Reports LATVIA MARKET UPDATE
In April 2021 a change to the Law on Gambling and Lotteries permitted municipalities to decide whether they wanted to allow gambling businesses in their territory and where these venues could open. A number of municipalities are going ahead with this option and some have banned gambling completely.
web pages which contain gambling advertising. Tere will also be an informative campaign about the risks associated with gambling.
5. Monitoring tendencies in the gambling and lotteries sector. Preparation of publications and information material and compilation of statistics.
6. Improvement of the IAUI’s monitoring process. Amendments to existing laws to ensure exchange of information between IAUI and VID on payouts and retaining video recordings of venues for 30 days.
Te guidelines were approved by the Cabinet of Ministers and a work plan has now been developed and must now be reviewed and approved by several ministries. Te due date for this review was November 2021.
CLOSURES IN RIGA
By 2005 there were more than 600 gaming halls in Latvia which has declined over the years with around 270 halls in total, currently of which Olympic Casino, Joker and Alfor operate the majority.
In April 2021 a change to the Law on Gambling and Lotteries permitted municipalities to decide whether they wanted to allow gambling businesses in their territory and where these venues could open. A number of municipalities are going ahead with this option and some have banned gambling completely.
Signe Birne, head of the IAUI, said: “Tis decision should come into force after a transitional period – at least two years – but it seems there will be court cases once more.”
Riga City Council drafted a decree last year to ban gambling in the historical centre, except those located in four and five star hotels, which will enter into force in October 2022. Tere is also a draft spatial plan of Riga (2022-2030) which imposes a ban to operate gambling in all the territory of Riga (except four and five star hotels).
P186 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Almost half of all slot halls and slots are located in Riga. In 2019, there were 150 gaming arcades and over 4,300 slots in Riga compared to 130 gaming arcades and 3,300 slots in 2020. As of September 2021 there were 101 gambling halls in Riga.
Liga Batalauska, Public Affairs Senior Consultant at LSBA, said: “Te reasons for closure are due to Covid related government and parliament decisions as gambling halls were closed for more than 10 months, plus due to an increase in gambling taxes and the introduction of the self-exclusion register.”
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 about a decade. Around 80 per cent of the city’s citizens don’t want gambling halls in their capital city.
Signe Birne added: “In Riga city there are 49 decisions on stopping venue licences and the first ones will come into force in October 2022. It seems there will be more decisions on this.”
Meanwhile, the draft law to enforce a ban on alcohol and smoking in gambling halls is also being discussed in parliament. Te LSBA is calling for amendments which will only limit the sale of alcohol to those under the influence rather than prohibit it completely.
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