Yes - online gambling is legal and regulated in Armenia. Online betting, internet games of chance and online lotteries operate lawfully under the Law on the Regulation of Gaming Activities. Operators must hold a licence issued under Armenia’s framework. The competent authority is the Ministry of Economy (which took over this role from the Ministry of Finance), with the State Revenue Committee acting as supervisory authority. The law provides for blocking of websites offering foreign gambling services through public electronic-communications operators, and the supervisory authority coordinates with the Central Bank to restrict payments to such sites - so the practical reality for players is a licensed, .am-domain market rather than an open offshore free-for-all.

Who regulates gambling in Armenia?

Policy and licensing authority sits with the Ministry of Economy, while the State Revenue Committee supervises compliance and tax. Armenia is also building a national real-time monitoring system: in February 2026 the National Assembly adopted amendments providing for digital regulation of the sector through a single private operator selected by competitive tender under a long-term (roughly 15-year) contract, after which the state is expected to take the system into public hands. The operator selection and roll-out were still in progress as of 2026.

Licensed vs offshore sites

Licences are issued by activity type: games of chance/internet games, bookmaking, and lotteries. Licensed online operators must host their online resources under the .am domain. Offshore operators without an Armenian licence are treated as unlawful when targeting Armenian residents; their domains are placed on a blocklist maintained by an inter-agency commission and shared with the Central Bank so banks can restrict related transactions.

Payments and crypto

Since a 2022 law - reinforced in late 2023 to close off payment terminals - cash funding of gambling accounts has been banned. All deposits must be non-cash and routed through nationally licensed banks. This is the single most important payments fact for players.

On crypto: cryptocurrency is legal to buy, sell and hold in Armenia but is not legal tender. Armenia adopted a comprehensive Law on Crypto-Assets (HO-159-N, adopted 29 May 2025, effective 4 July 2025), modelled on the EU’s MiCA, placing crypto-asset service providers under Central Bank of Armenia licensing and AML/KYC requirements. That law contains no gambling-specific provisions, and because the gaming rules mandate bank rails, crypto is not a recognised gambling payment channel. Any site inviting Armenian residents to gamble in crypto is operating outside the licensed framework.

Taxes on winnings

Under Armenia’s Tax Code, player winnings are taxed on a tiered basis:

Source of winningsTax rate
Licensed operator (standard)5%
‘Large’ winnings of AMD 5,000,000 or more10%
Unlicensed operator20%

Operators separately face their own tax and licensing burden, including substantial annual state duties (an annual online-gaming licence fee reported at around AMD 600 million) and, from 1 July 2025, a turnover tax - the exact operator-side rates have changed over successive reforms and are not player-facing.

Safer gambling and player protection

The law codifies responsible-gambling requirements. Key safeguards include:

  • Minimum age 21 for casinos, games of chance and bookmaking (18 for lotteries).
  • A self-exclusion mechanism: a person can request to be barred, with the restriction taking effect immediately and lasting at least one year before it can be lifted.
  • Barred groups: recipients of certain state financial assistance, people in social housing, bankrupt persons or those with outstanding public debts, the legally incapacitated, and anyone registered at the National Centre for Addiction Treatment.

If gambling is causing you harm, contact your GP or the National Centre for Addiction Treatment for support, and use operators’ deposit-limit and self-exclusion tools. No dedicated national gambling helpline number is published in Armenia’s primary legal sources; licensed operators are required to implement responsible-gambling measures.

18+ (21+ for most gambling in Armenia). Gambling can be addictive - please play responsibly and use self-exclusion tools if you need them.

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