The Lithuania Gambling Supervisory Authority has reported that the turnover from lottery gaming during the nine months to September 30, 2019 increased by 10.1% year-on-year to €82.3m ($91.2m).

Operators that run lottery games in Lithuania sold a total of 85.2m tickets in the three-quarter period, up 14.0% on 74.7m in the corresponding period last year.

Lottery in Lithuania is spread across the categories of digital, instant, classic and sports. Instant was the most popular form of lottery in the period, accounting for 59.7% of ticket sales.

In terms of online gaming, consumers spent $5.9m on internet lottery during the nine months, representing 7% of total sales. Players won a total of €4.1m via online lottery games.

Total player winnings for the period amounted to €46.3m, up 14.7% on last year, which in turn meant operators turned a collective gross profit of €35.9m, an increase of 4.6% on €34.3m in the first nine months of 2018.

The Authority also revealed that licensed operators paid a total of €13.9m in tax for lottery gaming, while such companies also donated a collective €6.6m to charity and support projects.

The Olympic Entertainment Group (OEG) has confirmed that it will reduce its Lithuanian portfolio by closing down nine betting shops and two casino arcades.

The company’s management has decided to lighten its presence in Lithuania after tax hikes on Lithuanian retail verticals were announced earlier this year. The OEG finds it untenable to continue operations at the specific betting shops.

The Lithuanian government has passed an amendment that would effectively increase the tax on bingo, arcade and betting to 18% from 15%. All forms of online gambling activities will have to pay a fixed 13% revenue tax.

“Initiatives to aggressively change the tax environment not only create uncertainty but have also forced us to rethink and change our business model. We will move the activity from the closed facilities to other operating units, such as betting shops, casinos or the remote gambling platform. This is how we respond to changing market conditions so that we can ensure the sustainability of our business through legal action,” Saulius Petravičius, OEG MD for Lithuania, said.

The Lithuania Gambling Supervisory Authority is going to apply to the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court to grant it the power to block access and payments to unlicensed gambling sites.

If the regulator be granted the powers, it will be able to issue orders to the internet service providers (ISPs) to block unlicensed sites and force payment processors to cease all transactions with these businesses.

This would bring the Authority in line with the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission (LRTK), which can already order ISPs to prevent citizens from accessing illegal content.

The Law on Gambling of the Republic of Lithuania already allows the Authority to take measures against illegal operators, through the creation of its online gaming blacklist. However, to have access to these sites blocked, the regulator currently has to have the blocking order approved by the Vilnius court.