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Latvia has decided to implement a ban that would prohibit local customers from accessing international gambling sites. Following amendments to the country’s gambling laws, authorities are targeting both unauthorized online gambling operators and their local clients.
It’s all happening because of an early April decision of Latvia’s parliament (Saeima) which approved amendments to the nation’s gambling laws. Changes restrict citizens’ ability to access internationally licensed online gambling websites. The amendment also states that banks are not allowed to process payments between Latvian players and unapproved foreign operators.
Local players, who would prefer to continue using unauthorized gambling sites, are risking €350 fine if caught doing it. Gamblers could face an extra fine for avoiding paying their tax, which is 23% of any sum above €3k.
The amendments also require ISPs to fully comply with orders to block unauthorized gambling domains. According to local media, until now it was not done efficiently and only third of 1,500 blacklisted gambling domains were blocked.
As of December 2018, only nine operators had been approved to offer online gambling within Latvia’s borders. These allowed operators include Olympic Entertainment Group, Optibet, Betsafe, PAF and 11.lv.
