Lithuania moves to clamp down on illegal operators
Baltic state confirms powers to block payments and threatens indefinite blacklisting for offending companies
Lithuania’s gambling regulator has fired a shot across the bows of illegal operators in the market with further warnings over blacklistings.
The Gaming Control Authority moved to reaffirm its regulatory position in the Baltic nation as it continues to crack down on both legal and illegal firms.
The regulator reiterated that only licensed companies are allowed to offer online gambling in the country, and those that do not, face a trio of punishments.
The Authority said it would authorise the use of payment and DNS blocking, while also adding offending firms to the country’s blacklist.
The body also reaffirmed that an operator’s position on the blacklist would be indefinite unless the respective company successfully secured a gambling licence.
The Gaming Control Authority said: “[We] strongly recommend all online gambling operators to review all their activities related to remote gambling in the Republic of Lithuania and take actions to ensure that such services are not available for Lithuanian customers.”
The announcement follows fines handed to Gaming Strategy Group, the operator of Betsson-owned Betsafe in the country, and Tete-a-Tete Casino.
Gaming Strategy Group was hit with a €25,000 penalty for breaching advertising regulations while Tete-a-Tete was given a €15,000 fine for allowing players located outside Lithuania to gamble through its website remotely.