Latvia Casinos
Latvia Online Casinos
Latvia has legalised and regulated online gambling a lot longer than many of its European counterparts. While online gambling in Latvia is perfectly legal and regulated, the country is renowned for taking a hard line on illegal gambling. In a nutshell, betting online is OK, as long as you only play where you are permitted to.
To better help you understand the ins and outs of online betting in Latvia, our team has put together a top list of legal casinos and betting sites. We’ve looked closely at Latvia’s gambling laws to clearly showcase what you can and cannot do if you want to stay on the right side of the tracks. Allow us to cover bonuses, games, gambling laws and more in this guide to online betting in Latvia. First, though, we’ll introduce you to some of Latvia’s top and most reputable online casinos.
Best Real Money Online Casinos for LV Players
Online Gambling Laws in Latvia
There’s no need to ask, “is online casino gambling legal in Latvia?” We can categorically tell you that betting is kosher. However, you must play at legal gambling sites in Latvia. Legit LV online casinos must adhere to all sorts of rules and regulations, so let’s look at them.
The current gambling laws stem from the Gambling and Lotteries Law of 2005, following on from the Lotteries and Gambling Supervision Inspection Act 1998. Better framework was designed to outline the terms that online gambling operators would have to adhere to if they wished to cater to players in the country legally. There are seven licensed online casinos in Latvia, and these run alongside Latvia’s state-owned monopoly, Latvijas Loto. Any of these sites are perfectly fine to visit if you want to bet online legally.
Latvia takes a particularly hard line with offshore casinos. The authorities demand that ISPs run blacklists of all casinos and operators that aren’t licensed by the authorities. Moreover, they crack down on Latvians using a VPN to circumvent those blacklists. A fine of up to €350 is in place for those who are caught betting at illegal casinos, alongside forfeiture of any winnings. Latvian banks are legally required to submit your details to the authorities if you use them for gambling. Given the prosecutions in place for players (very few countries do this) visiting offshore sites, it is worth only sticking to the casinos that we list on this page.
Online Casino
Legit Latvian online casinos are those that have obtained a license from the Control Department and the Legal Department (Licensing Division and Financial Analysis Division). There are fewer than ten of these Latvian casinos to play at. As mentioned, you can be fined and prosecuted for playing at foreign sites, even with a VPN, and your banks will report any illegal gambling activities. Therefore, be careful about where you choose to play.
Online Poker
Poker is popular in Latvia, but it is deemed to be an online casino game. Therefore, if you wish to play poker online, you should expect to see those games at licensed online casinos. There are no major poker rooms or tournaments available to Latvian players.
Online Sports Betting
Sports betting is also legal in Latvia, but only if you opt to play at a Latvian licensed bookmaker. Ice hockey and football bets are popular, and Latvians can choose between land-based bookmakers or online sportsbooks to wager. Betting sites that haven’t obtained Latvian licenses are blacklisted.
Online Lottery
Lotteries games are the exclusive plaything of Latvijas Loto. This state monopoly runs the only legal games in the country. International lottery games such as Viking Lotto are legal, while keno and bingo games also fall under the monopoly’s jurisdiction.
Online Bingo
As touched on above, bingo is deemed to be a lottery game in Latvia. Therefore, Latvian players can only expect to see these games on websites run by Latvijas Loto. Foreign bingo rooms are not tolerated and are blacklisted, just like offshore and international casinos and sportsbooks.
History of Gambling in Latvia
Below, you can find an accurate and relative history of gambling in Latvia. Here is everything you need to know about Latvia’s history of betting…
- 1991: Latvia opens its first land-based casino, despite no gambling laws being in place following their independence from the former Soviet Union.
- 1998: Latvia makes headway, becoming one of the first European countries to regulate online gambling. The Lotteries and Gambling Supervision Act of 1998 writes the rules for the country’s gambling operators to follow.
- 2006: The Gambling and Lotteries Law extend the powers of regulation. Online gambling sites are now regulated only if they carry a Latvian issued gambling license. The country begins its notorious blacklist of non-Latvian licensed casinos and sportsbooks.
- 2019: The government makes a further change. Alongside the blacklist, the country now decides to prosecute players for visiting blacklist sites, following a rise in VPN usage to get around the blacklists. Latvia demands that financial institutions in the country, such as banks, report illegal gambling activities.
