Latvian Government Supports Gambling Tax Hike

Latvia’s Cabinet of Ministers has supported the Finance Ministry’s proposed Law amendments on Lotteries and Gambling Fee and Tax, providing for an increase in gambling tax next year.

The existing tax for gambling machines is EUR 4164. In 2020, it will be EUR 6000. The law amendments will also increase the gambling tax rate for roulette, cards and dice games from EUR 23400 to EUR 28080.

It is also planned to change gambling tax revenue division between the state and municipal budgets, providing gambling tax revenue – 90% for the state budget and 10% to budgets of municipalities in which gambling is organised. The current ratio is 75% for the state budget and 25% for municipal budgets.

Raising the tax rate by 44% or EUR 6000 per gambling machines, it is expected the number of gambling machine numbers to decline by 5% – from 8680 to 8247 per year.