Can loved ones register a gambling addict for a gambling ban, and when can they leave the register? The head of the Lotteries and Gambling Supervision Inspectorate answers these and other questions of gamblers and often their hurt relatives for the LV portal Signe Pear.
4.¹ of the Law on Gambling and Lotteries article provides for the natural person the right to request that he be banned from playing gambling games, including interactive gambling games, and participating in interactive draws in the Republic of Latvia. In that case, this person’s data is included In the register of self-denied persons.
The purpose of this register is to protect public interests and the right of natural persons to abstain from gambling, including interactive gambling, playing or participating in interactive raffles.
The prohibition applies to participation in all gambling games and interactive draws mentioned in the law.
The minimum period of prohibition is 12 months from the day when the natural person is included in the register. The information specified in it is determined in Cabinet of Ministers regulations no. 333 “Regulations of the register of persons who have withdrawn from gambling and interactive lotteries”.
The custodian of the register of self-denied persons is the Supervision Inspectorate of Lotteries and Gambling.
Questions and answers about the register of self-denied persons
- How can a person apply for this registry?
A person can register in the Register of Self-Rejected Persons, both remotely, by authorizing with the website latvija.lv by means of electronic identification, both by personally coming to the inspection after making a prior appointment, and by submitting a written application at any place where gambling is organized in the Republic of Latvia.
In order to save time, we invite people to use the remote format, connecting to the registry from a computer or smart device on the website https://registrs.iaui.gov.lv/where you can sign in around the clock.
- Is and what information about a person is checked when he registers?
Additional information about a person who has decided to include himself in the Register of Self-Rejected Persons is not checked. The person must indicate his name, surname and personal identification number. Only the person himself can be included in the register.
- Can another person, such as a wife, children, parents, request that a loved one be included in the register? In legal relations, however, it is possible to handle matters through an authorized person, for example, one can handle the money of the person giving the power of attorney, decide on the treatment process.
No, family members or friends cannot register another person in this registry. This can only be done by the person himself, using his passport or identity card (ID card). Of course, there are exceptional cases, but they are dealt with through the courts.
- How can I unsubscribe? It is clear from the information of the inspection that you have to come in person. Is it so?
If the ban is set for a minimum period of one year or 12 months, then it will end automatically after that period of time. On the other hand, if the ban period has been set for more than 12 months, in order to terminate the ban, the person must apply to the Lotteries and Gambling Supervision Inspectorate using the website latvija.lvby filling in the form “Exclusion from the register of self-opted persons” in your personal e-mail account or by sending a submission signed with a secure electronic signature to the e-mail address [email protected]. The ban can be terminated if 12 months have passed since its registration.
- The minimum term for an entry in the register is one year. If a person has decisively applied for a longer term (for example, three years), but is reconsidering, can he be deleted from the register sooner – after 12 months?
Yes, a natural person has the right to ask to be excluded from the register no sooner than 12 months after being included in the register by submitting an application to the inspectorate. This can be done electronically.
- What conditions (apart from the mandatory one year) still need to be met in order to terminate membership in the register?
There are no other conditions.
- Any observations on what happens to people who remove themselves from the registry? Are they playing again?
When applying to the register, certain personal data are collected, ie name, surname and personal identification number. People who want to be included in the register do not need to provide any other information.
Currently, no statistics are collected on how many of those who have been on the register return to play.
However, the experience of inspector psychologist Elina Brilas in working with gambling addicts shows that some people come to ask for advice and psychological support to stop gambling, and some have successfully managed to refrain from gambling. It should also be emphasized that each person’s experience is very individual and variable, so it is likely that statistics, if collected, would reflect the real situation only in the short term.
- Are people looking for ways to get around their own ban?
Unfortunately, yes. Some people who have registered themselves tend to continue using unlicensed gambling sites. Despite the fact that we regularly block these illegal sites, they spread rapidly, meaning that when one site is blocked, a new one is opened immediately, and this can happen in as little as seven seconds.
The second most common way people tend to violate the ban is by using another person’s data, for example to gamble on the Internet or even try to visit gambling halls. Instead of providing support to a person, friends, acquaintances and relatives knowingly or unknowingly share their personal data, bank accounts, thus the addict continues to gamble, but with a different identity.
It should be emphasized that the use of another person’s passport or ID card for gambling is subject to criminal liability.
- How are gambling organizers punished if they allow a person who is prohibited from playing to play?
A gambling merchant is fined 7,000 euros for allowing a person included in the Register of Self-Rejected Persons to play.
- What help does the inspection offer and is it used?
In addition to the possibility of including oneself in the register of self-denied persons, the inspection also provides the assistance of a psychologist. Namely, state-paid psychological consultations are provided in person and remotely for persons who are at risk of gambling addiction.
Not only gambling addicts can get support from a psychologist, but also their loved ones who suffer from co-dependency.
Also, inspector psychologist E. Bril participates in various educational seminars and gives advice on how to recognize the risks of gambling addiction and how to avoid them. She has given lectures to employees of the social service, police and Prisons Administration, as well as to students, teachers and parents of students of various educational institutions.
These types of lectures are in high demand. For example, in 2023, the inspection psychologist provided 849 face-to-face and 223 remote consultations, as well as 2522 telephone consultations on various issues, and 203 consultations in the form of electronic mail.
- Is it counted how much money the entire population loses to gambling in a year?
Such accounting is not carried out at the moment.
- Is it known what is the largest amount that one person has “left” in an arcade or interactive game? What’s the biggest amount lost in a game like last year?
Such accounting is not done at the moment, because one person often invests his winnings in the next game, so financial resources can be in constant “circulation”.
- How much money in total do the citizens spend on gambling during the year? What are the trends of recent years?
According to the operational data of capital companies, in 2023 the gambling industry took 288.633 million euros. This was 9% more than in 2022, when gambling places were closed in the first two months of the year due to the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2023, only 52.4% of revenues came from land-based gambling venues, namely gaming halls, casinos and totes, while 47.6% of revenues came from interactive gambling.
During the pre-pandemic period, as late as 2019, the Latvian gambling market was characterized by the fact that the largest share of revenue came from land-based gambling, or 80.4%, while interactive gambling accounted for only 19.6% of the market’s revenues.
In recent years, this proportion has changed significantly. It has been influenced by both political decisions and economic considerations and people’s habits, so there is no reason to think that the proportion of land gambling volume could return to the level of previous years.
- What is the current information about the number of persons registered in the register?
In 2023, 31,692 persons had an active ban registered in the Register of Self-Resigned Persons, while 26,325 persons had a canceled ban.
According to the latest data, in February 2024, a total of 60,626 persons were included in the register, 32,338 persons are still under active prohibition.
Prohibition to play – also for maintenance debtors
Relatives of gambling addicts have asked in the e-consultations of the LV portal what other gambling restrictions can be applied to those addicts who put themselves and their families in need.
From May 2021, persons included in the Register of Debtors of the Sustenance Guarantee Fund (UGF) may not participate in gambling games and interactive raffles. It is estimated that on average 10% of the persons included in the UGF register wanted to play gambling, but access to them was denied, according to the information of the inspection.
Help for yourself and loved ones
Information on how to receive can be found on the website of the Lotteries and Gambling Supervision Inspectorate psychological support and apply for psychological support groupsalso available video material on the register of self-denied persons.
2024-02-25 22:04:27
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