Case C-120/24, Unigames: Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 13 March 2025 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Lietuvos vyriausiasis administracinis teismas – Lithuania) – Unigames UAB v Lošimų priežiūros tarnyba prie Lietuvos Respublikos finansų ministerijos (Reference for a preliminary ruling – Information procedure in the field of technical standards and regulations and of rules on Information Society services – Directive (EU) 2015/1535 – Article 1(1)(e) and (f) – Concepts of technical regulation and rule on services – National legislation laying down a prohibition on encouraging participation in gambling, including remote gambling – Article 5(1) – Obligation to notify the European Commission – Amendment of that legislation extending the scope of the prohibition on encouraging gambling – No notification – Consequences)
Date: 2025-03-13
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: Internet site, Lithuania, access to information, administrative offence, administrative procedure, game of chance, technical regulations








C_202502500EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/2500


12.5.2025






Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 13 March 2025 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Lietuvos vyriausiasis administracinis teismas – Lithuania) – ‘Unigames’ UAB v Lošimų priežiūros tarnyba prie Lietuvos Respublikos finansų ministerijos


(Case C-120/24,
                (1)
Unigames)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Information procedure in the field of technical standards and regulations and of rules on Information Society services - Directive (EU) 2015/1535 - Article 1(1)(e) and (f) - Concepts of ‘technical regulation’ and ‘rule on services’ - National legislation laying down a prohibition on encouraging participation in gambling, including remote gambling - Article 5(1) - Obligation to notify the European Commission - Amendment of that legislation extending the scope of the prohibition on encouraging gambling - No notification - Consequences)
(C/2025/2500)
Language of the case: Lithuanian

Referring court

Lietuvos vyriausiasis administracinis teismas

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicant:
            ‘Unigames’ UAB

Defendant: Lošimų priežiūros tarnyba prie Lietuvos Respublikos finansų ministerijos

Operative part of the judgment







1.


Article 1(1)(f) of Directive (EU) 2015/1535 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 September 2015 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical regulations and of rules on Information Society services
must be interpreted as meaning that national legislation that lays down a prohibition on encouraging participation in remote gambling by means of the publication of information relating to gambling on the website of a gambling operator constitutes a ‘technical regulation’ within the meaning of that provision.










2.


Article 5(1) of Directive 2015/1535
must be interpreted as meaning that, with regard to national legislation which constitutes a ‘technical regulation’, within the meaning of Article 1(1)(f) of that directive, and which has been notified to the European Commission in accordance with that Article 5(1), an amendment to that legislation is unenforceable against economic operators where that amendment has not been notified and has the effect of extending the scope of that legislation, so that it constitutes a ‘technical regulation’ that is subject to the notification obligation laid down in the latter provision.






(1)  OJ C C/2024/3156.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/2500/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)