LATAM

The Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica has acknowledged major shortcomings and ambiguity in the governance of gambling and its failure to protect citizens and state interests from illegal gambling activity.

Debates in the Legislative Assembly in San José have been reopened as the government confronts new estimates showing illegal operators account for 53% of Costa Rica’s lottery and betting sector.

The estimate was presented to the new administration of President Laura Fernández Delgado, who took office on 8 May. Delgado, elected on a platform focused on tackling crime, was informed that the Costa Rican economy loses approximately $300m annually to illegal gambling operators exploiting vague laws and limited oversight of online gambling activity.

Unlike most regulated markets, Costa Rica operates without a dedicated online gambling licensing regime or a centralised gambling authority. International online gambling operators have historically been permitted to establish corporate ent..

The Chilean National Lottery (La Polla Chilena de Beneficencia) , the state-owned company responsible for managing gambling and lotteries in Chile , has filed complaints against several advertising agencies for promoting unregulated online betting platforms. This action comes as the country seeks to move towards a new regulatory framework for the gambling industry, based on a formal licensing…

The Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) yesterday published Resolution BCB No. 569/2026 , which modifies the rules on the exchange of data and information related to evidence of fraud in the financial system. The measure, signed by the Director of Regulation, Gilneu Francisco Astolfi Vivan , modifies BCB Resolution No. 343 , of October 4, 2023, and now includes, among the data to be…

The Dominican Republic will be taking steps to tighten its control of its gambling licences, as the Ministry of Finance and Economy has authorised Resolution No. 184-2026.

The mandate seeks to introduce a new “Responsible Gambling Charter” that requires the signature of President Luis Abinader.

The charter will establish a new Central Self-Exclusion System as the principal safeguard for gambling activities in the Dominican Republic, which aims to become the first Caribbean nation to implement such a universal protection on gambling consumers.

Winning his re-election campaign in 2024, President Abinader pledged to modernise the gambling regime of The Dominican Republic as part of his administration’s broader economic overhaul to enhance investment and tax resources of the government.

Economic reforms

The latest reforms build on the Dominican Republic’s launch of a new online gambling licensing regime in 2024, under Resolution 136-2024, which established a formal framework for ..

A survey by Ipsos in partnership with Unico , an identity verification network, revealed that 11% of young Brazilians will have gambled online in 2025. The research was first published by the Estadão newspaper , in the Estadão Column , on Saturday the 9th. According to data obtained by the newspaper, the largest number of gamblers among young people are boys aged 16…

This week, Valentín Miranda, a deputy from Buenos Aires province, submitted a request for information from the government of Axel Kicillof, asking them to detail the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan to address problematic gambling among adolescents, launched in July 2024 with the aim of preventing, assisting, and eradicating online gambling among minors.  The radical legislator’s initiative seeks to…

In Brazil, senior figures within the PT government are aligning with the President’s push to significantly restrict online gambling, signalling a potential shift away from the current framework of the Bets Law (PL 2626/2023).

Another week of politicking has witnessed President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva once again target online gambling licences, framing the sector as a growing threat to Brazilian society and economic stability.

Speaking to broadcaster ICL, Lula delivered his strongest remarks yet, stating that he “would shut down bookmakers entirely if the decision were mine alone.”

Criticism of the Bets regime has become a central theme of Lula’s political messaging ahead of the 4 October election.

Yet the liabilities of the Bets regime offer a convenient deflection for Lula as the administration grapples with a broad range of economic challenges.

On the campaign front, Lula has yet to answer solutions for challenges ranging from public debt and inflation to cost-of-living con..

Lawmakers in Mexico are to examine tightening media rules to prohibit gambling advertising during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The directive is led by Jericó Abramo Masso, Member of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, who has drafted a bill which would severely limit operators’ flexibility around advertising, specifically during sporting events shown on open-source and pay-for TV.

According to Masso, an increasing number of complaints from parents report that their children are being subjected to gambling ads integrated into sports programming, which offer ‘falls narratives about gaining quick wealth’.

Under the current legislature, gambling ads need to first be approved by the Secretariat of Interior in order to air on TV, while also adhering to strict rules around the inclusion of problem gambling messaging and avoidance of promoting excessive participation.

However, Masso believes that rules should be tighter, with operators only allowed to market outside of family hours, meaning betw..