Online casino operations resumed in Latvia

The Constitutional Court has finally lifted restrictions on the operation of online casinos and services providing entertainment services in Latvia. Earlier the Latvian government decided to ban slot sites uk for the period of quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The text of the document is posted on the official government website of the court. 

The proceedings considered various complaints from several online gaming operators, including Furors, Alfor, Optobet and Latsson Licensing. Representatives of the providers have reportedly co-operated to file the relevant reports. 

The providers have filed a petition to challenge section eight of the law, which regulates the effects of the spread of coronavirus infection. For example, the document suggested a complete ban on gambling (except instant lotteries) due to the imposition of a state of emergency due to the pandemic virus.

The decision of the Latvian Gambling Supervision Authority was also challenged. It should be reminded that the authority temporarily banned all licensed gambling operators in the country, including online gambling. The entire gambling market was threatened, which is why the Constitutional Court was involved. 

Physical casinos and gambling sites (arcades) were still subject to veto restrictions: the judges ruled that the ban on their operation was objective and lawful. Online casinos have been reinstated as such bans were deemed unreasonable by the authority. The authority also said that the restrictions on online gambling sites in the industry were contrary to the country's constitution. 

Last March, the Latvian gambling sector was put on the list of sectors in need of financial support all slots casino. At the same time the government imposed a ban on gambling halls and sites providing online entertainment. The authorities attributed the ban to the consequences of COVID-19. 

Latvia is a country where gambling business is very profitable: before restrictions were introduced, specialists considered the country's legislation regarding online casinos to be very flexible. A law passed in 2005 ensures protection of players and preservation of investments of sphere's entrepreneurs. Moreover, according to the legal regulations of the gambling industry, licensees of online casino sites also hold licenses for traditional land-based casinos. Latvia's gambling industry is currently recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. There may be new decisions to regulate the spread of casino areas (offline and online) on a legislative level.