The National Assembly of Armenia has adopted amendments to the legislation in the second and final reading, significantly restricting citizens' access to online casinos. The new measures will come into force on January 1, 2027, after the launch of a single gambling operator institution.

The author of the initiative, Civil Contract MP Hayk Sargsyan, stated that the volume of online casino bets has grown more than 35 times in the last 8 years – from 0.2 trillion drams in 2017 to 7.4 trillion drams in 2025. According to him, hundreds of thousands of citizens have faced gambling addiction, accumulating debts and loans in an attempt to compensate for losses.

One of the key innovations will be a mandatory self-exclusion function. All online casinos will be required to place a special button on their websites and applications, allowing users to voluntarily prohibit themselves from accessing gambling. The block will be valid for 5 years without the right to early cancellation. After this period, the restriction will automatically be extended for another 5 years, unless the user applies for its removal in advance.

In addition, the authorities plan to prohibit participation in online games for recipients of social benefits, citizens living mainly on pensions, individuals undergoing bankruptcy procedures, and participants in state subsidy programs. For other players, a limit will be introduced: the amount of bets cannot exceed 20% of the declared annual income.

According to the authors of the law, the new measures should significantly reduce the scale of gambling addiction and mitigate the social consequences of excessive gambling in the country.