SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The Government of Lithuania has settled a resolution related to specific state fees, payments and refunds applied to business and economic activities.
The resolution sees Lithuania’s government impose new state licensing fees for gambling businesses and services.
A notable change is increased operating licence fees for the national lottery and smaller lotteries, rising from €1,395 to €1,620, which may affect the bottom line of these businesses.
The amendments have also introduced a permit fee of €1,504 for opening a slot machine salon, casino, or bingo hall. The cost of extending this permit is set at €186.
The opening of a totalizator betting shop will now require a €717 permit fee, with the same extension fee as above.
Making amendments or additions to the permit to open a slot machine salon, casino, or bingo hall will now entail a fee of €369. A new fee structure has also been established for remote gambling, with the permit costing €784.
The approval process for gambling regulations has also seen changes. The fee for approving gambling regulations is now €966, and an additional fee of €615 has been introduced for the approval of amendments or additions to the regulations.
The Resolution has been approved by Lithuania’s Ministry of Finance, which oversees the legislation of the gambling sector and has been effective as of 27 July 2023.
Last year, the Seimas (Parliament) approved for the ‘domiciled approval’ measure to be removed from Lithuania’s Gambling Law and the Lottery & Gaming Tax Law.
As such, international operators no longer required a domiciled business presence to secure remote gambling licenses. However, the measure was met with a significant rise in remote licensing costs to €500,000 and a 20% gross tax applied to all gambling receipts.
