“I would steal jewelry from home to pawn it, and ask friends and relatives for money,” Giorgi, who asked that his real name not be used, told Eurasianet. Soon, though, he was playing poker, roulette, and slots online, at a friend’s home, and only going to school to try to borrow money from his classmates.Ī big win might amount to 500 lari ($160), which he would spend on some new clothes, cigarettes, and treating his friends to shawarmas. He started small, betting one lari (about $0.30), on online roulette.
The gambling industry employs close to 10,000 people in Georgia.
