Is online gambling legal in Cuba?

Legal overview

Cuba has prohibited gambling since shortly after the 1959 revolution, and there is no legal casino, bookmaker or national lottery. The ban is enforced through criminal law. According to reporting on the 2022 Penal Code, article 281.1 punishes anyone who acts as banker, collector, note-taker or promoter of illicit games with one to three years in prison, a fine, or both. The penalty rises to three to eight years if two or more people commit the offence together or if minors under 18 are used. Casinos and the informal numbers lottery known as la bolita fall under this ban. The only exception found is cockfighting, which since 2021 may take place only in state-run clubs under Decree-Law 31 on animal welfare.

Cuba has no law on online gambling, no gambling regulator and no licensing procedure, so no website can hold a Cuban licence. The reports found describe penalties for organisers; none mentions a specific penalty for players, and none deals with foreign internet sites.

In practice, illegal street gambling is widespread and enforcement has at times been lax, according to independent Cuban media. That does not change the legal position: organising or promoting gambling is a crime, and anyone who plays with a foreign site has no Cuban authority, ombudsman or court to turn to over unpaid winnings.

Verification status: this overview is based on secondary sources and has not yet been checked against the official law text or the regulator. Confirm the details with the national authority before relying on them.