Starting in July, all gambling-related ads in Lithuania must include a message warning of the activity’s potential risks. The Vilnius Seimas, or Lithuanian parliament, ruled that the country’s Gaming Control Authority will be responsible for determining the content included in the warning.
“Gambling is not an evil in itself, but as the sector develops, it is important to be able to control the risks involved and minimize the negative consequences,” said bill sponsor Mykolas Majauskas.
“There is no need to jam poles into the spokes of the gaming market’s wheels in a way that would pull it off the road, but at least you need to attach reflectors. … We also expect a responsible and sensible approach to how these rules should be applied. They would not apply, for example, to gambling branding on basketball players’ uniforms.”
Majauskas noted that other countries in the European Union “have very similar problems, they say: first, we need to educate; secondly, we must help those who have problems; third, we need to help people who have loved ones who have gambling problems.
“One of the basic tools for solving problems is public education, education through social advertising.”
