The Republic of Georgia appears to be backing away from threats to impose a total ban on online gambling.

Last month, Georgian media reported that the country’s parliamentarians were pressing the government to make online gambling explicitly illegal, while more sober minds at the Ministry of Finance explained that such a stance was not only impractical but virtually impossible to enforce.

More recent reports suggest that the government plans to permit online gambling to continue but gamblers would be required to register with the country’s tax service in order to access gambling sites. The aim of this registry appears to be to ensure that online gamblers are at least 21 years of age.

Like many other nations, Georgia’s government appears split on the desire to restrict online gambling’s reach while ensuring the state earns its share of gambling revenue. Georgian MP Levan Gogichaishvili recently complained that the government is missing out on potential annual tax revenue of GEL 200m (US $80.6m) on the money that currently flows out of the country to internationally licensed online gambling operators catering to Georgian punters.