Armenia to block offshore gambling sites via telecoms
Armenia is tightening the screws on offshore gambling once more. The State Revenue Committee (SRC) has confirmed a new reform package that will compel telecommunications operators to block unlicensed gambling and lottery websites, according to state news agency Armenpress. The revised rules, set to take effect on 8 February 2027, amend existing blocking provisions under the Law On Regulation of Gaming Activities.
The Committee says the changes respond to how easy it has become for players to reach offshore platforms through digital channels. Alongside the site blocks, advertising opportunities for unlicensed operators will be sharply curtailed under the new provisions. That's a direct hit on the marketing pipelines these platforms rely on to pull Armenian traffic.
This isn't the first overhaul Armenia has pushed through. The National Assembly adopted a complete rewrite of the country's gambling legislation in June 2024, and it has been in force since 1 January 2025. That framework has already spawned several major reforms this year, each one narrowing the space for unlicensed operators.
In February, lawmakers passed amendments creating a single digital system for gambling regulation. That system connects every licensed operator into one centralised digital infrastructure, feeding the SRC real-time data on wagers, deposits and losses. It covers both online and land-based providers, and a single operator, chosen by the SRC, runs the whole thing. Malta-based digital RegTech firm Random Systems International (RSI) won that role in August, picking up a 15-year gambling regulator licence through an open tender. RSI is now under orders to develop, optimise and launch its proprietary system in Armenia by January 2027.
May brought another layer of control. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's cabinet gave the Ministry of Finance more authority over Armenian banks and financial institutions, letting it block payments tied to unlicensed gambling operators. That payments block, combined with the forthcoming telecoms ban, means offshore sites will lose both their payment rails and their routes to Armenian screens.
The telecoms block lands on 8 February 2027. Operators and telecoms providers have just over a year to prepare for the new obligations, and licensed businesses will be watching closely to see how the SRC enforces the advertising restrictions. For offshore platforms still targeting Armenia, the practical options are shrinking fast.