Baltics
Latvian Parliament Rejects Amendments to the Law on Gambling and Lotteries
The Latvian parliament has decided to reject amendments to the Law on Gambling and Lotteries. The proposed amendments would have been used to limit gambling in the country.
These amendments were developed by members of the New Conservative Party and KPV LV. Saeima deputy Juris Jurašs urged other members of the parliament to support this legislative draft, commenting that about 80,000 people in Latvia suffer from gambling addiction and for 15,000 of them this problem is severe.
He believes the proposed amendments would become a small step towards forming a healthier society.
“Gambling halls in Latvia are a lasting disease that certain people rich, it needs to be treated,” he said.
Jurašs stressed in particular that the gambling situation is critical. After the parliament had rejected the legislative draft Saeima deputy Krišjānis Feldmans from New Conservative Party wrote on his Twitter profile that Attīstībai/Par! political party is a plague for Latvian politics, commenting how the party voted against limiting gambling.
35 Saeima deputies voted in favour of passing the draft to the Budget and Finance Committee, 15 voted against and 27 deputies abstained. And so the legislative draft was rejected somehow.
The annotation mentions that the purpose of the proposed amendments is limiting the number of gambling locations in Latvia and reducing the negative effect gambling has on public health and people in general.
The legislative draft explains that people who participate in gambling and lotteries are subjected to an excessive addiction risk. Gambling addiction or a pathological need to engage in gambling is characterised with frequent gambling episodes, which quickly become the person’s main point of interest, impacting his or her social, professional, and family values, as well as negatively impacting his or her finances.
According to the study performed by SKDS in 2016, 26% of respondents who engaged in gambling in the past 12 months admitted having situations when gambling took over so much of their life that the outside world ceased to exist to them for some time.
The legislative draft also proposed making it so that casinos would be permitted only in four or five-star hotels in Latvia.
The annotation mentions that studies show that localization or limitation of gambling halls and casinos is one of the ways to limit and reduce problematic gambling habits.
It was also planned to impose a limit on open hours of gambling halls.
Deputies also proposed prohibiting alimony avoiders from engaging in gambling. The Maintenance Guarantee Fund Law already provides multiple restrictions for debtors to motivate them to fulfil their duties – pay alimony and provide their children with finances.
Baltics
Thunderkick bolsters presence in Lithuania with 7bet deal
Independent slots studio Thunderkick has strengthened its position in Lithuania after partnering with 7bet, an established operator in the Baltic region.
As part of the agreement, Thunderkick’s collection of popular games, such as the Beat the Beast series, Esqueleto Explosivo 2 and Pink Elephants 2, will now be available to more players in the country.
7bet, established in 2020, offers a wide variety of slots to its player base from internationally acclaimed game providers. It is also the only Lithuanian operator to boast tote betting on horseracing.
The new deal follows several high-profile signings for Thunderkick, including Alea and Skywind Group. The provider has seen significant growth in recent months with more to follow in the coming year.
Fredrik Ekholm, Head of Sales at Thunderkick, said: “We’re proud to be expanding our reach in Lithuania as it is an important market for us. 7bet is a well-established and quickly growing operator with a broad player network, and fits the profile of an operator with whom we want to partner.”
Gintare Karvelyte, Casino Product Manager at 7bet, added: “We’ve been thoroughly impressed with Thunderkick’s output over the years, so we’re thrilled to be introducing their dynamic games to our players.
“Titles such as Bones & Bounty, alongside classic player favourites including Pink Elephants 2 and Esqueleto Explosivo 2, are going to provide immersive, forward-thinking gameplay experiences, and we’re excited to be able to offer these releases and more.”
Baltics
Lithuania Mulls Cracking Down on Gambling Ads
Lithuanian MPs have registered amendments to the Gambling Law proposing to further tighten gambling advertising in the country as of 2025.
Around 50 MPs, mostly from the ruling majority, have signed the amendments proposing to prohibit the dissemination of information of the gambling companies sponsoring any public events, activities, natural or legal persons.
If adopted, the amendments would eliminate the advertising of betting, wagers, and casinos on television, in newspapers, magazines, or news websites and on street billboards. Neither the names nor the logos of gambling operators could appear on the jerseys of athletes and in arenas during the sporting events.
Companies would only be able to publish information on the types of gambling at the gambling venue or on the company’s website, the address of which is specified in the Gambling Regulation.
It is proposed to allow gambling companies to publish information on gambling only in publications aimed at professionals in the business. They could advertise their name and brand on their head office building or gambling venue.
Lithuanian MPs have started considering tightening the requirements for gambling advertising amid allegations that Šarūnas Stepukonis, a former BaltCap Infrastructure Fund partner, has embezzled and gambled away millions of euros of the fund’s money.
The initiator of the amendments, Mindaugas Lingė of the ruling conservative Homeland Union, has previously said that last year the total revenue of gambling operators amounted to 222 million euros, up from 103 million euros in 2020.
The amount spent on advertising in the gambling business doubled from 6.36 million euros in 2020 to 12.73 million euros in 2023. Gambling operators’ profits increased from 20 million euros in 2020 to more than 53 million euros in 2022.
Baltics
IGT Signs 12-Year Contract Extension with UAB Perlas Network in Lithuania to Deploy Upgraded Central System Software
International Game Technology PLC announced that its subsidiary, IGT Global Solutions Corporation, has extended its contract with UAB Perlas Network (“Perlas”) for an additional 12 years until 2035. As part of the agreement, IGT will provide upgrades to the Lottery’s central retail system including advanced software and user interfaces.
“Upgrading Perlas’ central system with IGT technology will help us optimize and elevate the country’s most popular and exciting lottery games,” said Mindaugas Marcinkevičius, UAB Perlas Network CEO. “We look forward to implementing IGT’s upgrades and are pleased to continue this successful relationship for another 12 years.”
“The technology enhancements being provided to Perlas are backed by IGT’s decades of lottery industry leadership and experience,” said Jay Gendron, IGT Chief Operating Officer Global Lottery. “This upgraded technology will introduce an administration portal that will enable the Lottery to view and manage all applications and back-office functions, helping to improve efficiencies and maximize profitability.”
The Lottery has been a customer of IGT’s since 1994. In 2023, IGT announced that it signed a contract with Euloto UAB (Perlas’ dependent company) to deploy its advanced cloud-based remote game server and at least 12 eInstant games per year.
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