Lithuanian court rejects Top Sport appeal against regulatory fine
The Supreme Administrative Court has rejected the operator’s appeal against a fine issued for self-exclusion breaches.
Lithuania.- The Lithuanian gambling operator Top Sport has lost its appeal against a €15,000 fine issued by the country’s gambling regulator last year. The operator had taken its appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court after an initial decision at Vilnius District Administrative Court went against it.
The fine was issued by the Lithuanian Gaming Control Authority in relation to breaches of self-exclusion and surveillance regulations. In one instance, a player who had self-excluded was allowed into a retail venue. Meanwhile, cameras were incorrectly located and did not allow visibility of money changing hands at the cash register and recordings were not kept for 180 days as required.
Top Sport said that it fired two employees following the investigation. However, the Supreme Administrative Court has ruled that the regulator’s action was “legal and reasonable” and that there were no grounds to appeal. The court said Top Sport must ensure that staff, customers and transactions are visible in security camera footage.
Gambling in Lithuania
The Lithuanian Gaming Control Authority has reported that gambling revenue in the country reached €116m in the first half of 2024. That’s a rise of 12.6 per cent year-on-year. Growth was driven by the online gambling market, where revenue rose 12.5 per cent to €72.2m. Player spending increased by 8.7 per cent to €1.05bn.
Category A online slots, which have unlimited winnings, generated €53.5m from player spending of €627.7m, which marked a rise of 6.2 per cent. Revenue from Category B slots, which have a maximum stake of LTL1 (€0.3) and wins of up to 200x bets, was level with last year. Meanwhile, online table games generated €6.7m, up 11.7 per cent. Top Sport remains the biggest operator on the Lithuanian gambling market, but it has faced several fines over the past two years.
