On Tuesday, 17 May, the Saeima’s Budget and Finance Committee conceptually passed amendments to the Law on Gambling and Lotteries. These amendments provide for limiting accessibility of gambling and reducing gambling-related risks.
«The committee has decided to reject the previous legislative draft submitted to the Saeima. The draft in question provides for specific measures to limit gambling. Instead the committee has decided to propose their own amendments. It is proposed to raise the age restriction for participation in gambling, reduce accessibility of gambling and set new restricted territories for gambling,» said the chairman of the Budget Committee Mārtiņš Bondars.
Amendments provide for prohibiting persons younger than 21 years from taking part in gambling.
Currently persons aged 18 years and older are permitted to gamble in Latvia. Changes were proposed to protect members of society who do not have a clear understanding of the concept of financial independence and negative influence of gambling on the development of the person’s psyche and his or her ability to live as part of a society, the annotation to the legislative draft mentions.
To reduce the accessibility of gambling, it is planned to increase the minimal number of slot machines permitted to be put in a single hall from 20 to 25. This is intended to prevent small gambling halls from continuing operations or opening ship, as well as to tighten requirements for gambling organisers, according to authors of amendments.
Amendments also provide for a prohibition for the establishment of gambling halls in buildings that house education institutions, as well as playgrounds and recreation areas. No gambling is permitted to be organised within 250 m of entrances.
All gambling is planned to be prohibited within residential homes outside of Riga’s historic centre and protected areas, as well as residential homes elsewhere in Latvia. The annotation to the legislative draft also mentions that the risk of gambling is on a rise, as is the risk of residents acquiring problematic gambling habits if gambling halls are situated close to their homes, BNN was told by Saeima press-service.