Baltics iGaming marketing: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania under three different rulebooks

Marketing for licensed operators in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania: regulators, licences, 2026 tax rates and what gambling advertising each law allows.

By Basher Editorial Team · Last reviewed 2026-10-01

An iGaming marketing agency in the Baltics plans and runs acquisition, SEO, affiliate and CRM work for operators licensed in Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania, each under its own national licence. In Estonia a licensed casino may advertise only in a few places, including its own website and opt-in direct marketing, while betting brands have more room. In Latvia gambling advertising is banned outside gambling venues apart from a narrow sports-trademark exception, and in Lithuania only limited betting brand ads are allowed until 1 January 2028.

Below is what each law says as of October 2026, with the official source linked next to each fact.

Basher is an iGaming marketing agency founded in 2020 in Lima, Peru, with offices in Lima, Rotterdam and the Gold Coast. We were named AffPapa Agency of the Year 2025 and work only with licensed operators.

Market snapshot 2026

EstoniaLatviaLithuania
RegulatorEstonian Tax and Customs Board (EMTA)State Revenue Service (VID), since 1 April 2026Gaming Control Authority (Lošimų priežiūros tarnyba)
Main lawGambling Act; Advertising Act § 29²Gambling and Lotteries LawGaming Law No. IX-325
Online licenceActivity licence plus remote operating permitInteractive gambling licence from VIDLicence plus remote gambling permit
Online gambling tax5.5% of bets less prizes15% of gambling revenue22% of stakes less winnings paid
Minimum age online21 for casino, 18 for betting1821
AdvertisingCasino ads only in listed places; betting ads banned on TV and radioBanned outside venues; sports-trademark exception for licensed betting operatorsBanned, except limited betting brand ads until 1 January 2028
  • No passporting. A licence from another EEA country gives no right to offer gambling in Estonia (EMTA), and Latvia and Lithuania each require their own licence.
  • Different tax bases. Estonia and Lithuania tax bets or stakes minus prizes; Latvia taxes online gambling revenue at 15%. Headline rates are not directly comparable.

Estonia

The Estonian Tax and Customs Board (EMTA) licenses in two steps: an activity licence, valid indefinitely and issued separately for games of chance (including poker tournaments), toto and games of skill, then an operating permit for each type offered as remote gambling. A games-of-chance applicant needs share capital of at least EUR 1,000,000 (EUR 25,000 for games of skill), and gambling must be its only activity. The activity licence state fee is EUR 47,940 for games of chance, EUR 31,960 for toto and EUR 3,200 for games of skill. A remote operating permit costs EUR 3,200 and lasts up to five years, or up to 20 years for toto.

Remote casino and betting permits require the operator's recordkeeping system to be connected to EMTA's information system and a tested connection to the list of people barred from gambling. Bets must be received through a credit, payment or e-money institution or crypto-asset service provider licensed in the EEA (Gambling Act § 5). Players must be 21 for games of chance, including online casino, and 18 for toto (Gambling Act § 34). EMTA publishes the list of legal gambling operators.

Tax. Remote games of chance and skill and toto are taxed at 5.5% of bets less prizes (Gambling Tax Act § 6), down from 6% in 2025, with monthly returns due by the 15th (EMTA).

Advertising. Under § 29² of the Advertising Act:

  • Advertising by an operator without an Estonian operating permit is prohibited.
  • Ads must not incite gambling or suggest it brings social success, and must carry a fixed Estonian warning that gambling is not a way to solve financial problems.
  • Casino advertising is allowed only on gaming premises, on international ships, aircraft and passenger terminals, in hotels with gaming premises, on the operator's own website, and by post, e-mail or phone to subscribed customers who can opt out at any time.
  • Betting (toto) advertising is banned on TV and radio, and on newspaper covers and outdoor sites unless published with a sponsor's announcement.
  • A casino trade mark may appear elsewhere only if it does not express or depict a game of chance, a gaming location or a chance of winning.

Latvia

From 1 April 2026 the Lotteries and Gambling Supervision Inspection (IAUI) was merged into the State Revenue Service (VID) under a Cabinet order of 3 October 2025. A VID unit now handles licensing and compliance; another runs inspections.

Under the Gambling and Lotteries Law, interactive gambling (played through electronic communications services) can cover slots, roulette, card and dice games, bingo, totalisator and betting (Article 44), and needs a VID licence (Article 46). Players may not take part in interactive gambling offered without a VID licence, and VID publishes the list of licensees (Article 3.1). The minimum age is 18 (Article 41), and licensed operators get access to the national self-exclusion register (Article 4.1).

Fees and tax. Under the Law on Lottery and Gambling Duty and Tax, the state duty for an online-only gambling licence is EUR 200,000 (EUR 427,000 if it also covers land-based gambling). Since 1 January 2026, gambling organised through telecommunications is taxed at 15% of revenue, regardless of game type, paid monthly.

Advertising. Article 41(5) of the Gambling and Lotteries Law bans advertising of gambling and of interactive gambling websites outside gambling venues, where only the venue name and registered trade mark may be shown. Articles 41(5¹) to 41(5³) allow registered figurative trade marks of Latvian-licensed betting operators only:

  • at adult sports competitions run by recognised federations, during the event;
  • in the names of adult competitions, clubs and leagues;
  • on adult athletes' kit, equipment and merchandise;
  • in sponsorship notices about a specific sports event.

