Gambling in Latvia: proposal to raise minimum age moves forwards
The Latvian government has approved amendments to the country’s gambling and lotteries legislation.
Latvia.- The government of Latvia has approved amendments to the Gambling and Lotteries Act to introduce new restrictions on participation in gambling. The headline measure is an increase in the minimum age for gambling from 18 to 21.
The bill would also introduce a minimum age for lottery sales for the first time. This would be set at 18. Until now, there has been no age limit for lottery in Latvia.
The bill is not yet final because it still needs parliamentary approval. As well as raising the minimum age for gambling, the draft law would also introduce new rules for promotion. Cabinet of Ministers would be allowed to impose regulations setting uniform requirements for the facades of gaming venues in order to make them less visible.
It would also introduce the use of personalised smart cards for gamblers in a bid to improve the identification of gambling addictions. Meanwhile, the operation of gambling venues would be limited to between 9 am and 6 am, except for betting. As for online gambling, single sessions would not be allowed to last more than 21 hours.
The government said the aim of the bill was to protect the public by reducing the risks associated with gambling and lotteries and to ensure that the gambling market operates in a way that is controlled, transparent, legal, socially responsible and non-addictive. It particularly aims to prevent young people from developing gambling-related harm issues.
A study by the Ministry of Health had identified a trend of people starting to gamble at a younger age. While gambling and lotteries in Latvia were most played by people aged 25-34 with some 19 per cent of respondents aged 15 to 24 saying they started gambling before the age of 18. That compares to 16 per cent of 25-34-year-olds, 15 per cent of 35-44-year-olds, 14 per cent of 45-54-year-olds and 9 per cent of 55-64-year-olds.
The majority of respondents who partook in gambling and lotteries other than bingo started before the age of 20.
Victory for gambling venues in Riga
The government’s move comes after the Constitutional Court ruled against Riga Council in its decision to shut 139 gambling venues in the Latvian capital. Hearing an appeal from some of the operators affected, the court found that the decision breached constitutional law.
Riga city council closed down the venues under a “Security, Order and Corruption Prevention” decree that would have restricted gambling to four and five-star hotels from 2025. The council said the move was intended to protect 80,000 residents who are vulnerable to problem gambling. However, the operators Admiral Klubs, Alfors, Joker Ltd, and Olympic Casino Latvia filed an appeal.
