Lithuanian Regulator Fines 7Bet over Ads, Foreign Players

The Lithuanian Gambling Supervisory Authority, the gambling watchdog, has fined 7Bet operator Amber Gaming citing violations of the country’s existing regulatory framework.

Lithuania Issues Penalty to 7Bet for Gambling Offenses

The sum of the penalty is approximately $35,600 (€31,460) and cites several offenses, including gambling advertisement breaches and allowing foreign citizens to access the operator’s website and gamble.

One of the offenses cites an advertisement campaign that 7Bet conducted online on Sofascore.com, one of the most visited sports news and odds websites on the Internet. This, the regulator said, was a violation of the existing framework.

Apart from this, Amber Gaming allowed several foreign citizens to use the website and gamble outside of the country, violating the established regulation. 7Bet may still appeal the penalty if it chooses to.

Lithuania has kept a close eye on its gambling industry. The regulator issued a stern reprimand to offshore gambling operators and ordered them to cease targeting Lithuanian citizens in the country in October 2021. The government also demands that any operator be registered and have a land-based hub or a land-based partner.

Previously, Lithuania enacted a swift change to its gambling promotion rules, restricting the scope and form of advertisement. The regulator specifically discontinued any promotions, bonuses, gifts, or other conditions of marketing campaigns that incentivize people to gamble. However, gambling is still permitted.

Gambling Advertisement Is Changing Globally

Advertisement in the gambling sector has been changing rapidly around the world. Part of this change involves a stricter code of conduct where most parties are obligated to reduce their bonusing or promote in a particular and conservative way.

For example, in markets such as Sweden and Denmark, offering bonuses as incentives to join a gambling brand is prohibited. In the newly-regulated Dutch market, the local regulator issued a penalty to Holland Casino, one of the country’s licensed entities, over a violation of the jurisdiction’s advertising ban.

Germany has also taken a stricter approach towards its gambling, but it rejected a proposal to ban gambling advertisements in November. Overall, the gambling industry has been changing rapidly.