court has restricted because of gambling addiction (Iravaban.net).
The law is aimed mainly at organisers. Organising gambling without a licence can lead to administrative fines and, as illegal entrepreneurial activity, criminal liability, according to M&B Legal. We found no provision making it a general offence for an adult resident to play on a foreign website, and no reported prosecution or fine of an ordinary player for doing so. Playing with unlicensed operators is nonetheless discouraged by law in several ways. Such sites are to be blocked and payments to them refused. Under Law No. HO-269-N, once it applies, winnings from unlicensed organisers are taxed at 20%, against 5% for licensed play.
Taxation
Operators
Gambling organisers pay profit tax at the standard 18% rate and are exempt from VAT, according to the Chambers guide. The bulk of the sector’s specific contribution comes through the Law on State Duty. Besides the annual duties shown above, internet casino operators have paid a bet-based duty of AMD 175 million for every AMD 100 billion of bets accepted, and totalisator operators AMD 50 million per AMD 50 billion of bets.
In February 2025 Civil Contract MP Hayk Sargsyan proposed a 10% turnover tax on gambling, arguing that AMD 6.3 trillion of turnover in 2023 had produced only AMD 33 billion of tax, as reported by Azatutyun (RFE/RL Armenian Service). After talks with the Prime Minister, the proposal was replaced by a doubling of the bet-based duties from 1 April 2025 (Azatutyun, 3 March 2025). Babken Tunyan, an MP on parliament’s economic affairs committee, put operators’ 2024 revenue (bets minus winnings) at about AMD 134 billion. The doubling was expected to raise about AMD 13 billion a year (Azatutyun, 4 March 2025). The Chambers guide records that the turnover tax was withdrawn before second reading and that the duties are subject to rising multipliers: two times from 1 April 2025, three times from 1 January 2026, four times from 1 January 2027 and five times from 1 January 2028. Some trade publications describe a 10% turnover tax as in force from July 2025; we could not confirm this, and the Armenian sources we read indicate that the proposal was replaced.
Players
Until the new regime applies, winnings from licensed gambling have in practice been untaxed. An October 2024 report in Armtimes described them as deductible income under the Tax Code. Law No. HO-269-N of 12 June 2024 introduces three rates. Ordinary winnings from licensed organisers are taxed at 5%, calculated on the annual net result (winnings minus stakes). A “large winning” of AMD 5 million or more in a single payout is taxed at 10%, with the tax withheld by the paying organiser as tax agent. Winnings in other cases, including from unlicensed organisers, are taxed at 20%. The law enters into force together with the full application of the Law on the Regulation of Gaming Activities.
Consumer protection and responsible gambling
The 2024 law builds player protection into the licensing system. Gaming products must be certified, random-number games must pay out at least 90% of stakes, and all venues and websites are to be connected to the monitoring centre, according to the SRC. Player accounts must be funded only from the player’s own bank account or card, and winnings must be paid back to the same account (Article 5 of the law).
Self-exclusion is changing. Under the 2024 law as described by the Chambers guide, any citizen may ask to be barred from gambling. The ban takes effect immediately and cannot be lifted for at least one year, and it is enforced through the Operator’s database. On 17 June 2026 the National Assembly adopted further amendments sponsored by Hayk Sargsyan, which Focus Gaming News reports will apply from 1 January 2027. Every licensed online casino must display a clearly visible self-blocking button. Using it excludes the player from all Armenian licensed platforms for five years, and the exclusion renews automatically for another five years unless the player asks for removal before it expires. The amendments also bar from online gambling recipients of social benefits, people whose only income is a state pension, people in bankruptcy proceedings and participants in state subsidy programmes. All other players are limited to total stakes of 20% of their declared annual income.
Armenia has no dedicated national gambling helpline that we could identify. Treatment for gambling disorder is provided by the National Center for Addiction Treatment in Yerevan, which has reported treating patients with serious psychological problems caused by gambling (AUA Highlander, 2022). Illegal advertising can be reported to the SRC on 010-30-42-92 (Armenpress). General advice on limits, warning signs and support is available in our responsible gambling guide.
Recent and upcoming developments
- 12 June 2024: adoption of the Law on the Regulation of Gaming Activities and Tax Code amendments HO-269-N.
- March 2025: a proposed 10% turnover tax was replaced by a doubling of bet-based duties from 1 April 2025, with further multipliers scheduled for 2026–2028 (Azatutyun).
