Lithuania rubberstamps blanket gambling ad ban

Lithuania has banned all forms of gambling advertising for both online and retail operators from 1 July.

The new amendment to the country’s Law on Gambling will prohibit the promotion of gambling in any form and by any means, including above-the-line advertising on TV and radio, as well as marketing promotions, discounts and bonus offers.

The respective amendments were adopted by 105 votes in favour with 14 abstentions.

The government said the blanket ban was designed to tackle gambling-related harm in the country which they suggested had increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is already prohibited to encourage gambling by offering players incentives to gamble in Lithuania, or to organise gambling outside of licensed venues and operators.

Firms targeting the country were also expected to carry warnings about gambling-related harm in all marketing material, as per a law that came into effect on 1 July 2020.

Virginijus Dauksys, the director of the Gaming Control Authority, said the regulator had received many complaints about gambling operators that did not fulfil their obligations or deliver on promises made while inviting people to gamble.

However, Mantas Zakarka, a representative of Lithuania’s National Gambling and Gaming Business Association, has warned that the ban will prevent entry of new operators to the market and could also act as an incentive for black-market businesses.