- 2020: Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Latvia closes all its land-based casinos. However, all online gambling operators cease, too. Even licensed betting sites are not permitted to offer gambling services to Latvians during the pandemic for fear of creating gambling addictions.
Is It Safe to Gamble at a Latvian Online Casino?
Whether it is safe to bet at online casinos in Latvia really depends on where you play. Latvian licensed casinos are regulated to the same degree as those licensed in the United Kingdom, Malta, and other European countries. From this point of view, playing at any of these licensed casinos should be a safe experience.
How to Choose the Best Online Casino?
Given the potential punishments in store for Latvians who visit offshore casinos, we strongly recommend that you stick to the sites that feature in our online gambling reviews for Latvia players. These represent the most trusted online casinos for LV players. You can’t get into any trouble at all if you play at those sites. Moreover, these casinos have decent games, bonuses, and security, so there is no reason to shy away from them.
You don’t have to take our word on that, though. You can check out any of our recommended casinos to see if they are up to scratch before you make your decision. On top of that, allow us to introduce you to several of the key things our team searches for before recommending top Latvian casinos to you. They include:
Casino Bonuses
Latvian casinos have strict and robust player protection mechanisms. One of these ensures that Latvian casinos can’t inundate and drown you with bonuses and promotions. Therefore, most Latvian betting sites only have a limited number of promos and offers, if any at all. These all naturally come with fair terms and conditions, but our team still checks them out all the same before we recommend a site to you.
Games and Software
Latvian betting sites generally feature software from top-class and first-tier providers and developers. There are a few local providers who provide in-house and proprietary games into the mix. However, for the most part, these games tend to be internationally recognised titles.
The Reputation of the Casino
Betting sites that have obtained a license from the Latvian authorities are fully legal. Given the high level of regulation, we don’t really need to do too much digging into their security setup. However, where there is an offshore operator that caters to Latvians, we do our due diligence to ensure that casinos have adequate protections in place for players in Latvia.
Casino Customer Support
Latvian players want support and assistance in their language, and this is something that our team goes the extra mile to ensure this happens in any of the casinos we recommend. Moreover, these support options should be available for free and via live chat.
Payment Methods
Because Latvian banks are required to report illegal gambling activities to the authorities, our team ensures that any offshore sites we recommend have suitable alternatives for Latvian players. Moreover, any Latvian-licensed sites we promote should have the necessary currency options and transaction times to be effective and useful methods for players in the Baltic country.
Online Casino Games Available for LV Players
Finding new online casinos games in Latvia is, perhaps, not as easy as at other sites. While you can find many of the best online casino games in Latvia, with major titles from major developers, they don’t tend to be upgraded as often. That said, any online casinos that accept LV players should offer the following:
- Mobile-friendly and free-to-play games alongside real money titles;
- RNG-certified games with high RTP rates that are on-par or above the industry standard;
- A good mix of games, from slots to video poker, live dealer, and table games and more;
- Games should be playable with the euro;
- A mix of progressive and non-progressive games should be supported.
Let us look at the types of games you should expect to see in Latvian casinos next…
Online Slots
Online slots in Latvia should cover all the most popular genres. This means that slot machines in Latvia should include classic slots and fruit machines as well as video slots. They will also include progressive jackpot and non-progressive slots, as well as oddities such as MegaWays and Cluster Pays games.
Online Blackjack
The types of blackjack you can play online with real money stakes in Latvia should include Classic, European, and American live dealer blackjack variants, but also Double Exposure, Switch and other RNG blackjack variants.
Online Roulette
The best online roulette games at gambling sites in Latvia won’t just include American, French, and European variants. They will also span live dealer games, such as Immersive Roulette and Lightning Roulette, amongst others.
Live Dealer Games
Live casinos are popular online in Latvia, and many are streamed from Riga’s land-based casinos and studios. They predominantly include games from Evolution Gaming and Ezugi, and span baccarat, blackjack, roulette, money wheel/gameshow, number-betting, dice, and table poker games.
Other Online Casino Games
It is not uncommon to find other games, such as scratch cards, video poker and instant win titles supported at Latvian casinos. Bingo, keno, and lotto games only tend to be found at Latvijas Loto’s websites.
