Is Online Gambling Legal in the Baltics?

The Baltic sisters have been open towards all things related to progress, with a special focus on technology. Some of them even managed to become leaders in the region when it comes to the IT sector. Can you guess which ones?

One of the sectors that has always been closely related to the progress achieved in technology is gambling. In fact, some of the technological trends have been actively reshaping the gambling industry.

Let’s take a look at the state of affairs in the online gambling industry in the Baltic countries.

Estonia

All kinds of online gambling were regulated in Estonia back in 2010 when they issued two acts called the Gambling Act and the Gambling Tax Act. Therefore, 2010 officially became the year when the country decided to let its residents enjoy playing online casino games and take part in other iGaming-related activities.

The country even allowed offshore gambling operators to offer their service in Estonia, but there was one thing they had to do in order to be accepted — obtain a licence. As of 2011, the country allows offshore casinos and other iGaming platforms only if they have an exclusive Estonian licence for operating in the country.

Latvia

Latvia currently has five casinos that offer a total of 65 table games and many slots. In fact, its gambling industry has been pretty active lately, creating a stable revenue stream for the state.

Having seen the opportunity that the industry brings in terms of employment and income, the regulators decided to permit and regulate the online gambling sector as well. The citizens of this country can now enjoy playing games on Latvian online casino platforms as much as they want. There are six operators at the moment who have a licence for offering online gambling.

Needless to say, Latvia seems to have a very bright future in this sector, and it appears that regulators are actively working on further promoting this type of gaming and making even better regulations.

Lithuania

Lithuania’s online gambling story is quite similar to that of the other two Baltic states. The country currently has approximately 18 land-based casinos, and that number is bound to grow in the future.

Furthermore, the regulators are actively working on further monitoring the online market that has been approved back in 2016. Therefore, Lithuanian online gambling is regulated, and the country issues licences for this type of service.

Moreover, Lithuanian authorities have been active lately when it comes to the protection of the market. As a matter of fact, they have been actively blacklisting all offshore sites that do not have licences for offering any type of online gambling services to the residents and visitors of Lithuania.

Therefore, if you want to play casino games or take part in other similar activities on the web, you can do that in all three Baltic states without worrying too much about scam sites and unregulated markets.