Latvia
The Lotteries and Gambling authority enhances gambling in Latvia!
In the early 1990s, Latvia allowed the first games of chance to be played and since then the gaming market has seen rapid expansion because the country became an independent nation. In 1991, the first casino was opened in Latvia and at that same time there were already many lotteries available in the country. However, there were no specific laws in 1991 to regulate lotteries and gambling. Because of this lack of supervision in the lottery and gaming market the development of the market was spontaneous. A small number of companies controlled the lotteries but were not able to ensure any organization of the games. This meant that the business lost credibility and players usually suffered. The revenues from gambling for the state were fairly insignificant.
The Lotteries and Gambling Supervision Inspection of Latvia was created in 1998 to control and regulate gambling in the country. These activities are supervised by the Director of Inspection who oversees the Control Department, Legal Department, Assistant Director and Deputy Director. The Deputy Director oversees the Control department and the primary functions for that department include:
- Control in regards to compliance with regulations and laws that govern gambling and lotteries as well as services and goods related to the lottery within the jurisdiction of Latvia
- Control and supervision in regards to the arrangement and creation of gambling, lotteries, lotteries services and goods and participation in lotteries
- Supervising the performance of casino encashment
- Analysis and aggregation of information in regards to performance checks and violation of regulations and laws that deal with gambling, lotteries as well as lottery services and goods