Most Popular Casino Software in Latvia
Can you play Microgaming games at casinos in Latvia? What about the very best NetEnt games at casinos for LV players? Below you will find all the major software providers associated with Latvian casinos. They include:
- 1×2 Gaming
- Ainsworth
- Amatic Industries
- Bally
- Betdigital
- BetSoft Gaming
- BGaming
- Blueprint Gaming
- Booongo
- Endorphina
- Evolution Gaming
- Ezugi
- Just For The Win
- Microgaming
- NetEnt
- Play’n Go
- SkillOnNet
- Thunderkick
- WMS Gaming
Banking Information for Latvian Players
Before we get into the specifics of Latvian payment methods, it is important that you acknowledge the following things:
- Cryptocurrencies are not accepted at Latvian-licensed casino;
- If you use a Latvian bank to play at offshore casinos, they are duty-bound to report you;
- You will be prosecuted for using Latvian banks to gamble illegally online.
When playing at a licensed LV online casino, PayPal is an option you can consider. You can also play at online casinos in Latvia with a VISA Debit deposit. However, you must use the same payment methods for both deposits and withdrawals, and there are strict caps on what you can deposit. Latvian casinos cannot charge you fees for depositing or withdrawing and must process transactions as speedily as possible. This is good news.
Common payment methods used at Latvian licensed casinos include:
- Bank Transfers
- EPS
- MasterCard
- PayPal
- Przelewy24
- QuickPay
- Skrill
- VISA
Cryptocurrencies
Here are some of the benefits of depositing and withdrawing with cryptocurrencies online:
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Latvian authorities cannot be informed when you use them, so you can’t be tracked.
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This makes them ideal for betting at offshore casinos.
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Bitcoin and Ethereum are the most accepted cryptos at offshore casinos, but Dogecoin, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ripple and Tether (USDT) is taken, too.
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Cryptocurrency withdrawals are usually faster than those made with euro currency options.
The bad news is that Latvian licensed online casinos don’t support cryptocurrency gameplay. However, these could be worthwhile if you want to bet at international, offshore, and, therefore, illegal sites, as your Latvian bank would be none the wiser.
Mobile Gaming in Latvia
It is possible to play at a mobile casino in Latvia. You can choose from iOS and Android-friendly online gambling apps in Latvia, or you can opt to play via your web browser with Latvia’s HTML5 developed browser-friendly sites. You’ll get the same type of service, whichever option you choose to go with.
Latvian Online Casino Bonuses & Promo Codes
Latvia is notoriously strict when it comes to player protection. Therefore, you will often need to opt-in to claim deals, making LV online casino bonus codes redundant. On top of that, while it is possible to find the best bonus online casinos in Latvia with our guide, few sites offer you a wealth of them. Bonuses are only afforded to Latvian players under strict conditions. You can usually get a welcome bonus, but there won’t be much else available.
Any Latvian casino bonuses you do intend on claiming should be checked first. Most have fully transparent terms and conditions, but it is best to double-check for things such as wagering requirements, win caps, minimum deposit limits, and the games you can use a bonus on before you decide to claim them.
No Deposit Bonuses
It is rare to come across a no deposit casino in Latvia. Most new LV no deposit casinos tend to be offshore sites. Latvia seems to believe that no deposit bonuses will encourage vulnerable players to bet. When a no deposit bonus is offered, it usually consists of free spins or a small sum of cash and will often come devoid of wagering requirements. There are always exceptions, though.
Deposit Match
A first deposit bonus at a casino in Latvia is not impossible to come across. However, they are far less common at Latvian betting sites than they are at other European licensed casinos. When offered, they work in the same way as their counterparts. You can join an LV online casino with a low deposit and claim a sum of money based on the value of that deposit.
Free Spins
Online casinos with free spin sign-up bonuses and no deposit required for LV players are rare. This would encourage gambling, so Latvia doesn’t like its licensed casinos promoting free spin deals. That doesn’t mean that you can’t spin the reels of Latvian slots if you know where to look, and our casino reviews page is a great place to start.
Reload Bonuses
Reload bonuses are an almost no-no in Latvia’s licensed online casinos. In practice, the idea of landing free cash when you deposit is one that appeals to many players. Latvia’s regulators don’t like it, though, so don’t expect to find too many of these online.
FAQs
Take a quick look at our Latvian online casino FAQ guide before you decide to commit to betting at casinos in the country.
