The Latvian legislature, Saeima, approved a proposal in the initial voting stage that bars individuals with outstanding child support obligations from engaging in gambling activities. The subsequent voting round is planned for the twentieth of January.
This proposition is a collection of modifications to the “Maintenance Guarantee Fund Law” mandating operators to confirm that individuals with unpaid child support are unable to participate in gambling, both in physical establishments and online.
To accomplish this, operators are required to verify accounts against the national registry of child support delinquents, with support from the Lottery and Gambling Oversight Authority, which will furnish official data to licensees. The legislative body stated that this procedure is anticipated to resemble self-exclusion checks.
Saeima declared, “This limitation aims to deter debtors with outstanding child support from inappropriately allocating funds towards entertainment and leisure pursuits.”
The legislature added that other limitations on individuals with outstanding child support, such as restrictions on the possession of firearms and specific vehicles, have already been implemented.
The proposal was introduced by the government and has been endorsed by the Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee without any dissent.
Should the proposed legislation be approved by the legislature and signed into law, the new regulation will come into force on the first of April.
Latvia prohibited all forms of wagering in April as the nation grappled with the COVID-19 outbreak. They shut down brick-and-mortar casinos to curb the spread of the virus and suspended all online licenses.
On the ninth of June, the legislative body passed a measure ending the state of emergency, permitting online gambling to recommence operations.
In the third quarter of 2020, Latvia’s gambling sector generated €55.2 million in revenue, a notable increase compared to the second quarter which was affected by the prohibition, but a decrease of 33.2% compared to the same period the previous year.
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