Baltic Bet Slammed with a $18,000 Fine in Lithuania

The Lithuanian Gambling Supervisory Authority has issued a fine of over $18,000 to Baltic Bet, which breached the local gambling advertising rules. According to the regulator, the operator actively incentivized consumers to gamble.

As reported by the authority, between November 3, 2022, and February 28, 2023, Baltic Bet’s site included a message that pushed people to gamble. Actively encouraging gambling is something that is prohibited in Lithuania and, as a result, the Gambling Supervisory Authority determined that the operator’s message breached the rules.

The regulator specified that the rule violated by Baltic Bet is outlined in Article 10, Paragraph 19 of the local gambling law, which states that operators are prohibited from incentivizing people to gamble.

In addition, Baltic Bet allegedly exploited keywords on Google to promote its Optibet brand. The regulator found out that certain keywords attracted customers to the operator’s website. As a result, the Lithuanian Gambling Supervisory Authority concluded that this is yet another breach of the local rules.

In addition to slapping the gambling company with an $18,000 fine, the authority issued a warning, informing the operator that additional sanctions are possible if it continues to violate the rules. The regulator asked Baltic Bet to address its shortcomings by July 7.

Lithuanian law allows Baltic Bet to try to appeal the regulator’s decision.

Other Recent Regulatory Actions

Baltic Bet is not the only operator to breach the local rules. Recently TopSport violated the laws regarding underage gambling by allowing a minor at one of its properties. The person in question entered the venue alongside two adults and remained at the salon for around two hours.

In addition to failing to prevent underage gambling, TopSport was found guilty of not putting warning messages and notices across the salon. As a result, the operator failed to inform its customers of the dangers of gambling, which is a requirement in Lithuania.

TopSport received a separate penalty in February when the regulator also fined Amber Gaming over breaches. The watchdog reported that the former company encouraged customers to gamble by sending them promotional emails and inviting them to download a mobile app and wager.

Amber Gaming was fined for similar reasons as the regulator found out that it had also sent promotional emails to its customers. In the e-mails, the operator had included a reminder about the creation of a password along with links to its website.