Gambling Games in Uruguay
Playing in online casinos in Uruguay was not banned until recently. However, the online gambling market was not regulated. Today there is still no licensing regime for private gambling websites; online bets can only be offered by the state or under a state concession. Nevertheless, the government did not forbid the local population to play on Internet portals of foreign operators for a long time. The national language of Uruguay is Spanish, therefore, most international online casinos offer an interface with this language. On July 26, 2017, the government of Uruguay announced that it was developing draft laws restricting the access of citizens to online casinos of foreign operators. Such measures are necessary to increase the attendance of ground-based gambling institutions. The plans were implemented the same year. Article 244 of Law No. 19.535 (promulgated on September 25, 2017) declares casino games such as poker, roulette and slots absolutely prohibited in their online form unless authorised. Decree No. 366/017 of December 21, 2017 obliges internet providers to block unauthorised gambling sites within 48 hours of an order passed on by the communications regulator URSEC, bans electronic payment issuers supervised by the Central Bank from processing payments to such sites (from April 1, 2018) and prohibits their advertising, with fines of up to 20 million indexed units. The Dirección Nacional de Loterías y Quinielas keeps the list of unauthorised online gambling sites.
Slots in Demand
Various models of slot machines are offered in land-based and online casinos of Uruguay. Greentube, IGT, Bally, WMS and many other developers are successful here. Among slots, Uruguayans choose both classic titles known from land-based halls and modern five-reel slot machines with lots of bonus features: Cleopatra and Pharaoh's Fortune (IGT), Zeus II (WMS), Book of Ra Deluxe (Greentube), Cash Stampede (NextGen), Bigger Bass Bonanza and Gates of Olympus (Pragmatic Play), as well as the simple fruit slots of Igrosoft such as Crazy Monkey, Fruit Cocktail and Garage. Slot machines with digital table games are also in demand - video poker, roulette, scratch cards and many others.
Gambling Legislation
Most of the gambling games are allowed on the territory of Uruguay. They include: sports betting and sweepstake, slots, lotteries, roulette, card games, dice and online table games. These entertainments are freely provided in tourist areas within hotel-casinos, gambling halls and poker rooms. Games like lotto and bingo are also allowed. These types of table games are not considered gambling and are classified as social and charity. As a rule, bingo is organised by the church and charity organisations. Gambling regulators and laws that regulate gambling. Only the authorities of Uruguay have the right to provide gambling services in the country. However, the management bodies (in particular, the Ministry of Economy and Finance through the Dirección General de Casinos) can provide private individuals with a concession permit for organising gambling business. Permits are issued in accordance with the list of legislative acts:
- Act № 9630 was adopted on December 22, 1936. It allows organising gambling in the city of Rivera for the purpose of developing tourism.
- Act № 9994 was adopted on December 26, 1940. It allows opening gambling institutions in Villa del Rio Branco.
- Act № 13931 was adopted on November 30, 1970. It defines six additional gambling and tourist zones in Uruguay where private companies can open casinos.
- Act № 14335 was adopted on January 2, 1975. It describes how private entrepreneurs can obtain a concession agreement for the provision of gambling services and what is the role of local authorities in managing casinos.
In addition to the described laws, Uruguay has a number of additional acts governing the provision of a number of gambling services or the organisation of gambling business. They are:
- Act №14841 defines the list of gambling games and limits payouts
- Act №15716 establishes a state monopoly for holding lotteries and allows private companies to organise lotteries on state grants
- Act №17006 regulates placing bets on horse racing which take place at the National Hippodrome Maroñas
- Act №17166 defines other forms of competitions and drawings that are conducted by natural persons and require a separate permit from representatives of the Ministry of Finance
- Act №19535 of 2017 (article 244) prohibits casino games offered online without authorisation; its rules on blocking, payments and advertising are set out in Decree №366/017
A law that would license private online gambling services does not exist to this day. Since 2017, however, unauthorised online casino games have been expressly prohibited, and players who want to limit their gambling can request self-exclusion from the halls of Casinos del Estado.
Gambling Licenses
The right to organise gambling in the territory of Uruguay is given to private companies. In order for the Ministry of Economy and Finance to approve the petitioner and issue a concession, the enterprise must meet a number of requirements:
- The applicant must have a starting capital for organising gambling activities (including the construction of a building and the creation of a tourist infrastructure)
- A company wishing to act as an operator should have money to purchase a concession agreement
- Organisers of the gambling business must invest in the development of tourism and the economy of Uruguay
To date, the state operator lists casinos in Montevideo (Victoria Plaza), Punta del Este (Nogaró), Piriápolis, Rivera and Salto, alongside dozens of slot halls. Several venues, including Victoria Plaza Casino, Rivera Casino & Resort, Salto Hotel & Casino, Santa Cristina Hotel & Casino and Maroñas Entertainment, are run by private companies under concession, and private hotel-casinos also operate in Punta del Este and Carrasco. They offer a wide range of gambling entertainment which include: Poker, Baccarat, Blackjack, Roulette, Craps and Slot machines, video poker and digital table games.
Development of the Gambling Market in Uruguay
There is no own production of technical solutions and digital games for land-based casinos on the territory of Uruguay. All equipment found in gambling halls is imported. Companies that have concluded a concession agreement with the state are in charge of the purchase and transportation of equipment for gambling institutions. Prospects for development of gambling business in the country Experts in the sphere of gambling forecast the growth in demand of gambling in Uruguay and increase in annual incomes received from land-based casinos. Given the difficult situation in the gambling business in the Latin American market, the demand of gambling and tourist zones of Uruguay will only grow. Instead of regulating online casinos, in 2017 the government of Uruguay chose to prohibit unauthorised online gambling and to block such sites. This segment of the gambling market could increase revenue from the whole sphere with the right approach. However, to date, the legalisation of private online casinos in Uruguay remains a secondary issue: the 2025–2029 national budget law (Law No. 20.446) gave the Dirección General de Casinos new sources of income, such as tournament fees and advertising space in its halls, but did not create an online licence. The government cannot determine exactly how the benefits of online gambling can be applied in the tourism industry. The gambling business in Uruguay is one of the main engines of the economy. Today gambling is allowed in six tourist zones and two major cities of the country. Many of the country's casinos are located in hotel complexes. Private online casinos are not licensed by law. As a consequence, foreign gambling portals are blocked and payments to them are restricted, even though some players still reach them.
