The Lithuanian parliament, Seimas, has voted to raise taxes on gambling operators by 2 percentage points.
The amendments to the Law on Lottery and Gambling Tax was supported by 72 MPs, while nine abstained.
From 2025, the tax base for slot machines, table games, bingo, betting and remote gambling will be subject to a gross income tax rate of 22 percent, up from the existing 20 percent.
Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė, who initiated the measure, says it will not have a significant impact on the business.
“In principle, it should not have a significant impact on the competitiveness of this sector,” she said before the vote in the Seimas.
The higher tax rate on lotteries and gambling would generate around 4.4 million euros more revenue for the state budget. The additional funds will be used to educate the public about gambling’s potential harms. Some of the proceeds will be given to media outlets to compensate for the loss of revenue due to the ban on gambling advertising.
Liutauras Ulevičius, president of the National Association of Gambling and Gaming Business, said earlier that eight companies would be affected by the higher tariff and would have to decide whether to continue their operations.
According to the data from Lithuania’s Gaming Control Authority, 12 companies organise gambling in Lithuania.
In 2023, gross gambling revenues amounted to 222.2 million euros, up by 13.5 percent from 2022, and gambling operators’ profits rose to 59 million euros.
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