Latvian Casinos

Latvia is a small European country located on the shores of the Baltic Sea, a former communist country with a very interesting progress for the last 28 years. Having a population of around 2 million inhabitants, this small country has entered the European Union in 2004 and it’s currently in the Euro-zone because the official currency of Latvia is the euro. Although the country may not be famous for its industry, there are other economic areas in which Latvia is a lot more developed. One of these is the leisure sector, especially in Riga, a booming European capital which has plenty to offer.

When it comes to gambling, in this country such activity is declared legal and regulated. In 2006, there were issued new gambling laws and regulations for land-based casinos, online casinos, gambling over radio or television and all gambling establishments. All of these are subject to Latvian Republic Lotteries and Gambling Supervisory Inspection, which regulates and issues licenses for all forms of gambling activities. Some of the important aspects which are inspected by this gaming authority are the safety and security of the players, but also the minimum limit for withdrawals. Every casino has to re-register for a license every year in order to function in this country, which may sound a very complicated and repetitive process. The license is not very easy to obtain, but it’s also quite expensive. That’s why Latvians don’t have that many options when it comes to casinos as other players from the EU would have.

Since 2014, the Latvian gambling authority has decided to blacklist unlicensed gambling websites and as a result, some international casinos websites are blocked by Latvians internet service providers. Still, Latvian gamblers can choose from around 150 online casinos, both locally and internationally, as there are a few of these websites based in Latvia. As part of the European Union, Latvia has a very developed telecom infrastructure and many of its population have access to the internet. This means great news for the gambling industry, as the number of potential gamblers can increase each day.

Latvia is one of the most developed centres for live casinos, as the capital city of Riga has the biggest live dealer venue in the world, when it comes to size, number of tables and dealers. It’s fair to say that gambling is highly developed in this small Baltic country.

Choosing the Best Online Casino from Latvia

When it comes to selecting the best casino for Latvian players, there are still plenty of choices (around 150 online casinos as mentioned above). Some of the most important aspects to consider when making such a decision are:

Safety and Security. This comes first as there is nothing more important than this aspect. The Latvian Republic Lotteries and Gambling Supervisory Inspection play an important role in “filtering” insecure online casinos. The licensed ones have top of the notch 128-bit encryption to protect the details of the players;
Available video games and slots. Gamblers and slots enthusiasts like to have plenty of options for high-quality games, therefore the online casinos with Microgaming, NetEnt, Playtech, Novomatic, BetSoft, NextGen, IGT or Yggdrasil software are to look for. These developers usually have the most popular video slots and games;
Welcome bonus. This is always something to consider because in most of the cases they consist of free cash or spins;
Wagering requirement. Latvian players certainly would want to avoid the online casinos with very high wagering requirement, as they would need to play their initial deposit x times before attempting a withdrawal;
Deposit and Withdrawal process. The players will need to consider every aspect of the deposit and withdrawal process, including payment options, duration and fees. Apparently, on many online casinos in Latvia players are limited to debit/ credit cards or bank transfers. The deposit is usually instantly, but the withdrawal process takes a while. How long it takes and how much it costs (if there are any fees involved) are some details worth considering.

If you are looking for Live Casino experience in Latvia there are a few options to choose from like 888, Bet365, William Hill, EuroGrand, Betfair, Mr Green or Bet Victor. For video slots, you can select from Spin Palace, Gaming Club, Casino.com or Unibet. A very interesting choice is the local casino called “11”.

Main Advantages of Latvia’s Mobile Casinos

Most of the online casinos nowadays are optimized to work on mobile devices, as the need to gamble has increased and players can enjoy gambling even on the move. As you can connect to the internet anytime and anywhere, why shouldn’t you enjoy mobile gambling while you’re doing this? Latvian gamblers can easily gamble online using a portable device, all they need is one of the following:

A fast internet connection, whether it’s at least a 3G mobile data connection or Wi-Fi if possible;
A reliable mobile device like a smartphone or a tablet, with a higher than average RAM memory and good graphics;
The online casino app downloaded for Android or iOS devices, or the mobile-optimized website.

How to Play for Real Money at Latvia Online Casinos

Playing in the demo mode may have its benefits, like learning a video slot and experiencing it absolutely free, but to get something more out of this than experience, Latvian players will have to gamble using real money. In order to do this, they will need to register with an online casino, make a deposit to claim the welcome bonus and to use the existing credit to their convenience on their favourite slot or game.

The wagering requirement is different depending on what they are trying, but this is definitely something they need to consider when they have handsome winnings and they are thinking of making a withdrawal. In order to win big, in most of the cases, you have to bet big or to be extremely lucky. You would need to benefit from all the special features the video slot or game has to offer and multiply your winnings. However, caution is very recommended and you would need to gamble responsibly as there are no prizes guaranteed.

Deposit and Withdrawal Methods in Latvia Casinos

Deposits and withdrawals are very special for the online casinos of Latvia, as the gaming authority of this country doesn’t trust too many payment options. This authority only trusts debit/ credit card or the bank transfer. These options are the only way to make a deposit or withdrawal on the online casinos operating in Latvia. PayPal, Skrill, Neteller or other payment instruments are not accepted and that’s a pity because they are a lot faster for the withdrawal process (it can be same day withdrawal on some international online casinos). As you can imagine, the withdrawal process is not very fast as with most of the gambling websites withdrawing the money using debit/ credit cards can take 3 to 5 working days and in some cases even more. The wire transfer is even slower, so there are not fast withdrawal options for casinos in this country. In some cases, players from Latvia still have to look if this process involves any fees.

Closing Thoughts

The Latvian gambling market is highly regulated and to get a license to operate in this country may be very expensive, therefore some of the international gambling websites have quit any intention to operate in Latvia. In this small country, some of the international online casinos are banned because they are unlicensed and fail to comply with the national gambling laws. However, Latvians are big fans of live casino games and it seems that such venues are highly developed over here. In Riga, there is the largest studio in the world for live games and this is just proof of the magnitude of gambling activities in Latvia.

The national gambling authority takes its activity very seriously and consistently filters through online casinos in order to make the life easier for plenty of the Latvian players. This institution only issues a license after an in-depth analysis of the online casino.