These marks must not invite anyone to gamble, and at venues and in sponsorship notices they need a visible 18+ warning and the self-exclusion register's web address. Article 41(6) also bans offering participation in gambling free, as a gift or prize, or as compensation for buying goods or services, which limits how promotions can be designed.

Lithuania

Under the Gaming Law, the Gaming Control Authority under the Ministry of Finance (Lošimų priežiūros tarnyba) issues and revokes licences (Article 4), and remote gambling is its own licence type (Article 5). An operator needs a licence and a remote gambling permit from the authority, plus approved game rules, and must block players under 21 and identify and register every player (Article 20¹). Players sign a remote gambling contract before playing (Article 20²) and can ask to be barred from gambling for at least six months (Article 10).

Tax. Remote gambling and betting are taxed at 22% of stakes received less winnings paid, per calendar quarter (Law on Lottery and Gambling Tax, Articles 3 to 5).

Advertising. Amendment No. XIV-3132, adopted on 12 November 2024, entered into force on 1 July 2025. Gaming Law Article 10(9) now bans gambling advertising except:

  • the operator's name or trade mark on its headquarters or venue building;
  • name, trade mark and types of games offered, at the venue or on the operator's website named in its approved rules;
  • publications meant only for gambling businesses;
  • betting brand ads (name or trade mark next to the word "lažybos", betting). On TV, radio and the internet: spots of up to 15 seconds, at most three per hour from 06:00 to 18:00 and two per hour from 18:00 to 24:00. On websites: no pop-ups, and static ads without a link to the operator's site may fill at most 20% of ad space from 06:00 to 18:00 and 10% from 18:00 to 24:00.

Permitted ads may carry no other written, visual or audio content and must include information messages set by the authority. Only betting operators may publicise sponsorship of sports or cultural events and organisations, showing just names and trade marks. From 1 January 2028 the betting ad exception lapses and publicising gambling sponsorship is prohibited. Article 10(19) bans encouraging gambling by any means; listing remote games on the operator's own site without extra promotional content is not treated as encouragement.

How Basher executes here

With little room for paid media, we usually start with four services:

  • SEO and content. Estonia allows casino advertising on the operator's own website and Lithuania allows the site to list its games, so the website and organic search are central. Every page is checked against the country's advertising rules before publishing.
  • Affiliate marketing. Affiliate content is still advertising, and the operator answers for it. We run programmes with country-specific creative rules: casino promotion only where Estonian law allows it, nothing beyond the trademark exception in Latvia, and only compliant betting brand formats in Lithuania until 2028.
  • Managed CRM. Estonia allows direct marketing to subscribed customers who can opt out. We build consent capture, unsubscribe handling, self-exclusion checks and lifecycle journeys per country.
  • Analytics. Reporting runs per country, since each has its own tax base.

Media buying, PR and sponsorships come in only where the law allows. Basher also produces native Russian-language content alongside English. For the wider picture, see our regulated Europe overview.

Other regulated European markets

Basher has an office in Rotterdam (Netherlands) and runs the same licensed-only playbook in the markets next to the Baltics: Poland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Ukraine. The cross-border view, with every regulator side by side, is on our regulated Europe page, and the full service line-up for operators is on the iGaming marketing agency services page.

FAQs

What does an iGaming agency in the Baltics do for a licensed operator?

It runs player acquisition, SEO, content, affiliate programmes, CRM and analytics for an operator licensed in Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania, checking each activity against that country's gambling and advertising law. With advertising heavily restricted in all three, most work goes into the website, search, opted-in CRM and compliant affiliate content.

Does one Baltic licence cover all three countries?

No. EMTA states that a licence from another EEA country does not allow gambling to be offered in Estonia. Latvia requires a VID licence and Lithuania a licence and remote gambling permit from its Gaming Control Authority.

Who regulates online gambling in Latvia in 2026?

The State Revenue Service (VID). The former Lotteries and Gambling Supervision Inspection (IAUI) was merged into VID on 1 April 2026.

Is gambling advertising banned in Lithuania?

Largely, yes. Since 1 July 2025 the Gaming Law bans it, except brand signs on buildings, information on the operator's own site and in trade publications, and short betting brand ads under strict time and space limits. The betting ad exception ends on 1 January 2028.

Can a licensed casino advertise online in Estonia?

Only on its own website and by post, e-mail or phone to customers who have subscribed and can opt out, under § 29² of the Advertising Act. Every ad needs the mandatory Estonian warning text.

What are the online gambling tax rates in the Baltics in 2026?

Estonia 5.5% of bets less prizes, Latvia 15% of online gambling revenue, Lithuania 22% of stakes less winnings paid.

How much does an iGaming marketing agency cost in the Baltics?

Agency fees follow three models: a monthly retainer (typical for SEO, content and CRM), performance pricing tied to results (CPA, revenue share or a percentage of ad spend) or a hybrid of both. Basher typically works with operators spending USD 25K a month or more in paid media, and supports smaller brands during a launch when there is a clear scaling plan. Directional 2026 ranges by service are in our iGaming marketing agency cost guide.

Get in touch

If you hold or are applying for a Baltic licence and want a plan built around each country's rules, we can help.

Sources

All sources checked 1 October 2026.

Launching or scaling in Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)?

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