Riga resurrects plan to ban gambling halls 

The Latvian capital aims to almost completely ban gambling venues.

Latvia.- Rīga’s city council is working on new regulations that would almost completely ban land-based gambling in the Latvian capital. The municipality has drafted binding regulations specifying areas where gambling would be prohibited. While not an outright ban, the regulations would restrict gambling to a few small areas. 

Gambling would not be allowed on municipal property or at neighbourhood centres, areas near cultural monuments or protected buildings or other areas specified in the city plan. Gambling would also be banned within 300m of educational institutions, residential areas or public transport stops, and within 500m of railway stations, bus stations, airports and passenger ports. 

The move would severely limit where gambling venues can be located. Indeed, Rīga mayor Vilnis Ķirsis (New Unity) told a press conference that the aim is to make the city gambling-free.

The new regulations are set to be adopted in March, with specific gambling hall closures to be discussed at the next council meeting. However, concerns have been raised about gambling potentially being driven underground.

Olympic Casino Latvia chairman Juris Celmārs warned that restrictions could lead to illegal gambling halls, which would evade tax. The Latvian Interactive Gambling Association (LIAB) insists decisions must be proportionate or the industry might resort to legal action, leading to potential losses from the city budget.

Some claim the proposals are pre-election posturing, as similar proposals were tabled in 2019. Past efforts to shut down gambling, exempting high-end casinos while targeting smaller venues, were deemed unconstitutional when the Constitutional Court ruled against the Riga Council’s decision to shut down 139 gambling venues in the Latvian capital last April. 

Riga closed down the venues under a “Security, Order and Corruption Prevention” decree that restricted gambling to four- and five-star hotels from 2025. The council said the move was intended to protect 80,000 residents who are vulnerable to problem gambling. However, the operators Admiral Klubs, Alfors, Joker Ltd and Olympic Casino Latvia filed an appeal, and the court found that the decision breached constitutional law.