SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The City Council of Riga will try once more to ban gambling venues from operating in Latvia’s capital.
Local news sources report that Riga Mayor Vilnis Ķirsis seeks a binding resolution to establish dedicated zones in the capital city where gambling venues can operate.
As such, the city council is seeking judicial backing for its ‘spatial plan,’ which will no longer permit gambling venues to be built or operated within municipally owned buildings, neighbourhood centres, or cultural zones.
In addition, the council will propose that all types of gambling participation be banned within a 300-to-500-metre radius of sensitive public areas such as schools, transport stations, and residential zones.
Since 2019, the council has amended rules for gambling venues operating in Riga, leading to multiple legal disputes with the domestic gambling groups Alfors, Olympic Entertainment, Joker Ltd, and Admiral Klubs.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022, the council began proceedings to shut down 139 gambling venues operating in the municipality of Riga by 2025.
However, a group of domestic gambling companies lodged an appeal with the Constitutional Court of Latvia, stating that the council had acted without due consent, despite the fact that authorisations had already been granted for commercial activities.
Had the order been implemented, gambling in Riga would have been restricted solely to the premises of four- and five-star hotels.
According to Mayor Ķirsis, the new binding regulations are expected to be adopted in March. However, decisions regarding the closure of specific gambling halls will likely be made at the next council meeting.
A response was issued by Juris Celmārs, Chairman of Olympic Entertainment Latvia, who stated that the government must intervene in the matter and find a resolution.
Celmārs noted that a blanket ban on gambling venues in Riga would drive the industry into the shadow economy—unregulated, illegal gambling halls that would not generate any tax revenue.
