Lithuania sees sharp uptick in gambling revenue
Land-based revenue has bounced back and online gambling revenue continues to grow despite marketing restrictions.
Lithuania.- Gambling revenue for the first half soared 66 per cent year-on-year thanks to the end of Covid-19 restrictions on land-based gambling. Gross revenue came in at €89.3m, compare to €53.8m in H1 2021, when Covid-19 measures continued to affect land-based casinos, slot parlours and retail betting.
Land-based gaming revenue was up 1,139.3 per cent from €2.8m in 2021 to €34.7m. Category B slot machines with €0.50 stake limits were the main revenue generator, accounting for €15.3m. Uncapped category A generated €6.2m. Lottery ticket sales reached €65.2m, up 3.2 per cent.
Online gambling also continued to grow despite the return of land-based options and the tight marketing restrictions on online gaming. Revenue was up 7.7 per cent year-on-year at €54.9m. Category A online slots generated €15.5m and category B slots €683,313. Online sports betting revenue hit €9m and table games €3.5m.
Lithuania’s Gambling Supervisory Authority has issued a raft of fines in recent months for a breach of the country’s strict rules on gambling promotion. The latest fine was issued to Gaming Strategy Group, which runs Betsson’s Betsafe brand in Lithuania.
It received a fine of €25,000 for sending out a newsletter about an online game to 10,430 customers in February. The newsletter features information about the game’s features and links for players to log in to their accounts or request a new password in the event they had forgotten their login details.
Meanwhile, the regulator has taken steps to close a loophole in Lithuania’s Code of Administrative Offences (ANK) that prevented it from confiscating the proceeds of illegal acts or the tools used to commit them.
The regulator had realised that while article 34, paragraphs 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the code allow tools used in an administrative offence and the proceeds of said offence to be confiscated, the measure applied only to individuals not to companies. It said that as a result, the regulator would not have been able to confiscate any proceeds of illegal gambling from companies – only from individuals.
