Lithuania Gambling License

Key facts

Every figure in the table above comes from the consolidated Lithuanian statutes on e-seimas.lrs.lt or from Gaming Control Authority publications, checked in August 2026. Pages published by competing consultancies still describe the pre-2025 regime: 20% tax, age 18, no advertising ban.

What is a Lithuania gambling license?

A Lithuania gambling license is an authorisation to organise gambling under the Gaming Law of the Republic of Lithuania (Law No IX-325). The Gaming Control Authority under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania is the issuing regulator. Online gambling has been licensed since 2016; a standalone remote licence has existed since 1 July 2022.

Two instruments are involved, and consultancy pages regularly blur them. The licence itself covers a category of gambling activity. Operating permits are a second layer: venue permits for land-based sites and a Lithuanian remote gaming permit for online operation, each issued separately by the Gaming Control Authority.

Lotteries sit outside this framework. A separate statute, the Law on Lotteries of the Republic of Lithuania, governs them, with supervision also assigned to the Gaming Control Authority. A gambling licence does not cover lottery products.

Who regulates gambling in Lithuania?

The Gaming Control Authority under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania (Lošimų priežiūros tarnyba, LPT) regulates all gambling in the country. The authority licenses operators, supervises them, maintains the register of licensed companies and the self-exclusion register, and enforces court-approved blocking against unlicensed sites.

English-language coverage refers to the same body under four different names, including Gambling Supervisory Authority and Gambling Control Authority. The official English self-designation on lpt.lrv.lt is Gaming Control Authority, and that form is used across this page.

Tax is the one function the regulator does not hold. The State Tax Inspectorate (VMI) administers the gambling tax, so operators report to two institutions: the Gaming Control Authority for conduct, the State Tax Inspectorate for GGR filings.

What types of gambling licenses does Lithuania issue?

The Gaming Law of the Republic of Lithuania lists six licence types in Article 5: table games together with category A machines; category B machines; bingo; totalisator; betting; and remote gaming. One company may hold all six. Since 1 July 2022, the Lithuanian remote gaming licence, which consultancies market as the Lithuania iGaming license, stands alone with no land-based prerequisite.

Beyond the licence, the Gaming Control Authority issues operating permits: permits to open casinos, machine halls and bingo halls, permits to establish totalisator and betting points, and the Lithuanian remote gaming permit. The permit defines where and how a licensed activity actually runs, so a new operator budgets for both layers from the start.

There is no separate B2B software-supplier licence in Lithuania; the law licenses operators, and suppliers enter through the certification of the operator's gaming equipment and platform.

Under Article 13(3) of the Gaming Law, a company holding several licence types must meet the highest single capital requirement among them, not the sum of all requirements.

Do you need a land-based presence for a remote license in Lithuania?

No. Since 1 July 2022, the Gaming Law of the Republic of Lithuania provides a standalone remote gaming licence with no land-based prerequisite and no municipal council consent. Amendments adopted by the Seimas on 14 October 2021 (Law No XIV-580) removed the venue requirement entirely for remote operation.

Before that date, remote gambling was reserved for operators running at least 1 casino, 5 horse totalisator points, 10 machine halls, 20 betting points or 20 totalisator points. Consultancy pages still present those thresholds, or physical presence in general, as a current requirement. The consolidated law says otherwise.

One transitional rule still matters in 2026: remote permits issued before 1 July 2022 remain valid until 1 July 2027. An operator holding one must apply for the standalone remote licence by 1 April 2027 and prove the capital required for its game types, or stop after that date. New remote permits are issued for an unlimited term.

What capital do you need for a Lithuania gambling license?

Article 13 of the Gaming Law of the Republic of Lithuania sets minimum registered share capital by game type. Table games and category A machines, including their remote equivalents, require EUR 1,158,000. Betting, totalisator, bingo and category B machines require EUR 289,000. Horse totalisator alone requires EUR 144,000.

The EUR 1,200,000 figure that circulated when the 2021 amendments passed is a rounding; the statute says EUR 1,158,000. This is genuine paid-in equity, not a bond or bank guarantee, and the source of the funds used to pay for shares must be documented in the application.

When one company holds several licences, Article 13(3) applies the highest single requirement. An operator licensed for remote casino and remote betting therefore needs EUR 1,158,000, not EUR 1,447,000.

How much does a Lithuania gambling license cost?

State charges for a Lithuania gambling license fall into three layers. A one-time licence tax runs from EUR 100,000 to EUR 500,000 per licence type. Statutory share capital runs from EUR 144,000 to EUR 1,158,000. Administrative fees stay small, such as EUR 875 for the Lithuanian remote gaming permit.

The one-time tax sits in Article 5-1 of the Law on Lottery and Gaming Tax, paid before the licence is issued: EUR 500,000 for remote gaming; EUR 300,000 for table games and category A machines; EUR 300,000 for category B machines; EUR 100,000 each for bingo, totalisator and betting. A company taking all six licence types at once pays EUR 1,000,000. That bundle price applies only to all six together; remote plus betting, for example, costs EUR 600,000.

