Is online gambling legal in Puerto Rico?

Legal overview

Puerto Rico, a United States territory, regulates gambling through the Gaming Commission of the Government of Puerto Rico, created by Act 81 of 2019, the Government of Puerto Rico Gaming Commission Act. Land-based casino games such as roulette, craps and card games are permitted in licensed gaming halls. Act 81 also authorised sports and eSports betting, both in person at venues such as casinos, hotels and off-track betting locations and online for people physically within Puerto Rico, as well as paid fantasy contests run by licensed operators.

Online casino games are not part of this framework. The Act ties the Commission's online jurisdiction to sports, eSports and fantasy betting, and no licence for internet casino play is issued, so any online casino that accepts players on the island does so without Puerto Rican authorisation. Industry research presented in December 2025 estimated that unlicensed operators took around 84 to 85 percent of local online gambling revenue, against only a handful of licensed online sportsbooks.

Two reform proposals were under discussion in 2026. Senate Bill 960 would amend the Gaming Commission Act to allow standalone poker rooms, wider online sports betting, eSports betting and digital lottery sales; in May 2026 it was still under committee review, and the Commission's executive director voiced concern about opening the market. In October 2026 the governor's administration put forward a measure to regulate online casino games, which the hotel and casino industry opposed. Neither had become law at the time of checking, so online casino gambling remains unauthorised in Puerto Rico.