Is online gambling legal in Myanmar?

Legal overview

Gambling in Myanmar is governed by the Gambling Law (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Law No. 13/2019), enacted on 7 May 2019. The law defines gambling broadly as games of chance or skill played for money or property, and it penalises gambling in public places, operating or attending gambling houses, lending money for gambling and running unpermitted lottery-type games, with prison terms that rise for repeat offences. Only the Inland Revenue Department of the Ministry of Planning and Finance may run a lottery, the Aung Bar Lay state lottery.

The 2019 law also allows the Union Government to permit casinos on specified terms, but a casino is defined as a place where only foreigners may gamble, and section 13 states that no Myanmar citizen may gamble at a casino. Citizens who do so face six months to one year in prison and a fine, with heavier penalties for repeat offences. There is therefore no lawful casino product, online or land-based, for Myanmar citizens.

Online gambling is addressed by the Cybersecurity Law No. 1/2025, which took effect on 30 July 2025. Operating an online gambling system without proper authorisation is punishable by six months to one year in prison, a fine and confiscation of proceeds, and the law does not set out any way for online gambling platforms to obtain approval. The same law requires approval from the designated ministry to set up or provide VPN services, although it does not bar individuals from using VPNs. No licensing body for online casinos exists, and foreign-licensed sites have no legal standing in Myanmar.