MP Hayk Sargsyan from the ruling "Civil Contract" faction has proposed increasing the tax burden on companies operating in the gambling, online gambling, and lottery sectors. He presented a package of amendments to the Tax Code and related laws at a session of the National Assembly’s Economic Affairs Committee.

Sargsyan highlighted that over the past 13 years, the turnover of these companies has grown at an alarming rate, according to Armenpress.

"If in 2010, the total volume of bets placed in online gambling was approximately 14 billion drams, by 2023, this figure had increased more than 440 times, reaching 6.3 trillion drams (editor’s note: this figure represents total turnover, not just deposits from citizens). Meanwhile, the taxes and fees collected have only grown 26 times. In 2010, 1 billion drams in taxes were collected from a 14 billion dram turnover, accounting for 7.2% of the total. In 2023, only 33 billion drams in taxes were collected from a 6.3 trillion dram turnover, representing just 0.5%," Sargsyan said.

The MP pointed out that several regulatory changes were implemented in the past five years to restrict the gambling industry and increase its tax burden. However, he argued that the statistics indicate these measures have not been sufficient.

"The bill proposes introducing a 10% turnover tax in addition to the existing taxes and fees," Sargsyan explained.

He also noted that international practices demonstrate similar approaches, with many countries imposing a turnover tax of 10% or higher. For instance, Georgia applies a 10% tax, Austria 15%, Germany 5–20%, Italy 20–22%, Poland 12%, and France 8–10%.

If the bill is passed in its current form, it is expected to generate an additional 100 billion drams annually for the state budget.

MP Sergey Bagratyan believes the turnover tax for gambling companies should be at least 20%.

Sargsyan stated that he has invited four leading companies in the sector to the Economic Affairs Committee to present their profits and expenses and justify their financial models. He added that if discussions reveal the feasibility of a 20% tax, he is willing to support the adjustment.

The government has endorsed the bill. However, during discussions, the Ministry of Finance expressed reservations about raising taxes, citing the frequent tax increases in recent years.