Lithuania orders banks to block card payments to unregulated gambling operators

The Gaming Supervisory Authority will provide a list of licensed operators for gambling payments.

Lithuania.- The Lithuanian parliament has passed an amendment that will require financial institutions to block all card payment transactions with unregulated gambling operators. The government hopes the move will significantly reduce participation in unlicensed gambling offerings.

The government consulted with financial institutions to draw up the amendment. It was highlighted that existing payment procedures did not provide data such as company codes in order to make it possible to block prohibited transactions. But the Gaming Supervisory Authority will provide a whitelist of companies that are authorised to conduct remote gaming in Lithuania.

Payment service providers must only process card payments related to gambling for companies on the list. Those who failed to comply within 24 hours of receiving the directive could be fined up to €3,800 for each offence.

The Gaming Supervisory Authority has already blacklisted 1,600 unlicensed gambling websites. It argues that direct controls on payment providers are now the best measure to control unlicensed activities.

Meanwhile, Lithuania is to increase the minimum age for gambling from 18 to 21 from July. The move will apply to both land-based and online gambling, except for national lottery draws, and will make Lithuania one of the few countries in Europe with such an age limit, alongside Belgium and Greece. Other changes this year include an increase in the gambling tax rate for slots, casino games and online gambling by two percentage points from 20 to 22 per cent.