Not taxes, but duties: Armenia plans to increase fees from online casinos

YEREVAN, March 5. /ARКА/. The National Assembly of Armenia approved in the first reading the amendments proposed by Hayk Sargsyan, a member of parliament from the pro-government Civil Contract faction, to increase fees from online casinos.
In justifying the amendments, Sargsyan cited statistical data, according to which the turnover in this sector has grown from 14 billion drams in 2010 to 6.3 trillion drams in 2023. At the same time, he noted that the taxes and duties paid have grown from 1 billion drams to only 33 billion drams.
The initial version of the draft envisaged the establishment of an additional tax of 10% of the turnover for online games with winnings, online casinos, but not for betting and bookmakers. In the version presented for discussion by the deputies, the draft states that the fees will not be considered a tax, but a state duty.
In addition to this, Sargsyan noted that a law was adopted and entered into force in the country, according to which there must be an online gaming operator for games with winnings, but the companies operating in this area are hindering this process. In this regard, a clause was added to the draft, according to which if an operator is not created, the amount of the fee collected will double every six months.
The draft was adopted in the first reading, and the second reading must be held within 24 hours. If the draft is adopted, the changes will come into force on April 1, 2025.