Gambling in Lithuania

Gambling is one of the most developed gambling businesses in Eastern Europe. Many forms of gambling have been gambling for a long time.
The gambling industry in this country includes:

Online casinos.
Off-line casinos.
Bookmaker’s offices.
Lotteries.

In total, there are about 60 offline casinos operating in Lithuania.
In the 2016s, the authorities took up the challenge of regulating casinos. In the same year, the entire industry underwent a series of sweeping developments:

Changes in the way casino owners operate.
The summing up of the results of the cheque lottery.
Increased demand for online casinos in terms of revenue.
Increase in the number of players at Lithuanian casinos.

Innovations in operation of Lithuanian gambling establishments.

Restrictions to the operation of all casinos have been introduced in 2019. Their content is dealt with below:

Amendments affecting the operation of online casinos. In this variant of gambling, restrictions were established in November 2019. The main objective was to keep gambling away from the immature minds of users under the age of 18. To do this, websites used by minors were banned from advertising online casinos. The main condition for the ban is the presence on the site of more than 80% of the materials for children and teenagers. The procedure for imposing fines has also been changed.
Amendments affecting the operation of offline establishments. In May 2019, the Lithuanian government revised the conditions for issuing licences to establishments. The authorities decided that it was necessary to clarify the grounds for license withdrawal, rejection and temporary suspension of its validity. Also, the list of sanctions has been expanded and the minimum age of entry into casinos has been established. Now it is allowed to visit gambling establishments in Lithuania only from 21 years old.

Profit

The use of online gambling services has grown steadily in Lithuania, with the remote segment showing considerably stronger expansion than traditional gambling venues during the period examined. In the first half of 2019, players wagered €271.7 million through remote gambling services, compared with €233.9 million at land-based venues. Remote gambling generated €17.5 million in gross gaming revenue during this six-month period, up from €12.3 million in the corresponding period of 2018. By comparison, revenue from land-based gambling increased by €0.9 million to €34.6 million. Remote betting accounted for the largest share of online revenue, generating €10.4 million, while online casino games increased their revenue from €3.8 million to €6.4 million. The longer-term figures confirm the same direction of development: according to Lithuania’s Gaming Control Authority, total gross gaming revenue from remote gambling reached €40.5 million in 2019, compared with €28 million in 2018. These figures demonstrate that the online segment was already becoming an increasingly significant part of Lithuania’s regulated gambling market before its subsequent expansion in the following years.

The growth of the gambling business

One promising betting company has recently emerged in the country, determined to break into the ranks of sports betting leaders, and the organisation also intends to expand its operations in Estonia. Overall, the demand for betting shops in Lithuania has increased noticeably, as evidenced by the enrichment of these businesses.

Cheque lottery

A recent analysis of the cheque lottery business has shown that the shadow segment of the economy is successfully shrinking. The catering industry has been more affected. An additional EUR 2.4 million was raised.

Conclusion

Gambling activities in Lithuania are rather well developed.
Among the peculiarities of the development the following is worth highlighting:

Online establishments are more popular than land-based ones.
The changes made are aimed to protect children and teenagers from the pernicious influence of gambling and do not harm the promotion of this industry.
Increased user demand for sports betting.