YEREVAN. – After listening to all our demands, Babken Tunyan, Chairman of the NA [National Assembly] Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, promised that the matter will be discussed again in the upcoming agenda. But he found it difficult to respond what decision will be made. Sargis Mikayelyan, the manager of a bookmaker in Armenia—and who met with Tunyan, with four other people—on Wednesday told this to reporters outside the parliament building.

“This bill serves another objective,” Mikayelyan said. “Those people who are strong in the internet domain, those people who don’t have that ‘product,’ are able to solve their financial issues via the internet domain and get revenues; in that case, we [bookmaking offices] will have to close down.”

Referring to the bill’s provision that the bookmaking offices in Yerevan shall be removed from the capital city, Mikayelyan said they will decide on their courses of action after working for 1.5 years. He added that this law proposal serves the leading bookmaker of Armenia.

Subsequently, Sargis Mikayelyan told the demonstrators outside the NA building to end their protest.

The picketers reached an agreement that if the results of the aforesaid committee’s respective discussion do not satisfy them, they will again resort to various manifestations of protest.

Numerous employees of Armenia’s bookmakers were picketing outside the parliament building since Wednesday morning, and against the bill on limiting the activities of the country’s bookmaking offices. This bill has been approved by the aforesaid NA committee and sent for debate at the parliament floor.

Also, the demonstrators had blocked the Marshal Baghramyan Avenue and the Derenik Demirtchyan Street along the legislature building, and demanded to meet with NA Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan.

Subsequently, Babken Tunyan, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, received a five-member group from these protesters. 

This proposed law aims to toughen the terms for conducting betting in Armenia, and it has been developed along the lines of fight against gambling in the country.

The bill proposes to remove all bookmaking offices in Yerevan from the city.

If this draft law is passed, it will come into force in November 2020.