Armenia's State Revenue Committee will require telecommunications operators to block unlicensed online casino and lottery sites from February 8, 2027. The measure is part of a reform package tightening control over illegal operators.
The amendments revise the country's gambling regulation law. Telecom operators will carry out the blocking, while restrictions on advertising unlicensed platforms are also being introduced. The Committee cites growing access to offshore platforms through digital channels as the reason for the new rules.
The blocking decision is part of a broader overhaul of gambling legislation. The National Assembly passed a new version of the law in June 2024, which took effect on January 1, 2025. In February, parliament approved the creation of a unified digital system to monitor all licensed operators—online and land-based. The system collects real-time data on bets, deposits and losses.
In August, Malta-based Random Systems International (RSI) won a tender to manage the system under a 15-year contract. The Committee required RSI to launch the system by January 2027, weeks before the blocking rules take effect.
In May, Nikol Pashinyan's government expanded the Finance Ministry's powers to allow it to prohibit Armenian banks and financial institutions from processing payments to unlicensed operators. The telecom blocking closes a second access channel to offshore platforms.
