Currently, remote gaming activities can be carried out only by the operators that are licensed to offer land-based gaming and have a certain number of operating land-based gaming sites (i.e. at least 1 casino, 5 horse totalisator sites, 10 machine halls, 20 betting sites or 20 totalisator sites). This requirement to have a significant land-based presence within the country has been a major obstacle for foreign gaming operators to enter Lithuanian online-gaming market. All websites of unlicensed online gaming operators currently are still being blocked and blacklisted on the initiative of the Lithuanian Gaming Authority.
The new online-only gaming license will allow gaming operators to acquire only an online gaming license without the land-based presence and thus carry out gaming activities in Lithuania legally. One of the major requirements for the applicants for the online-only gaming license will be the requirement of minimum authorized capital ranging from EUR 144,000 to EUR 1,158,000, depending on the type of organized online games.
