Riga officials are spearheading proposal for a draft decree that would terminate the licenses of hundreds of gambling halls
A Riga City Council committee has supported a plan for a draft decree that aims to revoke the licenses of around 200 gambling halls in the Latvian capital, local news outlet LSM.lv reports.
The City Council’s Security, Public Order, and Corruption Prevention Committee today approved the proposal for the closure of gambling venues currently operating in Riga, even those located in suburban areas.
Jānis Liepiņš, head of the council’s legal department, said that if the planned decree gains enough traction it would result in the revocation of nearly 200 licenses for the provision of gambling services at special halls around the Latvian capital. Mr. Liepiņš further pointed out that if the decree is enforced, city officials will then have to issue separate decisions on the closure of each individual gaming facility, as it is required under current laws.
Riga’s crackdown on gambling halls kicked off in 2011 when the City Council stopped issuing licenses for the opening of new facilities. In 2017, officials ordered the closure of 42 gambling venues in the historical center of the Latvian capital.
Halls at Four- and Five-Star Hotels to Remain Operational
Riga’s Mayor, Nils Ušakovs, has instructed the City Council’s Legal Affairs Department and Urban Development Department to draft a decree that would revoke the licenses of all gambling halls in the capital, except for those located at four- and five-star hotels.
In other words, gambling facilities will not be completely banned in the city, although their number will be reduced significantly as part of officials’ effort to purge Riga from gambling.
Commenting on the latest move, Development Committee head Aleksejs Rosļikovs has said that the city’s economy should not thrive and depend too strongly on businesses that “ruin the lives of thousands of residents.”
Under Latvia’s gambling law, local governments are entitled to revoke casino, gambling and bingo hall, and betting shop licenses, if the operation of such facilities harms the interest of residents of the given area and the nation as a whole.
The President of the Latvian Association of Hotels and Restaurants, Jānis Pinnis, has told local media that the latest actions of the Riga City Council were somewhat unexpected and that the closure of gambling halls will certainly have an extremely negative and restrictive impact on business representatives who have invested considerable amounts of money into the establishment of the affected halls.
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