The gambling operator Top Sport is having a busy couple of months as it is facing yet another fine by the Lithuanian Gambling Supervisory Authority. Top Sport is the first and the largest betting company in Lithuania, and it is deemed to be the most popular online betting platform in the country. However, that does not make them impervious to mistakes, or penalties.
Allowing Out-of-Country Betting Leads to New Penalty
The Gambling Supervisory Authority has established that in May 2022, Top Sport allowed a person not residing on the territory of Lithuania to bet on their online platform. “Remote betting” is an illegal activity in the Republic of Lithuania, as stipulated in Article 205(3) and Article 201(1) of the Lithuanian gambling regulations. Thus, Top Sport is to pay a fine of €15,000, for that transgression. The operator also has to amend its practices and repair the said violation by November this year. Else, Top Sprot risks their license being revoked. The regulator`s decision is subject to appeal, so the company can still seek to overturn the decision if it chooses to.
This is the third fine issued by the gambling regulator to Top Sport in the past months. In September, the operator was fined for not properly installing digital video recording systems in some of its betting facilities. Top Sport was imposed with a fine of €15,000, because the CCTV cameras were capturing blurred images, thus preventing from recognizing who actually entered the facility.
Top Sport Made Faux Pas in the Past
The cameras also failed to display the financial transactions taking place and the amount of money circulating in the facility. According to Article 15(3) of the Lithuanian gambling law, every single retail betting shop has to be able to record anyone entering the premises, the transactions and most importantly the number of money players and bookmakers pay. This decision can also be appealed by the operator
In May, Top Sport was accused of infringing the stipulations of Article 10(19) of the Lithuanian gambling law, by promoting participation in gambling. The regulator issued an inspection in 2021, resulting in them finding out contents deviating from their regulations. It was established that the contents discovered on Top Sport website was persuading and encouraging people to take part in the operator`s gambling activities and offerings, which is against the law. The promotional language of Top Sport resulted in them parting ways with €25,000 as a penalty.