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Gambling Games in Venezuela
All types of gambling are allowed in Venezuela: Casinos, Bingo games and lotteries and Horse racing and dog racing. Online gambling is still not covered by a separate law, but the CNC now authorises online operators: as of September 2026 its list of authorised online casinos and bingos includes 28 online casinos and 3 online bingo sites, with authorisation numbers of the form CNC-OL-25-001. Foreign online casinos are not on this list, although Venezuelans still use them. The winnings will be taxed at 34%. Prizes in lotteries and horse races are taxed at 16%.
Slots in Demand
Classic Egyptian and fruit slots dominate the preferences of Venezuelan players. According to play statistics from 2025–2026, the most played titles include Cleopatra and Cleopatra II by IGT, Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe and Book of Ra Deluxe by Greentube, Fruit Cocktail by Igrosoft, Flaming Hot and Grace of Cleopatra by EGT (Amusnet), Sparta by Habanero, Scarab Boost by Booongo and Hot Seven by Amatic. Cleopatra is a five-reel slot with 20 paylines, where free spins pay triple wins. Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe is an underwater slot with 5 reels and 10 paylines, a free spins round and a risk game. Fruit Cocktail is a five-reel fruit slot by Igrosoft with a bonus game. Flaming Hot is a fruit slot by EGT with 5 reels and 40 paylines and a very simple gameplay. The most popular providers are IGT, Greentube, EGT, Igrosoft and Pragmatic Play, followed by TaDa Gaming, Habanero and Booongo; Latin American studio Caleta, whose Beto Bingo is among the top games, is also well represented. Venezuela has been going through an economic and financial crisis for many years. The gambling market remains small and poorly developed. This is facilitated by rigid policies and low living standards of Venezuelans. In order for the gambling market to flourish, the government should conduct some reforms in the gambling industry.
Gambling Legislation
Casinos in Venezuela were legalised in 1997. Additional laws were then introduced that regulated the gambling taxes. Even before 1997 there were casinos operating in the country that were granted a permission by the local authorities. Since 1997 all establishments have been monitored by the state. The licenses are issued by the state as well. Casinos must be located inside five-star hotels in tourist areas. The number of rooms must be at least 200. The license is issued for 10 years with subsequent extension. The tax is 20% of the gross revenue. Back in the '90s most of the casinos could not withstand these requirements and eventually closed down. Two major casinos were located on Margarita Island. The rest of the casinos were located in the following provinces: Guyana, La Urbina, Maracaibo and Pampatar. In 1998 Hugo Chavez came to power and any hope for foreign investments or for the development of the industry vanished. President Chavez did not impose a direct ban on casinos - he just made the taxes unbearable. All establishments closed down. Hugo Chávez died in 2013, and the restrictive approach continued under his successors. The country is still having a hard time restoring the shattered economy. In 2025–2026 the CNC began authorising online casinos and bingo sites operated by local companies.
Gambling in Venezuela is regulated by a number of laws:
- Venezuela Control Act of Casinos, Bingo Halls and Slot Machines (Ley para el Control de Casinos, Salas de Bingo y Máquinas Traganíqueles - G.O Nro. 36.254 - 23/07/1997)
- The Regulation of Casinos, Bingo and Slot Machine Law (Reglamento de la Ley para el Control de los Casinos, Salas de bingo y Máquinas Traganíqueles - G.O. Nro. 36.523 - 24/08/1998)
- Tax Law on Gaming Activity (Ley de Impuestos a las Actividades de Juegos de Envite o Azar - 05/06/2007)
- Internal Regulation for National Commission for Casinos, Bingo Halls and Slot Machines (Reglamento Interno de la Comisión Nacional de Casinos, Salas de Bingo y Máquinas Traganíqueles - G.O. Extraord. N°.39.637 - 18/03/2011)
- The Law against Organised Crime and Financing of Terrorism (Ley Orgánica Contra la Delincuencia Organizada y Financiamiento al Terrorismo - G.O Número 39.912 - 30 /04/2012)
- Presidential Decree No. 7.710 transferring the CNC to the Ministry of Interior Relations and Justice (G.O. N° 39.524 - 05/10/2010)
- Administrative Order No. DE-19-01 on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing in casinos and bingo halls (Providencia Administrativa N° DE-19-01 - G.O. N° 41.581 - 07/02/2019)
As of 2017, the Venezuelan government had been working on changing the legislative framework. Two bills were discussed. One of the main bills dealt with casinos, slots and bingo. The other one dealt with lotteries and sports betting. The draft reform was first submitted in February 2002 and endorsed in May of the same year, but it did not reach a final reading. The CNC still lists the 1997 law and its 1998 regulation as the basic legislation for the sector.
