In August last year Olympic Entertainment, with 130 casinos mostly in the Balkan and Baltic states, reported relative weakness in the Baltic gaming markets due to the cooling of the economic climate and the additional administrative measures required by the authorities. In Lithuania client registration became law in June 2008, which resulted in a reduction in visitor numbers, and the following month a smoking ban was imposed.

In both Lithuania and Estonia, where a smoking ban came into force on 1 June, Olympic experienced a 15% fall in revenue. This lower figure, according to the Estonian Gaming Operator Association, was similar in operations throughout the country. In Latvia strict new gaming machine regulations and the state of the economy have caused gaming revenues to drop by over 10% in 2008.

Since casinos were legalised in Lithuania in 2001, the industry has grown quickly and the country has one of the highest ratios of casinos per capita in Europe. The National Gambling Business Association has reported that the number of people asking to be excluded from gambling doubled last year and it is pressing for a full enquiry to study ways to eliminate the proliferation of these businesses. (E-02.10.09)

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