Gambling is a tricky subject in the countries of the Baltic region.  There is not a long history of gambling in the region, so it has not proven to be the most fertile ground for online casinos and the online gambling industry.  Much of the conservative point of view toward gambling and online casinos in the region is due to the fact that the Baltic States only recently gained independence less than twenty years ago. 

Countries like the United States legalized gambling decades ago.  And these very same countries are still grappling with legalizing and regulating online casinos.   This will affect the Baltic region in one of two ways.  It will either be a long hard road for online casinos and the online gambling industry to gain legitimacy or the fresh perspective that the region has on gambling will help online casinos.  The latter scenario is not so unlikely.  Estonia, one of the smallest countries in the Baltic region recently legalized online casinos.

Things might be slower in other countries.  Lithuania has a high concentration of Catholics that traditionally frown upon gambling.  The country did not begin fighting for legalized casinos until 1994.  Several years later, thanks to the lobbying efforts of the National Gambling and Gaming Business Association, gambling was legalized in Lithuania in 2001.  The first casino in Lithuania was opened in 2002. 

When the ice was finally broken in 2002, bit by bit the gambling industry has crept into the region.  If Lithuania’s slow exposure to gambling is the rule, it will take some time before online casinos are regulated in the country.