The Azerbaijani Parliament (Milli Majlis) has officially cleared the first reading of a bill to heavily increase criminal penalties for organising and operating illegal gambling.

The proposed amendments to the Criminal Code were discussed during an extraordinary parliamentary session.

Under the bill, organising gambling in virtual formats-including via the internet, mobile communications, social media platforms, electronic communication tools or other internet- and mobile-based applications-would carry tougher penalties. The same applies to offenses involving minors, crimes committed by a group acting in prior collusion or activities generating substantial illegal income.

Such offenses would be punishable by a fine of up to twice the amount of the income obtained through the crime, restriction of liberty for a term of two to four years, or imprisonment for the same period.

The proposed amendments also introduce stricter penalties for offenses committed by organised criminal groups or criminal organisations, as well as those generating large-scale illegal profits. These would be punishable by restriction of liberty or imprisonment for a term of three to five years.

The bill would also change the way fines are calculated. Instead of the current fixed range of AZN 10,000 to AZN 15,000, courts would be able to impose fines of up to twice the amount of the criminal proceeds.

In addition, the legislation proposes harsher punishment for repeat offenses involving the organisation or operation of gambling activities or gambling venues, particularly where minors are involved or where the offenses generate substantial, large-scale or especially large-scale illegal income.

Under the current legislation, repeat offenses are punishable by restriction of liberty for four to five years or imprisonment for four to eight years. The proposed amendments would make imprisonment for five to eight years the sole penalty for such offenses.

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The launch marks Octoplay’s second operator integration in Georgia and extends its wider Entain distribution partnership.

Octoplay has gone live with Crystalbet in Georgia, extending its partnership with Entain into another regulated market.

Crystalbet, which operates in Georgia and is part of the Entain group, is Octoplay’s second integration in the country, according to the supplier. Octoplay said the rollout establishes it as an active supplier across the country’s top operators within weeks.

The companies said the wider relationship spans multiple markets, including the UK and Canada, and includes BetMGM in the US. Octoplay also pointed to co-development work with Entain, including Jackpot Blitz, described as a custom jackpot engine built for Entain brands, and four bespoke game projects delivered in 2025. It added that an Elvis Presley themed game for BetMGM is planned for 2026.

“Crystalbet represents the continued evolution of our partnership with Entain, which has been one of the strongest commercial relationships behind our growth over the past year,” says Ralitsa Georgieva, CEO at Octoplay. “Entering Georgia is an important step in our European roadmap, and doing so with a leading operator like Crystalbet sets the right foundation for our presence in the market.”

“Octoplay is one of the fastest-growing studios in the industry, and their content has performed strongly across the Entain group’s markets,” says Jaba Peikrishvili, CEO at Crystalbet. “Bringing their portfolio to Crystalbet is a natural extension of that relationship and adds proven titles to our casino lineup in Georgia.”

Octoplay said it now holds active licenses in 17 jurisdictions, including the UK, Malta, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Greece, Spain, Finland, Georgia, Brazil, New Jersey, Michigan, and Ontario.

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Armenia accelerated one of the most aggressive gambling regulatory reforms in Eurasia after approving new measures to control digital platforms, advertising, payments and financial supervision across the betting sector. The strategy promoted by the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan aims to strengthen legal gambling operations, increase fiscal oversight and tighten control over offshore operators in a market that has expanded dramatically over the past decade.

The reform is being driven by the Ministry of Finance of Armenia led in 2026 by Vahe Hovhannisyan, together with the State Revenue Committee headed by Rustam Badasyan. The main political architect behind the changes is MP Hayk Sargsyan from the ruling Civil Contract party.

The core of the reform focuses on payments and financial monitoring. Armenia plans to block transfers to unlicensed gambling operators, strengthen AML/KYC requirements and connect licensed platforms directly to state monitoring systems operating in real time. Armenia is advancing the software operator selection for its centralised gaming monitoring center, following the legal framework established in early 2024 to connect platforms directly to state systems in real time.

The 2026 update focuses on accelerating the public tender for the private operator, rather than the initial creation of the monitoring infrastructure, with the State Revenue Committee (SRC) leading the technological implementation. The fiscal framework is also becoming stricter. Since July 1, 2025, Armenia has applied a 10% turnover tax on gambling operations, while online gaming license costs doubled in April 2025 and are scheduled to continue increasing annually through 2028.

According to official figures cited by lawmakers, Armenia’s gambling turnover reached approximately AMD 6.3 trillion in 2023, equivalent to nearly €14 billion, while online casino deposits climbed to AMD 811 billion during 2024.

The government also tightened gambling advertising restrictions, limiting promotions to luxury hotels, border checkpoints and authorised operator channels. Armenian authorities argue that the new regulatory model is designed to protect legal operators, reinforce financial traceability and modernise state supervision over one of Eurasia’s fastest-growing digital industries.

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