Latvia

News & Analysis

Baltic Online Markets Soar Past €400m In 2021

Overall regulated online gambling revenue in the Baltic region jumped by 84 percent year-on-year to €409m in 2021, with exaggerated channel shift helping Latvia and Lithuania to become the latest European markets to pass €100m in annual market size.

European Blocklists Continue Rapid Growth As Spotlight Shines On Curaçao

The number of blocklisted online gambling domains across 18 reporting European countries, as monitored by VIXIO GamblingCompliance, increased by 55 percent to more than 150,000 in 2021.

Latvian Gambling Legal Proposals Pouring In

Latvia is continuing to propose major regulatory changes for its gambling industry, including a ban on the sale of alcohol in gambling venues, as the country remains on its path to wider social reform.

Latvia Legal Changes 'Huge Relief' For Regulator, Says Lawyer

Recent amendments to Latvia’s primary gambling law should help the regulator take enforcement action more easily, according to a local gambling law expert.

Latvian Regulator Granted Licence Suspension, Revocation Powers

The Latvian gambling regulator has received new sweeping enforcement powers, including the ability to suspend and revoke licences, as well as hand out fines.

Research & Reports

Interactive Map: Gambling Advertising Across Europe

Advertising is one of the most hotly discussed topics in the European gambling industry. In this map, VIXIO GamblingCompliance shows the current situation regarding gambling advertising in all jurisdictions. The map highlights the differences among the countries that allow, partially prohibit or forbid gambling advertising.

Latvia: Draft Amendments to the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing

On April 3, 2019, the Saeima (parliament) introduced Draft Law no. 295/Lp 13 with the title “Amendments to the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism”, with the aim of aligning the national anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) framework with the provisions of the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5th AMLD).

Latvia: Ministry of Justice Introduces Draft Law on Personal Data Processing to Implement GDPR

The Ministry of Justice has introduced a draft law, the Law on Personal Data Processing, which will implement the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Latvia.

The GDPR aligns existing principles for the protection of personal data by establishing uniform rules on the protection of personal data, which would apply throughout the EU, as the current framework on personal data is not harmonised and is different in member states.

The GDPR provides the following improvements in the single market environment:

Latvia: 4th AMLD Implementation — Implementation Process

PaymentsCompliance has confirmed with the market policy department of the Ministry of Finance recent changes to the internal planning calendar on the implementation of the 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (4th AMLD).

The draft law will be revealed to the public on September 1, 2016, with subsequent submissions to the Cabinet of Ministers on September 30, 2016. (The changes will be posted on the Ministry of Finance's website).

Case Note: Garkalns SIA (C-470/11), July 19, 2012

In the case of Garkalns, the court delivered a judgment about the potential conflict between national rules on gambling and freedoms of the internal market.

Data & Forecasts

Market Monitor: European Online Gambling

This quarterly report contains a comprehensive overview of available data on the €25bn+ European online gambling sector. Jurisdictional market size figures and year-on-year growth rates are supplemented by an interactive dashboard and standardised, comparable data on betting-gaming splits and online penetration rates.

Latvia - Quarterly Gaming Report - 1997 to 2022

Combined online GGR in Latvia and Lithuania grew in the mid-teens to just under €250m in 2022, driven by strong growth in online casino revenue that was sustained amid a belated rebound in land-based gaming during the second half of the year. Online gaming momentum has picked up in Lithuania in particular, where growth has accelerated meaningfully since the repeal of the country's terrestrial licence requirement last summer.

European Online Forecasting Dashboard

This interactive dashboard features our country-level market size forecasts for the €25bn+ regulated European online gambling sector through to 2026, with projections split between online betting, gaming and total online gambling.

Market Monitor: European Land-Based Gaming

This report aggregates available, sourced data on regulated land-based gaming markets across Europe, split between casinos and non-casino gaming venues. Market size and annual growth comparisons across 28 reporting European countries can also be visualised via an interactive dashboard.

Market Analysis: European Online Gambling

This in-depth report provides insight into the size, structure and growth of 32 European online gambling markets, containing analysis, updated as new information becomes available, sector themes and key market developments bringing stakeholders opportunities, challenges, tailwinds and headwinds.