- 13 February 2026: amendments providing for a single Operator chosen by tender for 15 years were adopted (ArkaTelecom).
- May 2026: banks reportedly began rejecting gambling-coded card payments to unlicensed operators (SBC News); Ministry of Economy Order No. 1083-N on entry checks took effect on 3 May.
- 17 June 2026: adoption of the self-exclusion and affordability amendments, applying from 1 January 2027 (Focus Gaming News).
- July 2026: the government package on blocking, payments and advertising by unlicensed operators was adopted (Armtimes). The SRC says the new mechanisms apply from 8 February 2027 (Panorama.am).
- Pending: the minimum-capital bill of March 2026 (Iravaban.net), secondary regulations on blocking procedures, and the launch of the Operator’s monitoring system.
The newspaper Hraparak, as summarised by 168.am in September 2026, reported that visits to unlicensed gambling platforms rose from about 287,500 in January 2026 to about 808,700 by late July. It questioned whether the new restrictions on licensed operators were pushing players towards unlicensed sites, which remained accessible and could still be paid with Armenian bank cards. The figures have not been officially confirmed.
Casino listings for players in Armenia
The listings below are generated automatically from our casino database. They do not by themselves show that an operator holds an Armenian licence. Armenian law allows online gambling only through licensed organisers using “.am” websites, and unlicensed foreign sites are subject to blocking and payment restrictions. A listing must therefore not be read as an indication that an operator is authorised in Armenia or that playing with it is lawful. Check an operator’s status with the State Revenue Committee before registering.
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Sources and further reading
- ARLIS (Armenian Legal Information System), Law of the Republic of Armenia on the Regulation of Gaming Activities (2024).
- ARLIS, Law of the Republic of Armenia on Games of Chance and Casinos, No. HO-1-N (2003, as amended).
- ARLIS, Law on Amendments and Additions to the Tax Code, No. HO-269-N (2024).
- e-draft.am, Government of Armenia, Draft Law on the Regulation of Gaming Activities: justification (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Badasyan Consulting / Chambers and Partners, Gaming Law 2025: Armenia (2025).
- M&B Legal, Gambling and Betting in Armenia from a Legal Perspective (2024, updated 2026).
- State Revenue Committee, Games of chance will be supervised through a monitoring centre (accessed 6 October 2026).
- ARKA News Agency, Armenia to close down casinos, gambling halls in central regions in 2013 (2009).
- Armenpress, Parliament adopts ban on gambling advertisements (2022).
- Armenpress, SRC reminds that illegal advertising in the gaming sector is prohibited (2026).
- Armenpress, Organisation of some games of chance in Armenia is subject to mandatory licensing (2026).
- Armenpress, SRC notice on the use of prohibited words by persons without a gaming licence (2026).
- Panorama.am, Armenia to tighten controls on unlicensed online gambling from February 2027 (2026).
- A1+, State control over unlicensed online gaming activity will be strengthened: SRC (2026).
- Azatutyun (RFE/RL Armenian Service), A 10 percent turnover tax is proposed for games of chance and casinos (2025).
- Azatutyun, Instead of taxing the turnover of the gaming business, it is proposed to double the duties (2025).
- Azatutyun, Parliament debates bill doubling the gaming business duty (2025).
- ArkaTelecom, National Assembly of Armenia has finally adopted a law on digital regulation of gaming activities through a single operator (2026).
- Hetq, The executive presented another initiative aimed at preventing gambling addiction (2026).
- Armtimes, Winnings above AMD 5 million to be treated as large winnings and taxed: details (2024).
- Armtimes, Legislative changes adopted on online gaming activity and financial accounts (2026).
- Focus Gaming News, National Assembly backs new limits on online casino access and spending in Armenia (2026).
- PanARMENIAN.Net, Vulnerable groups to be barred from online gambling (2026).
- Iravaban.net, Entry to gaming halls only from age 21, with mandatory passport check (2026).
- Iravaban.net, Minimum share capital to be set for gaming organisers (2026).
- SBC News, Armenia adopts payment lock to protect new gambling framework (2026).
- SBC News, Armenia rolls out telecoms block against illegal gambling (2026).
- 168.am / Hraparak, Has the number of players grown since the law was adopted? (2026).
- The AUA Highlander, American University of Armenia, Gambling and Betting in Armenia (2022).
