online operators in previous years and they are now clamping down on unlicensed operators targeting local players whilst major gambling platforms such as Betway and William Hill were included on the blacklist in 2021.
share capital of at least €1.158m. Te minimum share capital for remote betting, Category B and bingo will be €289,000 and €144,000 for online racing betting.
Te changes are aimed at eliminating conditions which distort competition in the market whilst generating €8m for the state budget. It will open up the market to established foreign operators interested in providing online services.
Te changes means municipal councils now need to approve the building for a slot hall, bingo hall or betting shop.
Mantas Zakarka, Director of the of the Lithuanian Gambling Business Association (LLVA) said: “It is too early to say how this may affect the market. On the one hand it is natural to expect more competition and the entry of other companies not currently operating in Lithuania. On the other hand, the regulation of gambling in Lithuania remains very strict and the tax environment is not favourable for new potential operators. We believe that we will see the best results of these changes when they finally come into force next year.”
RECENT CHANGES
It is the growth of the online gambling sector in particular that has pushed the Gambling Supervision Authority to tighten up controls on the industry and re-look at the existing regulations.
Apparently, Lithuanian authorities have lost around €6m in unpaid taxes and fees to foreign
P172 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Ten, between March and July last year, a series of amendments to gambling were announced including:
l
Revised amendments for online live table games.
l Blanket ban on gambling advertising. l
l
Revised KYC process to tackle money laundering and financing terrorism.
Revised regulations for operation and taxation of lotteries.
Te advertising ban relates to both land-based and online gambling and includes promoting
bonuses, free bets, free spins and promotional campaigns. It has been
criticised saying any new players into the market will struggle to compete against existing brands
whilst revenues could be affected.
l Complete reform of the licensing system.
Te ban on gambling advertising was passed in May 2021 and came into force in July and was aimed at promotions and discounts aimed at new and existing players.
As Covid 19 began operators were advised to stop advertising their products to avoid an increase in problem gambling. However, many ignored this advice and instead upped their advertising output which in turn pushed the government to take measures.
Previously it was prohibited to encourage gambling by offering players gifts to gamble or to organise gambling outside of licensed venues or an approved operator’s website. However, this was not deemed sufficient enough.
Te ban was suggested by Conservative Mykolas Majauskas because of the “aggressive marketing of gambling operators”. A survey was also carried out by the Gambling Supervisory Authority in November 2020 which showed support for an outright ban. Of 1,000 people surveyed 76 per cent said gambling advertising should be reduced and 52 per cent said it should be banned outright.
In 2010, the gaming company, Losimu Strategine Grupe, began a project ‘I don’t want to gamble’ via
nebenoriu-losti.lt to provide support. Since 2011, this project has been run by the Gambling Supervisory Authority. In 2017, an amendment was added to introduce a self-exclusion registry and all operators must comply and since this time gamblers can apply to the LPT or via
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