Lithuanian gambling regulator fines two companies for breaching ad ban
The Gambling Supervisory Authority has fined two companies for publishing details of a poker tournament.
Lithuania.- The Lithuanian Ministry of Finance’s Gambling Supervisory Authority has fined Lošimų Strateginė Grupė and UAB Olympic Casino Group Baltija for publishing details of a poker tournament on their websites. The regulator said the publications breached Lithuania’s ban on gambling advertising.
The companies were each fined €25,000 for publishing information about the “Fisherman’s Challenge” public tournament on www.betsafe.lt and lt.olympic-poker.com. The regulator said the publications aimed to “draw attention to the organised poker tournament, persuade and invite individuals to participate in the tournament.”
It said: “Such information is considered to be information that encourages participation in gambling, therefore the company has violated the requirements of Article 10 (19) of the ALI [Lithuania’s gambling legislation].”
Its investigation also considered whether the companies had infringed Article 18 (1) of the ALI and Article 201 (1) by organising Fisherman’s Challenge Tournaments in the first place but found no offence and took no action on these counts. Decisions made by the Supervisory Authority are not final and may be appealed.
It’s not the first time the regulator has issued a fine for breaching Lithuania’s ban on gambling advertising. In January, it fined UAB Nordic’s Optibet brand for sending out a newsletter updating 10,600 customers about a change in terms and conditions. The regulator formed the opinion that the mail out constituted gambling promotion.
