three and four star hotels. If this encouragement comes true it will in effect mean that legal gambling will not be allowed anywhere. Such regulatory experiments have been tried in several European countries such as Russia and the Ukraine and in all countries they have resulted in an increase in the illegal sector.”
Riga City Council drafted a decree last year to revoke all gaming venue licences in Riga, bar those located in four and five star hotels. Currently, Riga boasts almost half the number of total gaming halls in Latvia with 145 gambling halls and four casinos open in the city.
Te plan to eliminate gambling halls in the country’s capital emerged back in 2011 when the city council stopped issuing new gambling hall licences. Ten, in 2017, Riga officials closed down 42 gambling halls in the historical centre and there have been no new permits issues for almost a decade. Apparently, 80 per cent of the city citizens don’t want gambling halls in their capital city.
P100 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
Te proposal had been backed by Riga mayor Nils Usakovs who has since been removed from his position in April last year because of “non fulfilment of statutory obligations and violations of regulatory enactments” citing various investment and accountancy errors. Tere is a fraud investigation involving contracts offered by the municipal transport company Rigas Satiksme.
Usakovs was elected mayor in July 2009 into an institution said to be one of the most powerful positions in the country. He was also the main leader of the Harmony political party until his suspension. Oleg Burov was elected to replace Usakovs and is the new mayor of Riga.
In March 2019 the City Council made a conceptual decision to close all gaming halls in the city’s administrative area with a unanimous vote in favour. Tere is now a five year plan in place to close down the city’s casinos, other than those situated in four and five star hotels. In reality, this could mean that by 2024
gambling venues could be completely eliminated from Riga. Te process is long and complicated, however, and a draft decision needs to be developed now for each gaming hall individually.
Signe Birne of the IAUI said: “Te decision is not yet in force, but it is a stressful time for our gaming business. Of course, there will be an impact to all businesses and there are around 50 four or five star hotels in Latvia and the gambling hall and casino business is not a priority for them.”
Tere are 32 four star hotels and eight five star hotels in Riga. Most gambling halls at the moment are located in the Purvciems and Kengarags neighbourhood of Riga.
Te Gambling Law states that if an operation of a premises creates a “substantial impairment to the interests of the state and residents of the respective administrative area” the city or local government can revoke the permit to establish a
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