One of the largest providers of gambling services in Lithuania is OlyBet run by Olympic Casino. This is the very first licensed operator in the country that has the broadest network of land-based establishments. The resource features the following types of gambling entertainment: slot machines, emulators of table games, betting and lotteries. Even though many Internet resources were blocked, the players who are interested in a wide selection of games and favourable conditions have been able to find the ways to access the websites that they need. Offshore sites remain illegal in Lithuania, however, and only operators licensed by the Gambling Supervisory Authority may legally serve Lithuanian players.
Gambling Games in Lithuania
Classic fruit and "book" slots are in most demand in Lithuania today: Shining Crown and Supreme Hot by EGT, Book of Ra Deluxe by Greentube, Book del Sol: Multiplier by Playson and Fruit Shop by NetEnt. Earlier favourites included Volcano Eruption, Gorilla Go Wild and Merlin’s Millions by NextGen and Burning Hot and 40 Super Hot by EGT. Just like in other states of the EU, the interest towards betting has been on the rise in Lithuania as well. Betting on basketball is especially sought after among the Lithuanian players, since this is the sport that is considered of national importance among the Lithuanians.
Gambling Legislation
Gambling is regulated by Lithuania’s Gambling Supervisory Authority (Lošimų priežiūros tarnyba) under the Ministry of Finance. Once the Republic proclaimed its independence back in 1990, gambling was legalised, but four years later a ban on this sort of activities came into force again. The situation changed in 2001. The law was passed, which made the gambling industry come out from the underground. These are the gambling games that are legal in Lithuania: Lotteries, casino table games and card games, slot machines, betting and bookmaking and bingo games The procedure of legalisation of gambling entertainment was lengthy and difficult. The Catholic Church, which is very powerful in Lithuania, was strongly against this initiative. Supporters of legalisation were appealing to the fact that gambling fans will find an opportunity to play in neighbouring states, which will not reduce any potential harm from gambling addiction, yet at the same time will deprive the country from earning a substantial profit. Besides, the gambling ban had an adverse effect on tourism in Lithuania. In 2000 the bill was still endorsed and came into force the next year.
Gambling Licensing
The following types of licenses have been provided: Table games and Category A slot machines, Category B Slot machines, Sports betting, Bingo and Wagers The license is issued by the Committee once the approval has been received from the bodies of local governance. These type of operations cannot be run by persons with a criminal record or persons known for their ties with criminal groups. Gambling advertising in Lithuania has been strictly limited since 1 July 2025: operators may display their names and trademarks only at their gaming venues and on their own websites, while short broadcast and online ads are allowed only within set limits. From 1 January 2028 gambling advertising will be banned completely. Gambling establishments cannot be located in apartment buildings or in close proximity to health or educational institutions. Only marked and licensed equipment will be allowed to be used in the games. The founders are not allowed to conduct any other activities. Players can only gamble when they reach 21 years of age: casinos already required visitors to be 21, and since 1 November 2025 the same limit applies to slot halls, betting, bingo and online gambling (it used to be 18). Since 1 January 2025 the gambling tax on slot machines, table games, bingo, betting and remote gambling has been 22% of gross gaming revenue (up from 20%).
Online casinos
The law came into effect in Lithuania in 2016 that clamped down on operations of online casinos. According to this regulatory act, the operator must enter into a partnership with a Lithuanian land-based establishment in order for the operations to be fully legitimate. The company's authorised capital must be at least 1,800,000 USD. While drawing up this legislative act, the Lithuanian authorities used a similar law in Belgium as an example, whose provisions are virtually identical.
Once the amendments to the gambling law were introduced, the black list of internet resources was compiled. Websites whose operations did not meet the new requirements were added to the list. There are international companies such as Unibet, William Hill and Betway ended up among the resources that were banned. Any financial institutions that support transactions with illicit online casinos are running the risk of being fined.
The 2024 amendments to the Law on Gambling also require licensed operators to monitor player behaviour, detect signs of problem gambling and intervene, including temporarily blocking high-risk players. Remote operators have had to use certified platforms with centralised customer identification and activity tracking since November 2025, and to connect them to the regulator's unified control system since May 2026.
Development of Gambling Market in Lithuania
Restrictions on the operations of online casinos in Lithuania were strongly criticized by the European Commission, which suggested that the legislation would become more favourable and lenient towards European operators. In practice Lithuania went the other way: in November 2024 the Seimas raised the gambling age to 21, restricted advertising ahead of a full ban in 2028 and tightened player protection rules. Similar precedents have already take place in Sweden and other members of the EU. Due to the requirements to provide free access to legitimate services of EU companies, governments of these states had to mitigate the requirements that were imposed earlier on. Online gambling has nevertheless grown quickly: in 2025 remote gambling revenue rose by 19% and accounted for about three quarters of the whole market. The existing legislative framework gives rise to multiple criticism from players and international regulatory authorities. On the one hand, players have the opportunity to gain access to any resources that they are interested in, since no responsibility is implied for playing on foreign websites. On the other hand, the experience of other European states has shown that the laws will shift towards democratisation in regards to foreign operators in the near future. As far as land-based establishments are concerned, their operations are set up at a high level and are able to meet the requirements of players of all categories.Right now Lithuania does not have any companies that would develop gaming software. Nevertheless, developers such as MrSlotty and Tom Horn Gaming have their subsidiaries operating in the Republic. These are the companies whose games are in demand in Lithuania: EGT, Greentube, Playson, NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, iSoftBet and Playtech.
