Online Casinos Lithuania

Are online casinos legal in Lithuania?

Gambling in Lithuania is completely legal as is. You don’t have to worry about breaking the law if you play in brick-and-mortar or online casinos. However, all casinos operating in the country must have an operations licence.

Licensing in the Lithuanian gambling industry is run by a government monopoly. The Gaming Control Authority and Olifeja are responsible for gambling regulation. The state-owned organ decides who to allow in the gaming market.

One of the few things they’d consider is if the online casino has all qualifications set out. The Gambling Act of 2011 has clear-cut pointers all gaming companies must achieve. They will be granted a licence only after they have met all the requirements.

Online gambling in Lithuania was somehow illegal until 2016, after the amendment of the Gambling Act of 2011. This meant that Lithuanians could enjoy playing casino games online.

The development led to much more interest in web-based casinos.

We could further note that foreign online casinos are still outlawed in the country. Only those licensed in Lithuania can legally offer gambling services. However, this does not stop players from gambling on offshore gambling sites.

New online casinos in Lithuania

Lithuanians have plenty of choices when it comes to online gambling. There are local, international, and foreign online casinos offering modern gaming opportunities.

As if that was not enough, new casinos in Lithuania continue to sprout. Most of them are foreign gambling sites that don’t have an exclusive Lithuanian licence.

Why do they lack licensing, you ask? Well, it’s an expensive affair to be a licensed casino operator in Lithuania. The Gaming Control Authority requires investors to have $1.8 million as capital.

However, gamblers still have the choice to play in foreign-owned online casinos. Players are not punished for this.

The EU continues to push for better and friendlier gambling regulations in Lithuania. And taking into context that only in 2016 was online gambling legalised, we expect more soon.

There’s a push to streamline gambling policies in the entire EU region, which might bear fruit.

As of now, newer casinos continue to grace the country’s iGaming space. With a careful eye, Lithuanians have more choices every day to gamble. Provided you gamble in a legitimate online casino, play away.

Here are some nice suggestions for you:

Fruit Super Nova

Do you love fruits? Get ready to blast off into a fun-filled juicy galaxy with Fruit Super Nova. Evoplay developed this game, and it’s clear why it has gained popularity in Lithuanian gambling sites. The slot displays a great combination of colourful visuals and vibrant graphics.

The play is simple. You match fruits to gain wins and the jackpot for five similar matches. You can win up to x5000, with a bet range of €0.1 to €100.

The slot has a moderate RTP of 96.03%. It is playable on any device, including Android and iOS mobile devices. Best of all, Fruit Super Nova is available for free play and real money on major online casinos in Lithuania.

Majestic King

Hit the spin button on Majestic King, and you’ll be hooked from that moment. This slot from Spinomenal has an RTP of 95.16% and a maximum win of x300. Still on technicals, it has 5 rows, 3 reels and 25 win ways.

Minimum bets start from €0.25 to €250 per wager, with jackpot options. Other features are additional slot spins and symbol collection during the game. These features are what precisely set Majestic King apart.

Diamond Plus

Lastly, we have the Diamond Plus slot by Amusnet Interactive. It’s also a low stake progressive jackpot slot with both traditional and modern elements. The game was released in 2021 and offers up to 600x in winnings.

Its RTP is 96.26%, and the volatility remains medium. So, winning is neither hard nor easy. You can stake any amount between €0.01 and €200 per wager to play for real money.

Card games

Most card games in Lithuania are table games such as baccarat, blackjack, and poker. You can find these in casinos and choose either multi or single-play. Most of them have jackpots, except poker.

Bingo

Bingo is a traditional game, although commercial bingo is regarded as gambling. In Lithuania, you can visit physical bingo halls or play it in online casinos. You win by getting random numbers in a row, column, or diagonal. The winner calls bingo to alert other players and the announcer.

Lithuania Sports betting sites

Sports betting in Lithuania has gained popularity. It may be a small country in terms of land mass, but residents surely love sports. From hockey to basketball, there’s always something going on on the pitch.

Basketball is the most popular sport in the country. The men’s national basketball team has competed in international games many times. The team has won the Euro basket trophy 3 times. They have also secured medals from major tournaments like the Olympics.

Like casinos, the gaming authority licences and regulates sportsbooks. Bookmakers have to get licences and operate physical shops. They can also operate online if they wish.

Most bookmakers, however, have betting shops where players can play physically. Popular sports available to bet on include basketball, football, tennis, horse racing, and hockey. Virtual games like horse racing, football, and hockey are available too.

Due to the restrictive nature of gambling, there’s a ban on foreign and unlicensed sports betting in Lithuania. Players can access the list of banned bookmakers on the gambling authority’s official website. It’s advisable to shun these bookmakers as they offer no consumer protection.

