Casino & Bookmaker Bans: Armenia and Latvia

22.03.2019, 15:59

Offline bookmakers around the world are no strangers to strict regulations and bans. Recently, laws were passed to ban casinos and bookmakers in two countries, either in certain territories or country-wide.

Armenia

Following the new lottery law that was recently passed in Armenia, it seems that a lot of offline bookmakers would be banned. 

Some experts say that this entails job losses and major revenue losses for the bookmakers’ landlords. On top of that, the country itself may experience a hole in its budget, stemming from the taxes that are currently paid by the bookies.

Many bookmaker employers are warning the government that their employees might take to the streets in protest.

Latvia

The Riga City council (Latvia’s capital), has passed the bill to close all land-based casinos and slot machine halls, except for those in 4 and 5-star hotels.

This does not come as a surprise, as this is not the first time the city council has voted on the ban. Moreover, in 2017, the Council has forced 42 gambling halls in the historical center of the city to be closed.

It is reported that more than 200 venues will be affected by the ban. One representative of hotels & restaurants business has said that “the decision significantly restricts gambling sector business where business representatives have invested considerable sums.”

Related posts: