Lithuanian parliament approves rise in gambling tax

The Seimas has voted to increase the taxes on gambling operators by two points.

Lithuania.- The Lithuanian parliament has voted in favour of a proposal to increase the tax on gambling operators by 2 percentage points from 2025. Introduced as amendments to the Law on Lottery and Gambling Tax, the proposal received 72 votes in favour and nine abstentions.

The move will increase the income tax levied on slots, table games, bingo, betting and online gambling from 20 to 22 per cent. Finance minister Gintarė Skaistė said the change should “not have a significant impact on the competitiveness of this sector” but would generate around €4.4m in additional revenue for the state budget. Some of the additional funds will be used to educate the public on gambling harm and to compensate media for the loss of revenue due to Lithuania’s ban on gambling advertising.

Lithuania’s Gaming Control Authority says that 12 companies are licensed to offer gambling in Lithuania. In 2023, gross gambling revenue reached €222.2m, a rise of 13.5 per cent year-on-year and more than double the revenue in 2020 (€103m).

However, the Lithuanian parliament began considering amendments to Lithuania’s gambling legislation in mid-March. The proposed amendments include a complete ban on gambling ads, including sponsorship deals, from January 1 2025.