Lithuania takes "severe action" to curb unlicensed sites
Regulator says recent amendments made to its Gaming Law gives it greater scope to clamp down on illegal activity
Lithuania has promised to take “severe action” against operators targeting its residents without a permit after being handed fresh powers to clamp down on unlicensed activity.
Following changes made to the Gaming Law of the Republic of Lithuania on 1 January, banks and other financial service institutions, such as payment providers, are now under legally binding orders to stop all payments related to illegal gambling.
The country’s regulator, the Gaming Control Authority (GCA), also has the right to issue legally binding orders to network service providers to automatically block access to unlicensed gambling websites.
In addition, the GCA has promised to publically name and shame operators judged to be acting unlawfully in an attempt to stamp out unlicensed activity.
“These changes to regulation have been widely publicised and will be strictly legally enforced,” Virginijus Dauksys, director of the GCA, said. “Gaming operators need to be licensed to operate in the Republic of Lithuania,” he added.
Gambling in Lithuania was regulated in 2001 although its laws have since been updated to establish a licensing regime for the remote industry.