A pure-online casino therefore commits roughly EUR 1.66 million before revenue: EUR 500,000 in sunk licence tax plus EUR 1,158,000 in share capital that stays on the balance sheet. A betting-only remote operator commits about EUR 0.79 million on the same basis. Taking all six licence types at once costs EUR 1,000,000, below the EUR 1,400,000 that the six fees add up to separately.

A published consultancy package at EUR 35,000 covers company setup and application support. That figure is a service fee, not a state charge. Guides quoting a per-licence application fee of about EUR 1,279 describe the schedule before 1 July 2022, when that charge was removed. Treat any single all-in price without this breakdown with caution.

How is gambling taxed in Lithuania?

Gambling in Lithuania is taxed at 22% of GGR. The rate applies from 1 January 2025 to gaming machines, table games, bingo, totalisator, betting and remote gaming. The basis is the Law on Lottery and Gaming Tax, amended by Law No XIV-2804 of 25 June 2024. GGR means amounts staked by players minus winnings actually paid out.

The tax is not a profit tax, and calling it one misprices the model. The 22% applies to gross gaming revenue before costs; corporate income tax then applies separately to profit, at 17% from 1 January 2026 (16% in 2025). Gambling services are VAT-exempt without input credit.

The State Tax Inspectorate (VMI) administers the gambling tax. The tax period is the calendar quarter: declaration form FR0584 is filed and the tax paid by the 15th day of the first month after each quarter. Fixed monthly fees per gaming machine and table were abolished on 1 July 2022; sources still quoting EUR 130 to EUR 2,300 per device describe the old regime.

What technical requirements apply to remote operators in Lithuania?

Remote operators in Lithuania must run certified gaming software on platforms meeting the Gaming Control Authority's requirements for remote gambling devices. Security controls follow ISO/IEC 27001. Real-time gaming data goes to the regulator's LAKIS monitoring system, mandatory for remote operators since 1 May 2026.

The technical stack is regulated in layers:

• General requirements for remote gambling devices, revised by the Gaming Control Authority in February 2024, cover IT security, game control and data management.

• A dedicated standard for remote gambling platforms was notified to the European Commission in February 2025 (notification 2025/0090/LT) and adopted as Director's Order No DIE-202 of 22 May 2025, in force since 1 November 2025.

• Connection to LAKIS, the centralised monitoring system, gives the Gaming Control Authority real-time visibility of play; the connection deadline for remote operators was 1 May 2026.

• A standard remote gambling contract with players follows the form approved by the regulator, last revised on 27 November 2025.

Player identification runs through bank, Smart-ID or e-ID verification; anonymous accounts are not permitted. Since 1 November 2025, operators must also enforce player-set daily, weekly and monthly deposit limits, per-session time limits, and a 48-hour suspension for players showing high-risk behaviour.

What are the advertising rules for gambling in Lithuania?

Gambling advertising in Lithuania is banned in almost all forms from 1 July 2025, and the ban becomes total on 1 January 2028. The Seimas adopted the amendments (Law No XIV-3132) on 12 November 2024, with 73 votes in favour and one abstention.

The ban arrives in three stages:

1. From 1 July 2025: an operator may display its name and trademark only at its head office, at licensed gambling venues and on its own website. Other external advertising is prohibited. Gambling information may be published only in specialised industry media.

2. Until the end of 2027, betting only: TV, radio and internet spots up to 15 seconds, at most 3 per hour from 06:00 to 18:00 and 2 per hour from 18:00 to midnight. Online betting advertising may not link to the operator's site, and ad-space caps of 20% (daytime) and 10% (evening) apply. Sports sponsorship continues under a carve-out.

3. From 1 January 2028: the ban applies in full, including sports sponsorship, events and broadcasts.

For a new entrant this is the defining constraint of the market. OlyBet, TOPsport, Tony Bet and Optibet built their brands before the blackout; an operator entering now builds its player base through SEO, affiliates within the legal limits, retention and product, not media buying.

What is the legal gambling age in Lithuania?

The legal gambling age in Lithuania is 21, raised from the previous 18/21 split on 1 November 2025. The change came through amendments to the Gaming Law of the Republic of Lithuania (Law No XIV-3080). Before that date, 18-year-olds could enter machine halls and betting points, while casinos required 21.

For an operator the change is operational, not cosmetic. Age verification gates move to 21, the 18 to 20 segment drops out of the addressable market, and EU-standard audience models built on an 18+ assumption do not transfer to Lithuania.

Are crypto payments allowed for gambling in Lithuania?

No. Lithuanian remote operators may accept stakes only as non-cash transfers from a payment account held in the player's name. Winnings return to the same account, under Article 20-5 of the Gaming Law of the Republic of Lithuania. Cryptocurrency wallets fall outside that mechanism, so crypto stakes have no legal route.

