Latvian casinos will resume their work on June 9

The Latvian government has passed a bill to end the state of emergency in the country. This allows Latvian casinos to resume operations on June 9.

On March 22 due to the threat of Covid-19 virus the Latvian Saeima passed a law declaring a state of emergency in the country. In connection with this were closed all non-vital businesses, including casinos. The ban also affected online gambling.

Not all lawmakers supported the reopening of casinos. Suggestions were made to leave gambling establishments closed for a long time. Krisjanis Feldmans, Linda Ozola and Gatis Eglitis of the New Conservative Party opposed the return of offline and online gambling.

The Latvian Gambling Association opposed a law to close casinos during the epidemic. The organizers claimed to be able to ensure the safety of customers.

The coronavirus epidemic has barely affected Latvia. There were 1,081 cases of infection and 25 deaths during the entire period. At the end of May Latvia opened its borders with the rest of the Baltic States to create a “tourist bubble”. Residents of these countries can safely cross the border. Tourists from other countries will have to spend 14 days in quarantine.

Whether the operation will continue as usual or social distancing measures will be introduced, as was done in Las Vegas, is unknown.

There are more than 300 gambling establishments in Latvia, most of them in Riga. Every year the total payments to the budget of the capital exceeds 30 million Euros. This is about 3% of all revenues to the city budget.