Foreign sports betting is accessible for both local and international sports events. Lithuanians can also access international bookmakers, provided they are accepted. Such sites include:

Gambling Regulator In Lithuania

The Gambling Control Authority controls all gambling activities in Lithuania. All gambling hubs, including online casinos, must have a licence from this authority. The permit gives these casinos leeway to legally operate in the country.

Notably, the state organ is under the ministry of finance and is headed by a government appointee. It oversees all gambling activities in Lithuania.

Tough measures are taken when issuing these licences. These measures ensure that only legit businesses set up shop. The regulations also protect consumers from fraudulent gambling practices.

This has brought in its fair share of problems instead. Foreign online gambling sites tend to bypass these requirements altogether. By acquiring licensing from Curacao and Malta, these platforms can serve Lithuanian gamblers.

By amending the Gambling Act, the government has allowed more room for online gambling. This is to enable more foreign gambling platforms to serve locals. This development enables foreign online casinos to acquire legislation easily.

Finally, Lithuania has folded to the EU pressure to streamline gambling regulations. This will grow Lithuania’s gambling market.

Lithuania-specific Gambling restrictions

Regulations in the Lithuanian gambling market have always been a hurdle. Many gambling providers don’t thrive in the environment. This is why most online casinos in Lithuania have offshore licences.

While these regulations protect consumers, they hit hard on businesses. But this has changed with the amendment of the Gambling Act. Now, gambling companies can access gambling licences easier than before.

Still, there are restrictions that the industry players must abide by. They are enforced by the gambling authority. Casinos violating these restrictions face fines and blacklisting.

The most popular restriction in Lithuania gambling is the legal gambling age. For land-based casinos, the legal age is 21+ since these establishments may serve alcohol. Online casinos accept players aged 18 or older.

The new regulations on online gambling set in 2021 have restrictions on players. All online casinos are required to set the maximum betting amounts a user can stake. Also, there is a set daily or weekly maximum spend.

Restricting how much gamblers spend reduces addiction. This is where players cannot control their gambling habits. Casinos that flaunt these set regulations face charges.

The most common restriction is advertising. All forms of gambling in Lithuania are banned from advertising on mainstream media. There even have been cases where poker has been disguised in an advert. Such attractions led to the advertisers being fined for this.

All casino gaming platforms are also required to warn players of excessive gambling and its effects. This mostly is a campaign to discourage online gambling.

History of Gambling in Lithuania

The history of gambling in Lithuania is not as big as in other EU countries. Back then, gambling was not as popular as it is today. It may be because of the influence of the Soviet Union’s history. Or maybe the current generation is more adept with the world’s influence.

Be it as it may, the USSR had a tremendous influence on gambling. This negative connotation is visible with the stringent gambling regulations Lithuania has.

You see, most forms of gambling were illegal in the USSR, which Lithuania was part of. The Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1990 led to rampant illegal gambling. The young independent nation saw an opportunity to tame the gambling sector.

In 1992, the government established the first lotto—Latvijas Loto. The year 2001 saw more regulations set up, especially for casinos. Land-based casinos could operate legally and under the Gaming Control Authority.

Illegal online gambling took root in Lithuania. Many gamblers were opting to play in these convenient casinos at home. And this was cheaper to them, with no big monetary wagering requirements.

The Lithuanian parliament sought to tame illegal online gambling. With the introduction of the amended Gambling Act in 2011, online gambling was legalised. However, online casinos had restrictions in conducting business.

These restrictions and huge capital requirements were unfavourable to casino operators. Therefore, many opted to seek offshore licensing in Malta and Curacao. These licences were acceptable to the general EU.

Land-based gambling in Lithuania

Inland gambling is popular in Lithuania. Most of these establishments are in the capital city, Vilnius. You will find all sorts of games in these establishments. But since most of them were established after the soviet union broke, they are pretty new.

Gaming rooms must operate in the following categories to get a licence:

• Casinos
• Totalizator
• Machine/slots halls
• Betting halls
• Bingo halls

The Gaming Control Authority, which is manned by the Finance Ministry, regulates land-based casinos.

Online gambling has brought a huge shift in how gambling is in the country. Physical casinos have felt the push to innovate. They have been introducing online versions of their products to attract more gamblers.

For casinos with physical locations, their clientele is the big spenders in the city and tourists. So, not much of their profit has been taken away by online casinos.

There’s still a lot of push and pull on gambling regulations in Lithuanian land-based casinos. They must observe the gambling policy like online casinos, even when their overheads are higher.

All the same, brick-and-mortar casinos give an experience that an online casino cannot. A land-based casino gives a real gambling environment for players. You get to socialise, grab a drink or two and even play some games that are not available online.

Did you know?

Until 2021, online casinos in Lithuania had to partner with land-based casinos in the country. This was the only gateway to operating legally.