Lithuanian gambling regulator slaps fines on Betsafe and Tete-a-Tete Casino
The regulator has issued another fine for advertising breaches and one for accepting players from outside of the country.
Lithuania.- The Gambling Supervisory Authority has issued another fine for a breach of Lithuania’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.
The regulator ruled that the newsletter’s aim to draw attention to the product and provide details such as win percentage and free spins features breached Article 10 (19) of Lithuania’s gambling regulations, which largely prohibit the promotion of gambling.
The regulator has been very active in enforcement action against operators for breaches of Lithuania’s ban on promoting gambling. It has issued several €25,000 fines to operators in recent months.
Meanwhile, the regulator has fined Tete-a-Tete Casino €15,000 for allowing players located outside of Lithuania to gamble via its website. This was found to breach Article 205 Part 3 and Article 201 Part 1 of Lithuania’s gambling regulations, which prohibit operators from accepting bets from players not physically located within the country.
It warned Tete-a-Tete Casino that its licence could be suspended if it does not introduce procedures to prevent a repeat offence by August 10. In both cases, the operators can appeal against the regulator’s decisions.
Lithuania to introduce new dedicated remote gaming licence
The Lithuanian legislature, the Seimas, has approved new amendments to the country’s gambling and lottery and gaming tax legislation. The changes will allow the national regulator, the Gambling Supervisory Authority, to offer a specific licence for remote gambling.
The move will allow the government to split the requirements for remote gambling and land-based gambling, which are currently tied. Online gambling operators currently need municipal consent to tie in with a land-based gaming operator.
The new remote gaming licences will remove the need for online gambling operators to have a domiciled presence in Lithuania.
