Remote gambling reaches 78% market share while land-based revenue continues to decline
Lithuania’s gambling market continued its rapid shift towards online play in the first half of 2026, with remote gambling revenue approaching €120 million and accounting for almost 78% of the country’s total gambling revenue.
Figures released by the Gambling Supervision Authority (LPT) show that the overall market generated €153.6 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR) between January and June, an increase of 16.8% compared with the same period in 2025.
At the same time, land-based gambling continued to lose ground, with revenue from physical venues falling 5% year-on-year to €33.7 million.
Online gambling drives the market forward
Remote gambling generated €119.9 million during the first six months of the year, representing growth of 24.8%.
Online casino-style games were the main contributor.
Remote Category A slot machines generated €85.7 million, up 33% year-on-year, while remote table games increased by 33.9% to €12.3 million.
Online betting, by contrast, remained almost unchanged. Revenue reached €21.5 million, just 0.9% higher than in the first half of 2025.
The weakest online segment was Category B machines, where revenue plunged 63.3% to just €424,844.
Ten companies were offering remote gambling services in Lithuania during the period.
Physical gambling moves in the opposite direction
While online gambling expanded rapidly, revenue from land-based operations fell to €33.7 million, down 5% from the previous year.
Betting shops experienced the sharpest decline. Revenue fell 20.6%, from €4.84 million to €3.85 million.
Land-based Category A machines also performed worse, generating €7.59 million compared with €8.13 million a year earlier.
Category B machines generated €14.56 million, down slightly by 1.8%.
Table games were the exception, remaining broadly stable at €7.67 million.
The decline in revenue has been accompanied by a contraction in the physical gaming estate. Eight companies operated land-based gambling during the first half of the year, with 3,819 gaming devices in operation at the end of June, compared with 3,914 a year earlier.
Tax contribution rises to €46.4 million
The strong performance of the gambling market also boosted state revenues.
Gambling and lottery taxes generated €46.43 million for Lithuania’s budget during the first half of 2026, representing an 11.4% increase year-on-year.
Gambling operators contributed €30.67 million, while lottery operators paid a further €15.76 million.
Lottery ticket sales also increased, reaching €87.7 million, up 8.6% compared with the same period of 2025. Players received €49.3 million in lottery prizes.
Q2 appears to have accelerated the market shift
The half-year figures suggest that much of the market’s expansion took place during the second quarter.
LPT reported 6% year-on-year market growth in Q1, with total GGR of €65.7 million and remote gambling representing around 76% of the market.
With first-half growth reaching 16.8%, the second quarter therefore appears to have been considerably stronger.
The acceleration was concentrated in the same online segments that have been driving the wider market: remote slots and table games.
This pattern gives Lithuania a particularly pronounced digital profile compared with the broader European market.
Lithuania is moving well ahead of the European online average
Remote gambling accounted for approximately 78% of Lithuania’s gambling revenue during the first half of 2026.
That is a striking figure when compared with the European market as a whole, where online gambling represented around 39% of GGR in 2024.
The Lithuanian market is therefore not simply following Europe’s shift towards digital gambling — it is doing so at a considerably faster pace.
The figures also highlight a clear divergence between product categories. Online casino content is expanding rapidly, while online betting is effectively flat and retail betting is shrinking.
For operators and suppliers, that makes the Lithuanian market increasingly centred on digital casino products rather than sports betting.
What comes next for Lithuania’s gambling sector?
The next set of quarterly figures will be closely watched for two reasons.
First, the market will need to demonstrate whether the rapid growth recorded in Q2 can continue. Remote Category A machines and table games are expanding from an already strong base, meaning maintaining double-digit growth could become increasingly challenging.
Second, the future size of Lithuania’s land-based market remains uncertain.
Physical gambling revenue has continued to decline, while the number of gaming machines has also fallen. If that trend persists, the gap between online and land-based gambling could widen further during the second half of the year.
For now, Lithuania’s H1 results leave little doubt about where the market is heading: online gambling is no longer the fastest-growing part of the industry — it is becoming the industry’s dominant channel.
Source: European Gaming