Lithuanians support ban on gambling ads

A survey finds that the majority of people favour a ban on all gambling advertising.

Lithuania.- A survey by the country’s Gambling Control Authority has found that the majority of Lithuanians are in favour of banning gambling adverts

In a survey of 1,001 adults, less than half (47 per cent) said they had seen gambling advertisements in the last year, but 76 per cent still believed that new controls should be introduced. 

More than half (52 per cent) said they believed gambling advertising should be banned completely, although a similar number (51 per cent) also recognised that the gambling industry was important for the economy.

The survey comes after Spain followed Italy in introducing strict restrictions on gambling ads, limiting them to a reduced period in the early hours of the morning.

There are also calls in the UK to introduce more restrictions.

A majority of 56% of respondents to the Lithuanian survey were also in favour of raising the minimum age to buy a lottery ticket from 16 to 18.

The survey reported that 12 per cent of respondents had gambled on non-lottery products in the past year, 47 of those at slot machine halls, 41 per cent online (up from 38 per cent in 2019), 29 per cent on sports and 26 per cent at casinos.

Around a third said they gambled once a month, with men aged 29 or under most likely to gamble.

The proportion who used lottery products fell from 51 per cent last year to 43 per cent, with those aged 40-49 most likely to play.

Among all lottery players, 88 per cent still bought tickets at retail outlets.

In June, the Gambling Control Authority announced new know-your-customer rules for gambling operators after the sector was identified as a risk for money laundering