Lithuania’s parliament, the Seimas, is continuing to rewrite the Baltic nation’s gaming laws to accommodate online gaming.
It has approved amendments to the Gambling Law and the Lottery & Gaming Tax Law. One of the most notable amendments was to introduce a new type of license for “remote gambling services,” i.e. online gaming. The new license allows the government to differentiate between rules for brick-and-mortar gaming businesses and remote gaming.
Existing laws would require that a municipality approve a license for a business that serves its residents. The license for remote operators will nullify that requirement and an additional stipulation that business must be based in the country.
The amendment reads: “The organization of remote gambling, unlike land-based gambling, is not related to their execution in a specific territory (municipality), that is, remote gambling is carried out online throughout the territory of the Republic of Lithuania.” It adds, “Therefore it is not appropriate to require the consent of the municipality when issuing a permit for remote gambling.”
Operators of remote casinos must pay a one-time fee of €500,000 ($508,630) with land-based operators paying €1 million. Operators have been given two years to transfer to a remote license.
