Lithuanian regulator fines Amber Gaming for breach of gambling promotion ban
Amber Gaming, which runs 7bet, is the latest operator to fall foul of Lithuania’s strict ban on gambling promotion.
Lithuania.- It seems gambling operators are struggling to interpret Lithuania’s ban on gambling promotion, introduced last July. The ban doesn’t completely prohibit advertising, but it does forbid anything that incentivises gambling, which is rather the point of advertising.
Promotional special events, bonuses, discounts and gifts are prohibited, but the national regulator, the Lithuanian Gambling Supervisory Authority, has also sanctioned an operator for sending an email about an update to terms and conditions.
The latest operator to be caught out is Amber Gaming, which operates 7bet. It’s been hit with a €6,789 fine due to content published on its website on October 13, November 4 and February 4, which the regulator said encouraged consumers to gamble.
The statements at fault included the phrases “Online casino: free spins and casino bonus” and “For those who want a greater sense of excitement, 7bet offers live real-time casino games. It gives you even more chances to win”.
The regulator said such statements “aimed to draw attention to the operator and its offer, persuading and encouraging persons to participate in the company’s games”.
It warned Amber Gaming that similar such violations could lead to the suspension of its licence. It may appeal the decision.
It’s the latest in a series of fines issued to operators for breaches of the regulations. Last week, the Gambling Supervisory Authority announced it had issued Top Sport a fine of €25,000 for violating the ban through statements made on its website last year.
The statements included phrases such as “Bet whether Kaunas Žalgiris will triumph in the LKL championship and whether Žalgiris will advance to the Euroleague final four”, “With Top Sport you can place a wide range of sports bets”, “Choose one of more than 400 games and claim impressive winnings” and “Guess how far Vilnius Rytas will go in the FIBA Champions League and whether it will advance to the LKL final”.
In March, the Gambling Supervisory Authority fined Lošimų Strateginė Grupė and UAB Olympic Casino Group Baltija €25,000 for publishing details of a poker tournament on their websites.
And 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 email constituted gambling promotion.
Gambling revenue rises in Lithuania
Despite the new restrictions on promotion, Lithuanian gambling revenue continues to grow in Lithuania, rising by 90 per cent year-on-year to €43.4m in the first quarter of 2022. Part of the rise can be explained by the return of land-based gaming after Covid-19 lockdowns, but online gaming revenue also rose, up 16.7 per cent year-on-year to €26.8m.
Category A slots, which have no cap on stakes or payouts, generated €15.5m, an increase of 24.7 per cent year-on-year. Stakes were €210.4m.
Category B slots, which have a stake limit of €0.50 per spin and have a payout cap at 200 times the original stake, generated €683,313, up 57.9 per cent from Q1 in 2021. Table games generated €1.6m, up 25.5 per cent, from €19.4m in stakes. Betting stakes totalled €125.3m, generating revenue of €9m.
The land-based gaming sector generated revenue of €16.9m. Category A slots accounted for €3.1m from stakes of €12.4m, and category B machines €7.2m from stakes of €45.4m. Retail sports betting revenue was €2.7m from stakes of €25.9m and table game revenue €4m from stakes of €18m.
