TLDR Azerbaijan’s National Assembly passed the first reading of a bill toughening penalties for illegal gambling, including online betting. Fixed fines of AZN10,000 to AZN15,000 would be replaced with fines of up to twice the illegal proceeds earned. Non-repeat offenders could still face restriction of liberty or imprisonment for 2 to 4 years. Repeat offenders would face mandatory prison terms of 5 to 8 years, removing the option of a non-prison sentence. The bill must still pass further stages in parliament before becoming law.
Azerbaijan’s parliament has taken a step toward tougher punishment for illegal gambling. The National Assembly held an extraordinary session and passed the first reading of a bill that would change how the country’s Criminal Code handles the issue.
The bill focuses on illegal gambling operations, including those run online. Lawmakers want to update the penalties tied to running or organizing these activities.
How the New Fines Would Work
Right now, courts can only issue fixed fines. These range from AZN10,000 to AZN15,000, no matter how much money an illegal operation actually made.
The new bill would change that. Instead of a fixed number, courts could fine offenders up to twice the amount of illegal proceeds they collected.
This means larger illegal operations could face much bigger fines than smaller ones. The fine would scale with the size of the crime.
The bill does not remove other forms of punishment. Restriction of liberty and prison time would still be options for first-time offenders.
Under the proposed changes, those penalties would stay at 2 to 4 years. This applies to people convicted of organizing or running illegal gambling activity for the first time.
Tougher Rules for Repeat Offenders
The bill also targets people who commit these crimes more than once. Current law allows judges to