Latvia online gambling revenues up 39% in H1 2019
Market reports online casinos revenues of €18m and sports betting revenues of €7.1m
The Latvian online gambling market grew by 39% year-on-year during the first half of 2019, with combined revenues hitting €25.3m (£23.2m).
New figures released by the Lotteries and Gambling Supervisory Inspection of Latvia (IAUI) revealed overall market revenues of €154.4m (£141.8m) for the first six months of 2019, up 14% YoY from the €134.6m reported during the same period of 2018.
Online casino revenues increased 40% to €18m (£16.5m) while revenues from online sports betting rose 36% to €7.1m (£6.5m).
Online poker tournament revenues proved to be the biggest winner during the first half of 2019, growing by 66% YoY to a record of high of €193,482.
A total of 51 operators were added to the Latvian ISP blacklist during the first half of 2019, with a total of 87 ISP’s blocked during the period by Latvian regulators.
Last week, the Latvian government launched a consultation on the development of a streamlined regulatory framework for the monitoring and supervision of both land-based and online operators.
The IAUI said the aim of this consultation is to improve existing controls by removing the operator need to re-request information from the regulator. It has also said it is looking to establish a “uniform procedure” for all operators to submit documentation to the IAUI.
The deadline for responses from stakeholders is 9 August.