Gambling and online gaming. Gaming license in European Union

The gambling and online gaming sector is experiencing rapid growth, driven by constant regulatory shifts. While traditional gambling activities in Europe remain subject to strict national regulations within individual European Union member states, the landscape for online gaming is evolving significantly, opening new horizons for industry development.

Our legal team provides comprehensive support in navigating the complexities of European gaming licenses, ensuring that your business stays compliant while leveraging the latest regulatory changes for market expansion. Unlike many international law firms, ECOVIS has its own presence in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia – ensuring local expertise and direct representation in each Baltic jurisdiction, without intermediaries.

ECOVIS offers licensing solutions for international gaming and gambling companies planning to offer their services in Europe for European clients. Our client base includes both start-ups developing innovative online gaming solutions for the global market and traditional global gambling operators.

Our lawyers represent gaming operators in disputes with the Lithuanian Gaming Control Authority and other European regulators regarding the inclusion in the List of illegal online gambling operators, blocking of bank accounts, and other enforcement issues. ECOVIS lawyers have long-standing experience representing international gaming companies in both general and administrative courts.

Our expertise also includes the incorporation of companies to operate in this sector and the licensing of their activities, advice on other regulatory issues of the sector, as well as advice on intellectual property, copyright, data processing, and other issues. We also have experience in other fields closely related to the industry of gambling and online gaming – including legal issues of technologies, social media, e-commerce, advertising, and data protection.

THE RANGE OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY US IN THIS SECTOR INCLUDES:

• • Gambling and online gaming licensing

We provide expert legal counsel on the acquisition of gambling licenses for casinos, lotteries, betting, and other gaming activities. Our team assists in preparing the necessary documentation and securing required licenses and permits in Lithuania, EU member states, and other global jurisdictions.

Our services include comprehensive advice on regulatory compliance and legal requirements, ensuring that clients meet all standards within the gaming license framework and legal regulations for casinos and betting operations across Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and the European Union.

• • Annual audit of gambling control systems

Current regulations mandate that gambling operators perform an assessment of their gambling control systems at least once a year and address any identified deficiencies. Consequently, an external audit becomes an essential tool for management bodies seeking to mitigate regulatory risks and ensure proper evidence preservation.

The ECOVIS team evaluates the legality and actual effectiveness of these systems, ensuring that established procedures are not merely formal documents, but function as a reliable mechanism for risk management.

• • Responsible gambling compliance and audit

To properly organize responsible gambling, it is essential to have a robust system that ensures continuous monitoring of player behavior, risk assessment, and timely intervention when signs of problem gambling emerge. This framework encompasses more than just general measures for all clients; it requires tailored solutions for specific groups and clearly defined employee functions and responsibilities. We assist in establishing who monitors behavior, who evaluates the risks, and who holds the authority for final decision-making, ensuring a fully operational and compliant responsible gambling strategy.

• • Annual training on responsible gambling and AML prevention

The Law on Gambling of the Republic of Lithuania mandates that gambling operators organize training on responsible gambling and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) prevention for customer service personnel at least once a year. Employees must be well-versed in gambling psychology, risk factors, and signs of addiction. We provide periodic, role-specific training sessions designed to continuously enhance staff competencies and ensure full compliance with statutory requirements.

• • Platform compliance audit

A comprehensive player risk assessment methodology, encompassing both financial indicators and psychological factors, must be not only documented but fully integrated into operational algorithms and software. Particular emphasis is placed on the technical implementation of online gambling platforms and limit management logic, where players must be able to set their own daily, weekly, or monthly deposit and wagering limits.

It is crucial to ensure that any limit increases take effect no sooner than after 48 hours, while limit reductions must take effect immediately, but no later than within 15 minutes. The user interface must continuously display a session duration clock, remaining time, and a 12-month win/loss balance. Furthermore, automatic logout must be enforced once a set time limit is reached.

Upon identifying signs of problem gambling, operators must react immediately: in the case of online gambling, play must be suspended for 48 hours within 30 minutes of the signs being registered in the system.

• • Legal support for gambling operators

We provide comprehensive legal counsel to gambling operators and businesses active in the gaming market on matters of intellectual property, copyright, and data protection (GDPR). Our expertise also covers advertising and competition law, cybersecurity, company incorporation, as well as labor and tax law issues specific to the industry.

Legal issues arising in the sector of gambling and online gaming are addressed by our lawyers working in the fields of Regulatory Affairs and Government Relations, Telecommunications, IT and Data Protection, Media and Advertising, Competition Law, Tax, Dispute Resolution, Company Law and Labour Law.

Our clients also entrust the team of ECOVIS ProventusLaw with complex legal issues covering several jurisdictions and when addressing such issues we rely, if required, on the expertise of the team of ECOVIS experts working in over 90 countries worldwide.

The experience and expertise of ECOVIS ProventusLaw in the gambling and online gaming sector enable us to advise clients on how to identify, protect, or optimize emerging opportunities within the changing legal environment.