The Georgian market: its own alphabet and the strictest rules for gambling

Georgia is a small but technologically mature market with strong banking, wide Apple Pay and Google Pay support and its own alphabet, which needs a separate font check. Gambling advertising is restricted more tightly here than in any neighbouring country, and the audience expects a Georgian version while using English freely.

What changes when you enter Georgia

The main language is Georgian, with its own alphabet and hyphenation rules; an English version is in demand among the younger audience and in the business segment, Russian is understood by part of the users but not expected by default. The banking market is strong: international scheme cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay work everywhere, the TBC and Bank of Georgia apps are the usual way to pay and transfer. Gambling advertising has been substantially restricted since 2022, and that affects any product connected to betting.

• Languages: Georgian is mandatory for the audience, English as the second version; Russian at the product's discretion.
• Payments: cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, the TBC and Bank of Georgia apps; cancellation and refund for each.
• Formats: the lari as ₾ or GEL after the amount, phone +995, a single time zone.
• Fonts: Georgian alphabet support in every product font, emails and pushes.
• Advertising: restrictions for gambling and financial products — checked with a lawyer before creatives are designed.

Pre-launch checklist

1. LQA of the Georgian version on real devices: alphabet rendering, string length, hyphenation and number forms.
2. Payment regression by cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and through banking apps in test mode.
3. Checks of lari, phone and address formats in every version.
4. Checks of creatives and promo pages against the restriction checklist for the product category.
5. Support in WhatsApp, Telegram and the website chat with templates in Georgian and English.

Localization into Georgian

The Georgian alphabet has no capital letters in the usual sense, which changes the layout of headings and buttons, and character width differs from Latin and Cyrillic. The most common defects are a font without Georgian characters and clipped strings. We translate with a native speaker through partners under our glossary and run LQA in the interface on real screens.

• A single glossary of terms in Georgian and English.
• Checks of every product font for Georgian alphabet support.
• A separate pass through headings and buttons, where the absence of capitals changes string length and look.

Support after launch

First line in English and Russian in-house, in Georgian with a native speaker through partners under the same playbook. Channels — WhatsApp, Telegram, the website chat and email; coverage hours on Tbilisi time; for products with advertising — material moderation with a decision log.