On Wednesday, 26 March, Riga City Council decided to significantly restrict the organisation of gambling in the capital, identifying various places and territories where gambling will not be allowed. The regulations were developed based on the recommendations of the Constitutional Court and taking into account the results of the public consultation held in February of this year.
“Riga has consistently adhered to the principle that the capital of Latvia should be free from gambling, and we have worked purposefully to make this a reality. In less than a year after the judgment of the Constitutional Court, we have prepared and today, by vote at the city council meeting, approved new regulations that precisely determine where gambling businesses will not be allowed in Riga. These are places with constant and intense population movement, because it is our duty to protect people from gambling addiction. "Riga without gambling is and will be a much safer city," emphasises Vilnis Ķirsis, the Mayor of Riga.
The adopted regulations provide that gambling is not permitted to be organised:
- at real estate owned by the local government;
- in neighbourhood centres;
- in the territories of educational institutions and within the distance of 300 meters from them;
- at railway stations, bus stations, airports and passenger ports and within the distance of 500 meters from them;
- in the distance of 300 meters from public transport stops;
- in the territories of detached houses, low-rise and multi-storey residential buildings specified in the Riga spatial plan and within the distance of 300 meters from the borders of these functional zones;
- at cultural monuments and their territories, their protective zones and in the building protection territories specified in the Riga spatial plan.
The restrictions provided for in the regulations do not cover the entire territory of the local government, nor do they affect the rights of merchants to open and/or expand gambling venues in four-star and five-star hotels. The envisaged restrictions will proportionately protect residents from the widespread availability and visibility of gambling venues in the urban environment, thus reducing the risk that people will impulsively engage in gambling while going about their daily lives.
The local government emphasizes that because of these restrictions will benefit a wide range of society. Reducing the risks of gambling addiction, promoting health and well-being, and protecting the social budget and cultural heritage are very important considerations and affect every resident of the local government. The benefit that society derives from the imposed restrictions is greater than the harm caused to the rights and legitimate interests of gambling operators.
The local government has planned a lenient and reasonable transition period for the application of the new restrictions – five years from the date of the decision of the local government to revoke previously issued permits. This means that the permits previously issued by the local government to open a casino, gaming hall, bingo hall, totalizator or betting place and to organise the relevant gambling games in the specific premises will expire after five years.
As reported, Riga City Council decided six years ago to close down 42 gambling halls in the capital, which are located in the historic centre of Riga and its protected area. An exception was made for four-star and five-star hotels. Gambling hall operators brought an action against the local government to court. The Constitutional Court (CC) later found the restrictions of the City Council on the establishment of gambling halls in the historic centre of Riga to be in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia. At the end of 2023, one of the most notorious gambling halls in Riga was closed in Central Station Square, thus closing all gambling halls in the centre of Riga outside of four-star and five-star hotels.
In order to close gambling halls in the rest of the city, the local government of Riga provided for such an option in the new spatial plan adopted in 2021. The entry into force of the plan was temporarily suspended by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, thus delaying the closure of gambling venues, but this decision was later revoked and in the fall of 2023, Riga City Council adopted a decision to cancel 139 permits for gambling venues outside the city centre as well. However, gambling organisers again submitted claims with the Supreme Court, which recognised that the restriction on organising gambling throughout the territory of Riga was inconsistent with the Constitution.
In its judgment, the Supreme Court called on the local government to justify specific places or territories with specific characteristics that make them unsuitable for organising gambling, and now the local government has developed a new draft of binding regulations on restrictions on organising gambling in the capital, setting reasonable criteria by which to evaluate the city territory and determine places and territories in Riga where gambling will not be allowed.
Information was prepared by Mārtiņš Vilemsons, Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of Riga City Council Communication Department, email: martins.vilemsons@riga.lv.