In Riga, it is planned to prohibit the gambling activities in most of the city, as provided by new regulations drafted by Riga City Council.
The municipality has developed new binding regulations that will determine the areas where gambling will be prohibited. As Riga Mayor Vilnis Ķirsis said at a press-conference today, the main goal of the binding regulations is to make Riga free from gambling.
Gambling will not be allowed in municipal real estate, neighbourhood centres, near cultural monuments and protected zones, as well as construction protection territories specified in the Riga territorial plan.
It is planned to impose a ban on the organization of gambling in the territories of educational institutions, or within a 300 m radius around them, at railway stations, bus stations, airports and passenger ports, as well as within a 500 m radius around them, 300 m from public transport stops, as well as in the territories of detached houses, low-rise and high-rise residential buildings and 300 m from the borders of these zones.
Given the planned restrictions, the organization of gambling is possible only in certain small areas, such as Dreiliņi, Mūkupurva, near the airport and other production areas.
According to Ķirsis, the new binding regulations are planned to be passed in March.
However, decisions on the closure of specific gambling halls will most likely have to be made by the next city council.
Board Chairman of Olympic Casino Latvia Juris Celmārs argues that the planned restrictions are not aimed at balancing the interests of merchants and the public, which both the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court have indicated as preconditions in their judgments.
In his opinion, such a total ban could contribute to the development of a new niche of the grey economy – illegal gaming halls, as people choose gambling as their form of entertainment, both in the interactive environment and in physical spaces.
“Currently there is no such problem, but if legal and carefully monitored industry is shut down, illegal businesses will start serving consumers’ demand,” stresses Celmārs.
The Latvian Interactive Gambling Society (LIAB) reminds municipal deputies that decisions must be proportionate and legal, otherwise the industry will be forced to go to court again to defend its rights and ensure a proportionate solution. “As a result, industry losses and litigation costs may have to be compensated from the city budget,” LIAB representatives warn.
The industry has repeatedly and for a long time shown readiness to work together with the municipality on the introduction of sound and balanced solutions to achieve a reasonable and rational solution and avoid lengthy legal proceedings, LIAB points out, adding that the municipality has so far shown no willingness to listen or cooperate with industry representatives.
As reported, based on the judgment of the Constitutional Court of the 4th of April 2024, which requires the municipality to justify specific places or territories with specific characteristics that make it unsuitable for the organization of gambling, the municipality has developed a new draft binding regulations on restrictions on the organization of gambling in the administrative territory of the municipality.
The proposed regulations stipulate the places and territories within the administrative territory of Riga where gambling will not be allowed.
Previously, the court had recognized that the restriction on the organisation of gambling in the entire administrative territory of Riga did not comply with the Constitution.