Lithuanian online gaming revenue up 15% for first 3 quarters

Online gaming revenue up to September 30 stands at €86m.

Lithuania.- Online gaming revenue in Lithuania reached €86m for the first nine months of the year, an increase of 15 per cent from €75m in the same period in 2021. Land-based gaming revenue also increased, up by 172 per cent year-on-year to €53.8m.

The steep rise in land-based revenue is because in 2021 there were still restrictions on operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Slot parlours, totalizer points and casinos were all closed for the initial months of the year. For the third quarter ending September 30, land-based gaming revenue was up just 15.1 per cent.

For online and land-based gamine combined, revenue for the nine months to September 30 hit €139.8m, an increase of 47 per cent. Lottery ticket sales rose 2.9 per cent to €97.5m.

Earlier this month, Lithuania’s Gambling Supervisory Authority fined Top Sport UAB after finding that it had allowed a player located abroad to gamble on its website. The regulator found that the player had used the Top Sport website on May 11.

Article 205 Part 3 and Article 201 Part 1 of Lithuania’s Gambling Act prohibits operators from allowing players to gamble outside the country.

The Gambling Supervisory Authority issued Top Sport with a fine of €15,000. It warned the operator that its licence could be withdrawn if it does not act to ensure a similar breach does not happen again. Top Sport must make any necessary changes to its procedures by November 11. It has the right to appeal against the regulator’s decision.

It’s the second time in as many months that Top Sport has received a fine from the regulator. In September, it was fined €15,000 for failing to properly install a digital video recording system at two retail betting venues. It also received a fine in May for breaching Lithuania’s strict rules on gambling marketing.