Lithuania looks to introduce mandatory player cards for all types of gambling

Summary

Lithuania’s Ministry of Finance has proposed mandatory physical player cards for all gambling activity — online and land-based — with a rollout target of January 2029. The cards will link to a central registry run by the Gambling Supervision Service and will record real-time player behaviour (deposits, losses and winnings). Once a player reaches predetermined limits the system will block further gambling across all platforms.

The government plans a three-year transition to give operators time to upgrade equipment and shift away from cash payments. The move follows recent changes including raising the legal gambling age from 18 to 21 and tightened advertising restrictions.

Key Points

Mandatory physical player cards proposed for both online and land-based gambling, to be introduced by January 2029.
Cards will connect to a central, real-time registry operated by the Gambling Supervision Service tracking deposits, losses and winnings.
Once a player hits set limits, gambling will be blocked across all operators and platforms.
A three-year transition period is planned for operators to update systems and phase out cash payments in favour of card-based transactions.
The proposal follows earlier measures: the legal gambling age was raised to 21 in 2024 and advertising restrictions were tightened.

Context and relevance

This is a significant regulatory step in regulated gambling oversight. Centralised, account-based systems and mandatory player IDs are increasingly discussed globally as tools to prevent problem gambling and enforce limits. For operators, suppliers and regulators, Lithuania’s plan is a practical example of how policy can force wide-scale system change — affecting payments, identity checks and data-sharing requirements.

Why should I read this?

Short version: this could reshape how gambling is run, not just in Lithuania but as a template elsewhere. If you work in operations, compliance, payments or regulatory affairs, it’s well worth a quick look — the three-year lead time doesn’t mean you can wait until the last minute.

Author’s take

Phil Martin reports plainly: this isn’t a minor tweak. Mandating physical cards plus a real-time national registry will force technical, commercial and privacy decisions across the sector. Operators should be planning now.