Lithuania: lottery registers good performance

In the first nine months of the year, Lithuania distributed more than 85 million lottery tickets, which is a 14% increase when compared to 2018.

Lithuania.- The Gambling Supervisory Authority from Lithuania has released the financial results from the lottery sector in the first nine months of the year. During that period, 85.1 million lottery tickets were distributed.

According to the regulator, which is under the Ministry of Finance, the 85.1 million lottery tickets represent a 14% increase from the number of distributed tickets in the same period in 2018.

Current regulations in the country establish that there are different types of lottery in the country: digital, classic, sports and instant, which registered 59.7% of distributed lottery tickets in the nine-month period.

Direct and indirect lottery tickets in Lithuania registered the majority of the player spending in the first nine months, while online lottery is on the other side of the table. During the first nine months, players spent US$5.9 million on online lottery tickets. This represents 7% of the total cost of winning, which totalled €4.1 million.

Moreover, lottery turnover rose 10.1% to €82.2 million when compared to the same period in 2018. Total player winnings were €46.2 million, representing a 14.7% year-on-year rise. Collective gross profit for operators was €35.9 million, or a 4.6% increase.

Olympic closes gambling shops in Lithuania

Olympic Casino Group Baltija is focused on reorganising the company, and as part of that initiative, it will close a small number of betting shops in Lithuania. The subsidiary of Olympic Entertainment Group will close betting shops and category B slot halls.

The decision to stop operating a number of venues in Lithuania is part of a reorganisation of the regional business of Olympic in the territory. The operator said that the decision has been influenced by a change in the tax regime in the country. Around 11 units will close in Kaunas, Klaipėda, Panevėžys, Šiauliai, Marijampolė and Mažeikiai.