Is online gambling legal in Uruguay?

Legal overview

Gambling in Uruguay is a state-controlled activity, and online gambling falls under a specific prohibition. Article 244 of Law No. 19.535 of 2017 declares that gambling and betting offered over the internet, digital platforms or apps are covered by the principle of illegality in Law No. 1.595 of 1882, and states that casino-type games such as poker, roulette and slots are absolutely prohibited in their remote form. Existing authorisations for physical venues and certain earlier authorisations remain valid, and Decree 366/017 of December 2017 implements the rules.

The only authorised online gambling product is sports betting through Supermatch, run by the private company La Banca under a licence granted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance in 2005 and supervised by the National Directorate of Lotteries and Pools (DNLQ). There is no state or private online casino, so residents have no legal way to play casino games online. Land-based casinos, run by the state Dirección General de Casinos or by concessionaires, remain the only legal casino offer.

The DNLQ enforces the ban actively: it had blocked more than 1,700 unauthorised betting sites by April 2026, the Central Bank bars banks and card issuers from processing payments to them, and any promotion, sponsorship or advertising of unauthorised gambling is prohibited. Operator fines range from 10,000 to 20,000,000 indexed units. The government announced plans for 2026 to create a licensed online market with a state platform and private participants, but as of the date checked no such law had been enacted.