Latvian Operators Fight Gambling Suspension in Court

Online gambling activities have been banned in Latvia since the beginning of April, after clarification was issued on the emergency COVID-19 bill. Now, the Constitutional Court of Latvia has initiated two legal cases from operators challenging the gambling ban.

The operators say that the emergency bill violated the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia which deals with property rights. In article 105, the constitution states that “property may not be used against the public interest. Property rights may be restricted only in accordance with the law.”

“Compulsory expropriation of property for the needs of the public shall be permitted only in exceptional cases on the basis of a separate law against fair compensation.”

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The operator Enlabs said the right to private property included the right to conduct business. They added that the restriction of its ability to conduct business was “disproportionate to its legitimate aim to deter society from wasting expenditures.”

Online gaming operator Alfor Group said that the bill violated the principle of equality since the constitution states that “all people in Latvia are equal before the law and the court.”