TLDR
- Armenia will enforce new rules from February 8, 2027 targeting unlicensed gambling websites
- Telecom operators will be required to block access to sites without Armenian licenses
- Advertising by unlicensed gambling companies will also be restricted
- The changes build on a broader gambling overhaul that began in 2024
- Officials say the rules protect licensed operators, not restrict them
Armenia is preparing new regulations aimed at cutting off access to unlicensed online gambling websites. The State Revenue Committee confirmed that changes to the Law “On Regulation of Gaming Activities” will take effect on February 8, 2027.
The new system will lean on telecommunications operators to carry out the blocking. This approach is expected to make it harder for unlicensed sites to reach players inside the country.
Local outlet ArmenPress reported that the update also targets advertising. Companies without an Armenian gambling license will no longer be able to promote their services freely in the country.
Officials have been clear that the goal is not to punish legal operators. Instead, the aim is to protect licensed businesses and support fair competition in the regulated market.
A Multi-Year Regulatory Overhaul
This move is part of a larger effort that Armenia has been building since 2024. Lawmakers adopted a new gambling framework in June of that year, which officially came into force on January 1, 2025.
Since then, regulators have added new layers of oversight step by step. One major addition was a centralized digital system built to track gambling activity across the country in real time.
This platform connects every licensed operator, both online and land based. It gives regulators visibility into wagers, deposits, and losses as they happen.
Armenia selected Malta based RegTech company Random Systems International to manage this system. The company was chosen through an open tender process and received a 15 year license to operate the platform.
Stronger Rules on Player Protection
In June 2026, parliament passed further amendments that tightened restrictions on online casinos. These changes introduced mandatory self exclusion tools for every licensed platform.
Under the rules, operators must display a visible self blocking button on their websites and apps. Players who activate it are locked out of online casino services for five years.
The exclusion renews automatically unless the player formally requests to have it lifted. This is meant to give people a real path to step away from gambling if they choose to.
The reforms also placed limits on who can gamble at all. People receiving social assistance, pensioners, individuals going through bankruptcy, and those in state funded programs are now barred from online gambling entirely.
A new income cap was also introduced. Gambling activity cannot exceed 20% of a player’s declared annual income.
Together, these steps show Armenia steadily expanding its control over the gambling sector. The February 2027 telecom blocking rule is the latest piece of that plan, focused specifically on stopping unlicensed operators from reaching Armenian players.
