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Comparison with Suriname and Trinidad (for country: Guyana)
Comparison with Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago
Summary in 9 abstracts
1. Lotteries are legal in all three countries; it is the "white" foundation of the industry.
2. Casino: in Guyana - point model "at the hotel"; in Suriname - small city and hotel casinos; in Trinidad, a historically limited approach, with an emphasis on lotteries/betting and partly on private club formats.
3. Bookmaking: regulated and operates in three jurisdictions (offline); online - everywhere "mixed status," depending on general laws and practices of access to foreign sites.
4. Online market: everyone does not have a solid EU/Malta-level "digital" law; pilots and sandboxes are discussed.
5. Regulators: Guyana - Gaming Authority (casinos) + individual lottery/horse racing branches; Suriname - supervisory functions under the relevant ministry/councils; Trinidad and Tobago - lottery and betting circuit through separate bodies/councils.
6. Taxes: designs vary; general trend - moderate rates on GGR/commission models for lotteries, separate license fees and corporate taxes.
7. Payments: Fiat channels + growing interest in stablecoins (through licensed providers), but crypto is not formally a "ticket" to legality.
8. Responsible play: eKYC, age control, "self-exclusion," advertising requirements are increasing everywhere.
9. Tourism: Suriname and Guyana look at casinos as "point magnetic objects"; Trinidad - draws more heavily on events, sport and the lottery stream.
Legal landscape: what is allowed
Regulators and control
Guyana. Gaming Authority is responsible for licensing and supervision of casinos (two licenses: for the site and for the operator); lotteries and horse racing are regulated by separate acts/councils; the role of AML/CFT is growing.
Suriname. Gambling supervision is distributed among government agencies (licenses/permits, advertising control, RG). Casino and bookmaking are tied to conditions by location, time and format.
Trinidad and Tobago. Lottery Board/Commission and Betting and Horse Racing Supervisors; emphasis on the fight against illegal immigrants and on formal points of sale.
Taxes and fees (logic without numbers)
Lotteries: concession shares and special fees from gross proceeds + earmarked contributions to sports/culture funds.
Rates: license fees by premises/operators + tax base tied to the shaft of rates or to GGR (by country).
Casinos: license fees/duties, corporate taxes, VAT/sales taxes (depending on classification), sometimes local fees of municipalities.
Online: due to the lack of digital laws, tax administration is "tied" to offline models; fiscal potential is lost due to offshore traffic.
Payments and fintech
Fiat: cards, bank transfers, local e-wallets.
Crypto/stablecoins: interest is growing in all three countries as a channel of "quick deposits/withdrawals," but legislatively this is not a replacement for a license; use - through AML/sanction screening compliant providers.
On/Off-ramp: key to scaling - operator agreements with banks/PSP/VASP, transparent eKYC, network error warnings (ERC-20/TRC-20) and limits.
Responsible play and advertising
Age restrictions, eKYC/liveness, limits, timeouts, self-exclusion are common elements that are increasing in the region.
Advertising: banning misleading creatives, minimizing youth targeting, mandatory disclaimers; offline media and digital channels are more actively controlled.
Tourism and positioning
Guyana: casinos as hotel "anchors," plus business/ecotourism; potential - MICE events, poker series, boxing/MMA, festivals.
Suriname: a mix of urban casinos, recreational areas and cultural events; interest in e-sports and short "vikend packages."
Trinidad and Tobago: strong sporting/cultural occasions, betting on lottery coverage and offline betting; casino - less pronounced driver than events/sports.
SWOT (for Guyana, with neighbours in the background)
S (strengths): an understandable frame for casinos at hotels; institutional regulator; lottery "backbone" of income.
W (weaknesses): lack of a coherent digital law; limited casino card; leaks offshore on the online vertical.
O (capabilities): sandbox for online regulation; integrated resorts with MICE; stablecoins through licensed providers; esports.
T (threats): competition of offshore sites; bonus abuse and multi-accounts; variable fiscal policy; cyber risks.
Roadmap 2030 (for Guyana, taking into account the benchmarks of Suriname/Trinidad)
1. Regulatory sandbox for online: 3-5 licenses, GGR/RG reporting, API self-exclusion, whitelisting domains.
2. Payment architecture: PSP/VASP registry, travel rule, behavioral AML scoring, transparent SLAs by conclusions.
3. Tourist calendar: poker series, e-sports finals, music festivals; shared miles/points with airlines and banks.
4. Personnel and compliance: hospitality/gambling academy, regular pentests, bug-bounty, WORM magazines.
5. Fiscal setting: moderate GGR tax for online, license fees with progression, KPI revision of rates.
What it means in practice
For the state (Guyana):- Use the experience of Suriname (point casinos + mobile focus) and Trinidad (wide lottery/betting coverage) when designing a digital license.
- Strengthen the role of Gaming Authority as a possible "digital" supervisor or create a separate unit for online.
- Plan a hybrid: offline license (casino/betting points) + online sandbox readiness (eKYC, RG panel, AML monitoring).
- Build payment bridges (fiat + stablecoins via VASP), transparent bonus rules, high-speed cashouts.
All three countries are moving towards the same goal - a controlled, socially responsible and fiscally useful market. Guyana has a strong offline basis (hotel casinos, lotteries), Suriname has a flexible "point" map and mobile accent, Trinidad has the scale of lotteries/bets and events. The next step, which is logical to expect by 2030, is a neat online frame with a KPI approach, payment transparency and uniform standards for responsible play.