The Rīga city council is planning to ban gambling in the Latvian capital almost completely according to new regulations it has prepared.

The municipality has developed new binding regulations that will determine the territories in which the organisation of gambling will be prohibited. Rīga Mayor Vilnis Ķirsis said at a press conference that the main goal of the binding regulations is to make Riga gambling-free.

However, the plan is not in fact a blanket ban, though it stipulates that gambling is only possible in a few small areas.

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Gambling will not be allowed to be organised in municipal real estate, neighbourhood centres, cultural monuments and their territories, their protective zones and in the building protection territories specified in the Riga spatial plan.

Juris Celmārs, Chairman of the Board of Olympic Casino Latvia Ltd., said that the planned restrictions could promote the development of a new niche of the shadow economy – unregulated, illegal gambling halls which would not generate any tax revenue.

“By preventing a legal and strictly supervised industry from operating, illegal places will begin to satisfy consumer demand,” Celmārs said.

The Latvian Interactive Gambling Association (LIAB) said that decisions must be proportionate and legal, otherwise the industry will be forced to go to court to defend its rights. There have already been lengthy legal battles over the matter.

“As a result, the industry’s losses and legal expenses may have to be compensated from the city budget,” LIAB representatives said.

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iDenfy’s advanced KYC tools will help streamline the onboarding process for 7bet’s gaming platform, minimizing multi-accounting or promo abuse rates

iDenfy, a Lithuania-based RegTech company specializing in AI-powered ID verification and fraud prevention solutions, partnered with 7bet, a leading Lithuanian iGaming operator offering sports betting and iGaming services. iDenfy’s Know Your Customer (KYC) software will help 7bet’s gamers access the platform quicker while ensuring legal compliance and minimizing fraudulent accounts, such as those who abuse the bonus system or want to overcome bans using multi-accounting.

In 2024, the iGaming industry witnessed a significant surge in fraudulent activities, with overall fraud increasing by 64% compared to previous years. Much of this fraud is due to duplicate accounts, commonly known as multi-accounting. According to Domantas Ciulde, the CEO of iDenfy, e-commerce marketplaces and iGaming establishments are the leading industries for multiple account fraud. This is part of the convenient nature of such services: you can access games or shop multiple items easily online.

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However, D. Ciulde stresses that from a business perspective, this results in major financial losses, especially since fraud rings use bots and other techniques to bypass weak authentication measures. In regions like Western and Central Asia, sign-up and welcome bonuses are usually prevalent, which caused a decline rate in new signups due to fraudsters attempting to exploit these promotions through multiple accounts.

iDenfy’s newest partner, 7bet, offers a dynamic platform for sports betting and online gaming, focusing on providing a secure and engaging environment for users. Operating in a high-risk sector, 7bet faced challenges managing suspicious registrations, including users who are attempting to bypass KYC checks with duplicate accounts, fraudulent documentation, or automated bots. To detect multiple accounts, blocklisted users, or simply players who are abusing the promo system more efficiently, the iGaming business understood they needed a fully automated solution. As a result, by integrating iDenfy’s innovative solutions, 7bet has implemented a highly scalable and automated player onboarding process that helps to fully reduce the reliance on manual reviews and boost verification accuracy.

By integrating iDenfy’s identity verification software, 7bet benefits from an innovative system that is capable of recognizing, verifying and extracting data from over 3,000 identity documents across 200 countries and territories. This technology supports global compliance while providing 24/7 expert oversight to minimize fraud and system errors. Additionally, advanced biometric algorithms, including facial recognition and 3D liveness detection, ensure that only legitimate users are granted access. The system prevents attempts to use fake images, 3D masks, or other forgeries in the verification process, offering bulletproof authentication and security.

In addition to that, with iDenfy’s passive liveness checks, the company now ensures a frictionless onboarding experience, reducing duplicate account rates as the innovation evaluates the validity of a user’s selfie without requiring them to perform additional actions, such as turning their head. This dual approach, coupled with document verification, not only saves time for the user but also obscures security processes, deterring potential fraudsters from accessing exploitable information. According to iDenfy, this also works as a way to spot underage users who are trying to bypass KYC checks. “Our solution ensures that only age-appropriate, legitimate players access their beloved games, which is the key to maintaining transparent and fair play in this age-restricted sector,” said Domantas Ciulde, the CEO of iDenfy.

Justinas Bakšys, the COO of 7bet, highlighted, “Working with iDenfy has revolutionized our KYC procedure, allowing us to onboard consumers easily while guaranteeing regulatory compliance. Specifically, the passive liveness feature has lowered onboarding friction, giving our users a seamless and safe experience while safeguarding the platform against fraud.”

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Domantas Ciulde, the CEO of iDenfy, added: “We’re thrilled to work with 7bet and bring up-to-date ID verification technology to their platform. Our goal is to deliver secure and user-friendly solutions that build trust while safeguarding the integrity of iGaming operations.”