Lithuania is one of the Baltic Sea coastal countries with a long history of the development of gambling legal frameworks. Forming the legal basis for traditional land-based gambling to the advanced online gambling. This article covers a number of topics that relate to the Lithuania bookmakers laws, the regulating authorities, the types of bets that are allowed as well as the prohibited ones, the procedures for obtaining of licenses, taxes and other significant events related to the sports betting.
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Table of Contents
Summary of Key Events
Regulations on Gambling Activities in Lithuania
Initial Legislation
Lithuania enact its first law on online gambling on the 1 st of January 2016. Online gambling operators that were based in the EEA could apply for licenses to offer online gambling services. The law allowed several games among which table games, namely roulette, card, and dice games, slot machines, betting, and bingo.
Amendments and Updates
- 1 July 2020: New changes in the Gaming Law provided information regarding the procedure of license granting, possible causes for revocation and suspension of the license and new penalties for violation of the mentioned law.
- 1 July 2022: Important changes eliminated the requirement that the owners of the land-based gambling facilities must operate only online gambling facilities. Current, the Lithuanian law requires only this license to open an online gambling business.
Recent Developments
- January 2024: Lithuania’s parliament, the Seimas, has approved a proposal which seeks to increase the minimum age restriction for all the gambling activities to 21 years. This proposal which has been presented by the MP Jurgita Sejonienė intends to impose new restrictions as well as ID checks by July 2024.
- February 2024: As many as fifty members of parliament supported new changes to ban the advertising of gambling even more. It is also planned that by the end of 2025, the ban on the use of gambling companies’ sponsorships of public events will be introduced, and gambling ads will be prohibited on all types of media, including billboards and websites.
Regulatory Agencies
The main regulatory authority concerning gambling in Lithuania is the Gaming Control Authority under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania. This authority regulates all the gambling activities, which means that it controls the adherence to the laws and regulations of the country.
Licensing and Fees of Lithuania Bookmakers
Types of Licenses
Gambling businesses in Lithuania can obtain one or more of the following license types:
- Table games and Category A machines gaming.
- Category B machine gaming
- Bingo
- Totalisator
- Betting
Capital Requirements
- Bingo, Totalisators, and Betting: This means that the minimum capital which is required is €289,000.
- Horse Totalisator: The minimum capital requirement of the bank is €144,000.
- Category B Machines: The minimum capital of the institution should be €289,000.
- Gaming Establishments: The minimum paid-up share capital is €1,158,000.
Fees
- Remote Gambling: €0. 5 million
- Casinos, Table Games, and Category A and B Slots: It is zero euro. 3 million
- Bingo and Betting Offices: None of them is applicable as the cost is zero euros. 1 million
Taxes
The rates of taxation in relation to gambling in Lithuania are provided by the Lottery and Gambling Tax Law. The rates are:
- Lottery: Five percent of the face value of the distributed lotto tickets.
- Bingo and Sports Betting: Winnings to be subtracted from receipts eighteen percent thereof paid.
- Online Gambling: 13 percent of the gross revenue less the winnings paid.
- Category A Machines: €260 a month as a fixed charge.
- Category B Machines: €130 as a lump sum on a monthly basis.
- Tables: €2300 per month fixed fee to manage the account.
Prohibited and Allowed Bets
The legal framework of Lithuania permits different types of online gambling, such as table games, slot machines, betting, bingo, etc. Nonetheless, the unlicensed online gaming operators are restricted and barred from operating by the Gaming Control Authority.
Problem Gambling Interventions
New changes in laws require gambling organizers to recognize and prevent the gambling of people who have chances of becoming problematic gamblers. The penalties for non-compliance are expressed in the form of fines which are equal to 5% of the gross annual income of the previous year, and for repeated offenses the fine is doubled.
Sporting Event Glory Milestones
Lithuania is a sport-loving country especially basketball which is one of the popular games of the country. Notable achievements include:
- Accomplishments of gold medals in EuroBasket in the years 1937, 1939 and 2003.
- Having been the venue of EuroBasket in two occasions that is in the year 1939 and 2011.
- The famous team Kauno Žalgiris becomes the EuroLeague winner in 1999.
- Raising superstars of the NBA such as Šarūnas Marčiulionis and Arvydas Sabonis.
- Olympic victories in different sports such as athletics and swimming.
Conclusion
The gambling industry in Lithuania has been developing; the rules and regulations are quite strict to provide a level playing field for Lithuania bookmakers and players. If you are an operator planning to venture into the market or a bettor in Lithuania, it’s imperative to comprehend these laws and regulations.
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