Lithuania gambling participation down despite igaming increase
Online gambling participation rates in Lithuania almost doubled between 2017 and 2019 according to new research commissioned by the Lithuanian Gambling Supervisory Authority, but the overall number of people gambling in the country declined.
Market research firm Vilmorus carried out the study under the instruction of both the national regulator and Lithuania’s Ministry of Finance, speaking to a total of 1,001 people from across the country.
The research found that 10% of those who took part in the survey had gambled, down from 13% when a similar study was carried out in 2017. People aged 29 or under were more likely to gamble than older age groups.
However, despite this overall decline, the survey noted a significant increase in the amount of people gambling online, with this increasing from a 16% share in 2017 to 30% in the new study.
This increase backs up figures released by the Ministry of Finance in August that showed online gambling revenue in the Lithuanian market climbed by 41.8% to €17.5m (£15.2m/$19.4m) in the first six months of 2019.
Other findings from the survey included 71% of respondents saying advertising had an impact on their decision to gamble, down slightly from 74% in 2017. This is likely to change over the coming years with the government having approved new laws to introduce stricter regulations for gambling advertising.
The survey also highlighted a greater understanding of problem gambling, with 66% of respondents saying they were aware that they could opt to self-exclude from gambling, up from 61% two years ago.
To date, the Supervisory Authority has received 10,347 requests from players to restrict their access to gambling. Of those that have self-excluded, 94% were men and just 6% were women, with the majority of requests filed by individuals aged between 18 and 40.
At the same time, underage gambling is on the decline in the country, with the number of minors trying to access gambling services down 5% from 2017.
Image: Max Pixel