Lithuania Bans All iGaming Advertising
Published May 28, 2021 by Sol FH
In a drastic move by the Lithuanian government, all forms of iGaming and land-based advertising have been banned.
Effective July 1st, all forms of gambling advertising will be banned in the country of Lithuania after a vote in the parliament (Seimas) was approved and the new amendment was made to the local advertising laws on iGaming. The new law will effectively prohibit any and all promotion of all forms of gambling, including television, radio, online, special events, discounts, any gifts, and all other potential ads.
This is the government's way of tackling problem gambling in the country, especially since the number of gamblers is rising and the amounts they are gambling with are rising.
Ads for All Forms of Gambling, Banned
The new amendment applies to both online and land-based gambling markets in Lithuania. Many of the current laws in Lithuania already limit advertising, including the prohibition of gambling gifts, gambling outside of regulated and licensed venues, or on non-approved gambling websites.
All operators must adhere to the laws on providing player warnings about gambling-related issues in all advertisements, which was added to the new law on July 1 last year.
The move comes after a nationwide survey was conducted by the Lithuanian Gambling Supervisory Authority last November, which actually showed strong support for a complete ban on the industry.
Over 76% of the 1001 adults that took part in the survey said that gambling ads should be reduced, while 52% were in support of a total ban.
Under half of the those surveyed (47%) had actually seen gambling advertisements, which is a big number, respectively.
Last year, in an attempt to curb problem gambling during the Pandemic, operators agreed to stop advertising. This was after the Lithuanian Gambling Business Association and National Gambling and Games Business Association made the request.
