Ivan Kurochkin: "New regulation of gambling advertising and responsible gambling in Lithuania"

Continuing its regulatory overhaul, Lithuania has introduced a near-total gambling advertising ban to be phased in over the next three years.

Starting July 1, 2025, a two-phase amendment to gambling advertising rules will take effect. In addition, the regulator has issued measures aimed at combating illegal gambling and enhancing consumer protection, including fines over ten times higher than the current maximum, along with tighter regulatory and responsible gambling provisions.

Advertising regulations

Current status

Under current rules, unlicensed gambling ads are banned in Lithuania, along with any advertising or content related to gambling on websites intended for individuals under 18. It is also prohibited to encourage participation in gambling by any means, including operator events, test gambling, promotions, discounts, gifts, and similar incentives.

Gambling ads must include warnings such as:

• Participating in gambling can be addictive
• It's not just money you can lose when gambling
• Irresponsible gambling can harm you and your family’s well-being
• Excessive gambling can lead to addiction

Anticipated changes

For nearly a year, Lithuanian regulators have worked on tightening advertising rules. The first draft was proposed in November 2024, with the following changes to apply from July 1, 2025:

• Gambling ads on TV, radio, and the internet from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. allowed in no more than three advertising spots of up to 15 seconds per hour, as well as such ads must not exceed 20% of the page’s ad space;
• Gambling ads on TV, radio, and the internetfrom 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. allowed in no more than two spotsper hour, as well as such ads must not exceed 10% of the page’s ad space;
• Betting advertising published on websites will not be allowed to appear in pop-up windows.

Gambling ads will remain legal on TV, radio, and online platforms until the end of 2027, subject to these new restrictions.

Sponsorships by gambling companies will be banned starting January 1, 2028, including any sponsorship of public events, activities, or individuals by gambling companies. Until then, sponsorships by licensed gambling operators will be allowed if compliant with the law.

Therefore, from 2028, all gambling advertising will be effectively banned in Lithuania, with only limited exceptions: companies will be able to display their name and logo at their business premises and list the types of gambling offered.

To support affected media, Lithuania has allocated €4 million in compensation.

In the same amendments, the government also banned slot machines in public spaces such as cinemas and transport hubs. These restrictions follow a separate law passed by regulatory authorities introducing increased fines and new responsible gambling obligations.

Responsible gambling

Current status

Currently, individuals over 18 can enter slot halls, bingo venues, and betting shops, while only those 21 and older can access casinos (online or land-based).

Players can self-exclude from online gambling for at least six months. Once self-excluded, they are barred from entering gambling venues or participating in remote gambling for the chosen exclusion period or, by default, two years.

Players also have the right to:

• Set time limits for uninterrupted gambling sessions;
• Set a maximum bet per session or per wager;
• Set spending limits over specific timeframes.

Anticipated changes

From July 1, 2025, big changes to the regulations of sanctions and responsible gambling will come into force.Approved on November 7, 2024, amendments to the gambling legislation include following provisions:

• Fines related to a series of misdemeanours such as paying out online winnings, authorised capital requirements, advertising or responsible gambling breaches will significantly increase, now calculated based on gross annual income. The average fine is expected to rise from current €50,000 to future €700,000.
• Land-based operators will be required to have a qualified employee to identify potential problem gamblers and offer them a cooling-off break or tell them to stop gambling. Online operators will require a certified gambling platform that can record players' identities and monitor their gambling behaviour, including the amount of money and time they spend.
• Additionally, the platform will record the actions taken by operators to implement responsible gambling measures and send them to LAKIS (Slot Machine Control Information System), which is overseen by the Gambling Supervision Service, at least every 30 days.

Besides that, in January of 2025, new rules targeting payment providers were introduced. From May 1, 2025, providers will be required to verify whether card-based transactions are linked to licensed gambling operators. A list of authorised operators will be published by the regulator. If a payment is connected to an unlicensed operator, it must be blocked.

Payment providers will use identification codes from international card schemes to spot unauthorised operators. However, transactions initiated outside Lithuania’s jurisdiction are excluded from this rule.

Finaly, as a resort of tightening upcoming changes, on March 13, 2025, the regulator published draft of responsible gambling rules for licensed operators, which includes:

• Procedures for identifying and managing problem gambling;
• Tools to monitor time and spending limits;
• Risk assessment systems based on player behaviour;
• Obligations to provide players with responsible gambling warnings;
• Staff training requirements;
• Continuous monitoring and intervention systems.

For these rules, Lithuania must now obtain European Commission approval under Directive (EU) 2015/1535, which requires notification of technical regulations that may affect the internal market. The standstill period ends in June of 2025.

Conclusion

Alongside advertising and responsible gambling reforms, Lithuania is restructuring its broader regulatory framework.

In November of 2024, new licensing procedures were published, detailing how licenses are granted or refused and how warnings for potential suspension or revocation are issued. Separately, tax amendments were adopted, setting a 22% tax rate on the base for lotteries and all regulated gambling verticals.

This shows that over the past year, the Lithuanian regulator has remained focused on tightening industry regulations. While aiming for transparency and higher revenues from licensed operators, it risks driving local businesses out or pushing players toward offshore sites. Advertising restrictions will become extremely strict, and the rising burden for both players and licensed operators adds pressure. Hopefully, efforts to align with EU standards by mirroring neighboring countries won’t lead to market stagnation or isolation through overly rigid regulation.

Image credit: Casino Guru News