Latvia recorded 288,633 million euros ($309 million) in gambling revenue in 2023, as per data released by the Lotteries and Gambling Supervisory Inspectorate this month. This was up by 9% from 2022, when gambling venues were still closed in the first two months of the year, owing to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
Out of the total revenue generated last year, the gambling sector saw 52.4% generated from onsite sites such as amusement arcades, casinos and sweepstakes, while 47.6% of revenues were generated by interactive gambling.
This reflects a significant trend in the sector, as onsite gaming accounted for 80.4% of total revenue in the Latvian gambling market in 2019.
Signe Birne, Chief of the Lotteries and Gambling Supervisory Inspectorate, said: “Over the past few years, this proportion has changed significantly, influenced by both political decisions and economic considerations, so there is no reason to believe that the impact of the volume of onsite gambling could return.”
The latest data shows that up until last December, Latvia had three casinos, 194 amusement arcades, one bingo amusement arcade, and 76 betting venues.
Of the total 194 gambling halls, 79 (40.7%) were in Rīga, 52 (26.8%) were in six largest cities, and 63 (32.5%) were in 31 Latvian municipalities, employing a total of 2722 people in the sector.
EUR 45.57 million ($48 million) was paid to the state in the form of special gambling and lottery tax, EUR 3.3 million ($3.5 million) was paid in the form of a fee (license fee), amd EUR 1.415 million ($1.51 million) was paid to local government budgets in gambling tax payments. Other taxes calculated by merchants amounted to EUR 44 million ($47.1 million) in the State budget.
The fight against unlawful interactive gambling sites in 2023 resulted in the blocking of 317 illegal sites associated with domains registered by 11 legal entities. In total, 3,375 domains have been blocked since 2014.
Since 2020, 58,017 people have accessed the register of self-withdrawn persons, and 31,692 persons have been subject to a ban on gambling and interactive lotteries. Over the past year, the number of people included in the Register of Self-rejected Persons had increased by 17,428, while the number of current bans by 5,942.
Since May 2021, people who must pay alimony are included in the Register of the Maintenance Guarantee Fund. They may not participate in gambling and interactive lotteries. It is estimated that on average 10% of the persons on the fund register wanted to gamble but were denied access.
In Latvia, gambling addicts and their loved ones can get access to psychologist advice which can be obtained free of charge. In 2023, the inspectorate provided 849 face-to-face and 223 remote consultations, as well as 2,522 telephone consultations on various issues, and 203 consultations in electronic mail form.