Notable international brands registered in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has served as an offshore "operating base" for online bookmakers and casinos for many years: companies create legal entities and operate in a data processing model, targeting customers outside the country. Below is an overview of the most prominent brands that have publicly listed San Jose as a headquarters/location of operations over the years. Important: corporate structures and licensing may be located in other jurisdictions; here are the links to be checked.

1) Betcris (CRIS) - a "classic" of offshore sports

What is known. Industry profiles and business databases directly indicate headquarters in San Jose; the brand grew out of CRIS (Costa Rica International Sports).

Context. Sportshandle (2019) noted Betcris as a brand "in San Jose, Costa Rica," which after UIGEA focused outside the United States.

Curious. Early OSGA reporting described BetCRIS 'own building by Sabana Park.

2) BetUS - San Jose headquarters

What is known. Encyclopedic and overview pages list San José, Costa Rica as the current HQ.

3) BookMaker. eu - one of the oldest "offshore"

What is known. Guides for players and reviews directly write that BookMaker operates from San Jose (Sabana Sur area).

Detail. Several independent sites published email addresses/office lockers in Sabana Sur.

4) 5Dimes - "Costa Rican" hub in US news

What is known. Both ESPN and the US Department of Justice in 2020 directly called the 5Dimes "Costa Rica-based sportsbook" as part of the settlement of the case in the United States.

History. Profiles/essays confirm the launch and years of work from Costa Rica.

5) WagerWeb - "old-timer" San Jose

What is known. Affiliate catalogs and press releases indicate the founding in San Jose in 1994 and the current location of Curridabat, San José.

Reviews. OSGA profiles and review sites confirm the Costa Rican base.

6) Heritage Sports - offshore from San Jose

What is known. Reviews and FAQs for players regularly note the location of San José, Costa Rica.

7) Bodog/Bovada - historical roots in CR

What is known. Major media outlets and the local press wrote about Bodog's connection with Costa Rica and operations from the country in the 2000s; in 2012, the case was widely covered.

Why Costa Rica?

Flexible "operating" model. No classic online license; companies register as data processing and target foreign markets. This reduces the cost of starting, but reduces the "legitimacy" for large banks/PSP. (See CR industry guides).

Personnel and infrastructure. The concentration of offices, call centers and risk/support functions in San Jose formed the ecosystem of "offshore bookmakers." Review materials directly list BetUS, WagerWeb, etc. as examples of brands with HQ in CR.

Disclaimer about "registration"

Jurreality is dynamic: some brands changed beneficiaries, domains, registrations and even licenses. In the list above, we have listed the companies that in the verifiable sources listed San Jose/Costa Rica as HQ or base of operations. This does not mean that:

their current license is issued in CR (often other jurisdictions, such as Malta for Betcris by operator TV Global Enterprises);
they serve Costa Rican players (usually extraterritorially); many sites explicitly restrict access to CR residents.

Who is useful for this list

Affiliates and B2B partners - to understand which brands have historically built an operating system in CR.

Lawyers/compliance - as a starting point for checking the corporate structure and regulatory frames.

Investors/marketing - to assess the reputation of the offshore set (start speed vs. access to payments).

Quick profiles (tl; dr)

Betcris (CRIS): San Jose HQ; strong LATAM focus.

BetUS: San Jose HQ; multi-product (sports, casino).

BookMaker. eu: operates from San Jose (Sabana Sur).

5Dimes: "Costa Rica-based" in ESPN/DOJ (historically).

WagerWeb: San Jose since 1994; the current address is Curridabat, San José.

Heritage Sports: Offshore from San Jose.

Bodog/Bovada: Historic operating base and offices in CR in the 2000s.

Bottom line. At iGaming, Costa Rica is an operating haven: many international brands have built HQs, call centers, risk and support functions in San Jose over the years. For an accurate legal picture of the current registration/licensing of a particular brand, always check the primary sources (registers, conditions on the operator's website and valid licenses).