Riga City Council has made the decision to close a further six slot halls in the city for breaking urban planning regulations.
Following the initial 42 which were shut in the first wave of closures in 2017, due to an anti-gambling campaign by city legislators, this will take the total number of slot hall closures in the latvian capital city to 43. Moreover, the licenses of remaining operators will expire in five years.
Politicians in the city are pursuing a new policy which will see casinos operate only in four and five-star hotels. As a result around 200 will shut in total.
Current notable casinos to remain open in hotels include the Olympic Voodoo Casino in the Radisson Blu Hotel, the Empire Casino in the Mecure Riga Centre and the Shangri La Casino located within the Kempinski Hotel Riga.
The more recent shutdowns were conducted on the orders of the Security, Public Order and Corruption Prevention Committee, with the reason behind the closures being that the slot halls were based in housing areas or were too close to Riga’s historic centre protection zone.
Latvian gambling legislation states that local governments can revoke gambling, casino, betting shop and bingo hall licenses if they believe these operators harm the interests of a local residential neighbourhood or the nation as a whole.
The city council’s plans to restrict gambling in Riga will leave a small number of casinos operating in the city, 29 of which will be operated by Olympic Entertainment Group.