Lithuania Seeks to Increase the Legal Age for Gambling to 21

Lithuania’s parliament (Seimas) has received a new proposal that, if passed, would raise the minimum age limit for gambling to 21. As reported by SBC News, this proposal is part of the Seimas’ 2024 agenda and will be on voted by ministers later this year.

The new measure applies to both retail and digital gambling. In addition to discussing this measure, Lithuanian lawmakers will also discuss the implementation of new restrictions and ID requirements. Under the newly proposed rules, Lithuanian players under 21 will be unable to enter gambling venues, wager money and participate in online gambling.

The raise of the age limit for gambling was proposed by Jurgita Sejonienė, a member of Lithuania’s Homeland Union Party. According to Sejonienė, the age limit in question should be raised in line with Lithuania’s ongoing gambling reforms that have seen the introduction of stricter gambling laws.

The measure was fast-tracked to a vote and received unanimous initial approval. The Seimas will decide whether to proceed with these changes by July 2024.

Lithuania Aims to Introduce a Stricter Regulatory Framework

Currently, Lithuania allows players over 18 to gamble, although people under 21 are prohibited from entering and playing at casinos. Since the new measure will also ban under-21s from playing online, only those above the age of 21 will be able to participate in real-money games.

There is a notable exception, which is the country’s national lottery. As previously, the legal age limit for participating in the lottery would remain 18+. However, Lithuania recently introduced stricter ID check requirements for lottery retailers that require them to verify that consumers are over the legal age before they are allowed to participate.

In the meantime, Lithuania recently adopted increased gambling licensing fees, which was considered a significant development in the country’s regulations. Effective as of July 27, 2023, the resolution reflected the country’s desire to introduce a stricter regulatory framework.

Speaking of regulation, a few months ago, TopSport violated the country’s self-exclusion rules by allowing an excluded individual to play. As a result, the operator was required to pay a fine of $27,000.