Gambing regulators
The National Commission for Casinos, Bingo Halls and Slot Machines (CNC) is the Venezuelan regulator. This is a deconcentrated body with functional and budgetary autonomy attached to the Ministry of Interior Relations and Justice. It was created under the Ministry of Finance in 1997, moved to the Ministry of Tourism in 2005 and to the Ministry of Interior and Justice in 2010. Under the original legislation, the Commission's Board of Directors consisted of five officials:
- The President of the Republic
- Representative of the Ministry of Interior and Justice
- Representative of the National Narcotics Council
- Representative of the Ministry of Finance
- Representative of the Ministry of Tourism
Decisions of the Board of Directors are made by the majority vote. The Commission is in charge of approval and monitoring of gambling operations. The list of the Commission's other duties includes:
- Monitoring compliance with the law
- Issues and extension of licenses
- Imposing fines and other punishments
- Endorsement or rejection of bills on gambling
- Certification and authorisation of various equipment on platforms
- Compiling registers
- Filing an annual operations report, etc
The law also requires a National Inspection that will deal with technical issues, monitoring and control of the casinos, bingo halls and slot machines. This agency examines everything that is associated with gambling establishments, maintains a dossier on operators, a register of legal platforms as well as a register of personnel engaged in the relevant activities. Casinos, bingo halls and slot machines are the main trends that the system of the Venezuelan gaming legislation is based upon. It can be seen from the name of the main law that was passed in 1997. National Superintendence of Equestrian Activities (Superintendencia Nacional de Actividades Hípicas) deals with horse races. Lotteries are regulated by the National Commission of Lotteries.
Gambling Licenses
An operator wishing to apply for a license must comply with the following requirements:
- The company must operate as a joint-stock company
- The company's activities are to run a casino or a gambling hall
- The share of foreign capital must not exceed 80%
A casino operator must confirm that the company has an investment of at least 300,000 tax units and operating capital of 200,000 tax units. The unit is defined by the Tax Code. The corresponding amount of capital is confirmed at the beginning of each year. Licenses are not to be transferred to third parties. Licenses are valid for 10 years with a possibility of extension.
Other requirements for gambling platforms
A casino must be located inside a five-star hotel with over 200 rooms. A bingo hall can be located in a hotel with three to five stars or on another platform indicated by the Commission. The hotels have to be located in tourist areas. Casinos must also have their own internal regulations that include:
- Preset denomination for all games
- Detailed rules for each game featured
- Results and statistics for players, where mathematical expectation for each party is examined For slot machines - the percentage of programmed theoretical value. It has to be at least 80% of all bets that were ever placed in the slot machine
- The establishment's responsibility before the players
The rules must be published in official languages of Venezuela plus two other languages. English must be included. The rules are to be posted in a visible spot.
Taxation
Casinos pay taxes in the amount of 10% from the total revenue. Bingo halls pay 12% of the profits after the deduction of the winnings. At the same time the total amount of prizes paid out must be at least 70% of the hall's overall proceeds. In addition to this, the operators pay royalties each month in the amount of 40 tax units for each table and 10 units for each slot machine.
