The National Assembly of Armenia adopted on Wednesday new amendments that will affect the gambling industry. The parliament adopted at a final hearing the bill that restricts gambling advertisements on TV and radio. The new laws establish that gambling ads are permitted to air on television only from 10 pm until 7 am. Gambling ads on radio will be allowed from 8 am to 8 pm, but with the exception of one hour before or after any kids’ program, ARMENPRESS reports. Moreover, the ads restrictions from Armenia establish that they can’t exceed 3 minutes on air during the allowed period. The bill, which was authored by MP Hrachya Hakobyan, was amended after the first hearing. The parliament has 132 seats and 114 MPs voted in favour of it. Earlier in June, the Parliament passed at first hearing a series of gambling regulations that restrict gambling to only four towns in the territory. If passed, the law could come into force in November 2020. The legislative piece aims at limiting bookmaking activity to just four towns: Tsakhkadzor, Jermuk, Sevan and Meghri. The initiative came to light in order to minimize gambling addiction among the Armenian population. (2019/06/24)