The statute contains no sentence that names virtual currencies; the exclusion works through the payment-account requirement rather than an explicit ban. The practical answer for an operator is unchanged: a crypto-first cashier cannot be licensed in Lithuania. The pending player-card bill would tighten payments further with a cashless mandate from 2029 if adopted.

A crypto-led project needs a jurisdiction built for it. MGL's crypto casino solution covers the licensing routes where digital-asset cashiers work; Lithuania is not one of them.

How big is the Lithuanian gambling market?

According to the Gaming Control Authority, Lithuanian gambling GGR reached EUR 153.6 million in the first half of 2026, up 16.8% year on year. Remote gambling generated EUR 119.9 million, about 78% of the market, growing 24.8%. Ten companies offered remote gambling; twelve companies were organising gambling in Lithuania in total.

Land-based revenue moved the other way, down 5% to EUR 33.7 million, per the same regulator report of August 2026.

For full-year 2025, the regulator reported gambling revenue of EUR 274.1 million, up 13%. That figure excludes lotteries, which Lithuania counts separately; gambling and lotteries together approached EUR 350 million.

The structural read for a new entrant: a growing, online-led market served by ten remote operators, where the advertising blackout favours incumbents with established brands and raises the bar for paid acquisition. The market rewards entrants with an organic or product-led route to players.

What ongoing compliance obligations apply in Lithuania?

A licensed Lithuanian operator files quarterly GGR tax declarations with the State Tax Inspectorate and checks every customer against the self-exclusion register. AML controls run under supervision of the FCIS financial intelligence unit. Responsible gambling limits, the advertising regime and live LAKIS reporting complete the standing obligations.

The self-exclusion register is run by the Gaming Control Authority and applies in every registered gambling company nationwide. Lithuanian citizens apply online through e-government services; foreigners apply in person at the authority's Vilnius office. The minimum restriction is 6 months; where no term is stated, 2 years applies by default.

Breaches carry turnover-based fines since 1 November 2025: 3 to 5% or 2 to 4% of prior-year gross revenue for a first violation, depending on the type of breach, rising to 8 to 10% or 6 to 8% for repeat violations. The old fixed caps are gone, so enforcement risk scales with the size of the business.

Four grounds allow the Gaming Control Authority to revoke a licence: failure to remedy violations after a warning, false data in the application, liquidation or cessation of activity, and the operator's own request.

Advantages of a Lithuania gambling license

Licensed operators in Lithuania work inside a regulated EU member-state market with a dedicated regulator under the Ministry of Finance. The remote licence needs no land-based footprint, the statutory decision window is about 30 days, and enforcement clears unlicensed competitors through domain blocking and payment restrictions.

• Remote-first market: about 78% of gambling GGR is online, and the remote segment grew 24.8% year on year in the first half of 2026.

• Ten remote operators serve the whole market, a short field by EU standards.

• No land-based venues, no municipal consent and no local-director requirement attach to the remote licence.

• Permits for remote gambling are issued for an unlimited term; there is no periodic re-licensing fee.

• The payment white-list and the 2,203-entry blocking list keep unlicensed operators out of the paid channel.

• Eurozone banking works as standard for licensed Lithuanian companies.

Disadvantages of a Lithuania gambling license

The costs of a Lithuania gambling license are front-loaded, and the regulatory direction is tightening. Entry takes EUR 500,000 in one-time licence tax for remote gaming and up to EUR 1,158,000 in share capital. Running the business means 22% GGR tax and an advertising ban that removes conventional player acquisition.

• One-time licence tax of EUR 500,000 for remote gaming is sunk before launch; capital up to EUR 1,158,000 must be genuine paid-in equity.

• The GGR tax rose from 20% to 22% on 1 January 2025, and corporate income tax rose to 17% in 2026; the trend has been upward since 2022.

• Advertising is nearly fully banned from 1 July 2025 and completely banned from 1 January 2028, so the market-entry model must work without media buying.

• Age 21 narrows the addressable audience compared with 18+ EU markets.

• The payment-account rule excludes cryptocurrency, closing crypto-cashier models.

• LAKIS gives the regulator real-time play data, and fines are turnover-based.

• A pending bill would add a mandatory player card tied to national ID and a cashless mandate from 2029; if adopted, CRM and payments would need re-platforming.

• All shares must be registered shares, and any change in shareholding needs prior approval from the Gaming Control Authority.

• The licence covers Lithuania only; no EU market opens with it.

Why choose MGL for a Lithuania gambling license

MGL structures Lithuanian applications around the points where they actually stall: capital formation and source-of-funds files for shareholders, management-body dossiers and self-exclusion integration. Platform work covers the remote-device requirements and the LAKIS connection, alongside an acquisition plan that works inside the 2025 to 2028 advertising regime.

With 300+ licences obtained across regulated and offshore jurisdictions, MGL runs the full sequence: company setup, document preparation, correspondence with the Gaming Control Authority, and post-licence compliance calendars covering quarterly FR0584 filings and responsible gambling obligations. Where Lithuania's economics do not fit the project, MGL says so and models the alternative before any fee is committed.