Latvia Advances Gambling Law Amendments for Parliamentary Vote

Latvia’s Saeima Budget and Finance Committee has endorsed amendments to the Gambling and Lotteries Law, aiming to enhance player protections and impose new compliance orders on gambling licenses. The proposals are now slated for review by the 15th Saeima, with no confirmed implementation date.

What Happened

The Saeima’s Budget and Finance Committee backed amendments to the Gambling and Lotteries Law following a deliberation on Wednesday, October 21, as reported by SBC News. These proposed reforms and compliance enhancements are now on the agenda for the pending 15th Saeima to review. The package of measures currently lacks a confirmed implementation date (SBC News).

The proposed changes include raising the minimum gambling age from 18 to 21 and restricting retail lottery purchases to individuals aged 21 and older. Gambling premises would also be subject to a mandatory shutdown period between 6 AM and 9 AM. For online consumers, new rules would restrict gambling to 21 hours within any 24-hour period, with continuous play tracked across all online gambling licenses (SBC News).

Latvia intends to implement a ‘common verification standard’ for online gambling customers. This standard would necessitate operators integrating a central system to identify and manage addiction risks, reportedly supported by personalized smartcards or equivalent technology. Further measures in the package include extending visitor registration beyond casinos, increasing the minimum number of machines in gaming halls from 20 to 25, and introducing uniform rules for premises’ façades and signage (SBC News).

Key Details

• The minimum gambling age would increase from 18 to 21, also applying to retail lottery purchases, according to SBC News.
• Gambling premises would face a mandatory closure period daily between 6 AM and 9 AM, as stated by SBC News.
• Online consumers would be restricted to 21 hours of gambling within a 24-hour period, tracked across all online licenses via a central system, according to SBC News.
• The Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry supports individual risk monitoring but opposes the higher machine minimum, online time restriction, and additional data requirements (SBC News).

Why It Matters

These proposed amendments follow a year of political shifts in Latvia and a recent restructuring of the country’s gambling regulatory framework. Earlier this year, the Lottery and Gambling Supervision Inspectorate was absorbed into the State Revenue Service (SRS), ending its role as a standalone regulator. The Finance Ministry, when announcing this restructuring in September 2025, argued that consolidating these functions would reduce duplication and improve oversight, particularly as online gambling constitutes an increasing share of the market (SBC News).

The proposed reforms also build on earlier changes to gambling duties implemented from January 2026. Interactive gambling tax rose from 12% to 15%, and betting and wagering duties increased from 15% to 18%. Annual machine duties climbed from €6,204 to €7,440, while duties on roulette, card, and dice tables increased from €33,696 to €40,440, as detailed by SBC News. The current package aims to balance stronger player protections with industry concerns, as acknowledged by Committee chair Aiva Vīksna, who noted the need for proposals to reflect current market conditions (SBC News).

What’s Next

The package of measures is now awaiting review by the incoming 15th Saeima. The parliament must decide whether to advance the bill and how to reconcile stronger player protections with concerns about illegal gambling. Former Prime Minister Evika Siliņa’s government had ordered the conclusion of gambling reforms by 2026 to impose a framework of laws by 2027 (SBC News). It remains to be seen whether the new Prime Minister, Andris Kulbergs, will request further changes to be reviewed (SBC News).