Legal Online Gambling in the Baltic
Online gambling is absolutely legit in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. But in every country, there are details on the minimum player’s age, gambling companies licensing, advertising, and other specifics. Both Baltic casinos and gamblers must pay taxes that vary a lot in different countries.
All rights and obligations of Baltic casinos and players are regulated by national gambling laws and acts, European Union legislation, and criminal international law.
EU and World Gambling Legislation
EU gambling acts and international laws regulate all main aspects of gambling and accompanying activities. In the EU, including the Baltic countries, all traditional kinds of online gambling are legit: casino slots, card and table games, lotteries, sports, and esports betting. Animal sports betting is allowed if it does not harm animals. Therefore, hound and horse races are allowed, and rooster fights are illegal.
International legislation allows gambling on foreign sites. There are 3 exceptions only:
- The site is forbidden for violation of national or international laws.
- The country is the site’s prohibited jurisdiction.
- The sanctioned country of the site’s registration.
In general, a player has to be at least 18 years old to gamble if it is not contrary to national legislation. Responsibility for violation of this by minor gamblers is held by their parents or caregivers. Gambling laws and acts claim a player’s right to the quality of all gambling services, to private data and funds safety, to proper information about gambling addiction and ways to prevent it, and to complaints and disputes. In Baltic countries, both gambling sites and players must pay taxes, their exact rate is determined by the national legislation.
Estonian Gambling Laws
The Estonian government approved the first laws legalizing online gaming in 2010. The state legislation assumes obligatory Estonian licenses for both national and foreign gambling sites. Find the list of the best online casinos in 2023 at https://eestikasiinod.info/.
Playing online casino games and sports betting are allowed for Estonian players who are at least 21 years old. For playing lotteries, the minimum age is 16 years old. Estonian winning tax contains 5%.
Legislation Base for Latvian Gambling
Latvia has gotten the first legit betting site in 2010. Latvian gambling authorities pay special attention to bet limits and individual licenses for national and foreign betting sites. Nowadays, there are only 6 foreign online casinos in Latvia. Offering and advertising gambling loans and credits are strictly prohibited and punished by license annulation and administrative fines.
Winnings of up to 3,000 EUR are tax-free, but for bigger amounts, Latvian gamblers must pay impressive taxes of 23-31%.
Legit Gambling in Lithuania
In Lithuania, online gaming has been allowed by the government in 2016. Lithuanian may play on both national and foreign casinos, lottery, and betting sites, but all gambling advertisements are still prohibited.
Like Estonia, Lithuania has particular age requirements for different kinds of gambling. You can play at a land-based casino if you are at least 18 years old, but to bet and spin online games, you must be 21 years old or older. Lithuanians pay a fixed winning tax of 18%.
Criminal Law in Gambling Sphere
Frauds operated by online gambling companies and players in Baltic countries are punished by international criminal law. The casino that violates the state, international legislation, its own terms and conditions in another way will get a fine, lose its license, or be closed. Foreign sites may be banned in the state territory. In the case of the biggest harm, gambling site owners and higher management staff may get prison sentences. The player that organizes a fake syndicate, cyberattacks at the gambling site, or acts in other malicious ways will be also punished with an administrative fine or prison sentence.
Final Words
In the Baltic countries, you may play your favorite online casino games, place sports bets, buy lottery tickets, and win and receive prizes in an absolutely legal way. You have rights to a decent quality of games and gambling services and are obliged to comply with the terms and conditions of the gambling site. Your fair winnings are protected by law as any other property.
