Online gambling: no local regulation (Guyana)

Shortly

Guyana does not have a separate comprehensive law that allows/regulates online casinos and online betting. The online segment remains "fragmented" and follows from the general norms and exceptions of offline.

Basic framework - Gambling Prevention Act (Cap. 9:02), the historical prohibition of "common playhouses" and public lotteries; it regulates offline and does not create a positive framework for online casinos.

Special modes: Government Lotteries Act gosloteries and hotel casinos under the 2007 amendments (through the Gaming Authority). These are offline exceptions, not a digital license.

In 2025, the Horse Racing Authority Act (a frame for horse racing and related bets) was adopted, but it does not create a general order for online casinos/betting.

What exactly is "not settled"

1. There is no separate online license. Neither casinos nor online bookmaking have independent B2C licenses or a domain/platform registry.

2. There are no digital rules for payments and advertising. Offline there are regulations (lotteries, hotel casinos), online - there are no prescribed requirements for PSP/VASP, KYC/eKYC, marketing and age-gating specifically for iGaming.

3. Access to foreign sites has historically occurred without special positive regulation: reviews describe the picture as "mixed/unresolved."

What is allowed offline (and why it is important for online)

Lotteries: Legal under Government Lotteries Act; part of the income - to state funds. This is an important precedent for "official" gambling activity, but not an online license.

Hotel casinos: legalized by the 2007 amendments to the Gambling Prevention Act; licenses are issued by the Gaming Authority. This is a "point" model for tourism/hotels, not for internet operators.

Horse Racing/Betting: The Horse Racing Authority Act, formalising oversight of the industry, is adopted in 2025; again - offline frame.

Risks and consequences of current status

Legal uncertainty for players. There are no local guarantees/mechanisms for disputes with online operators; consumer protection relies on the jurisdiction of the operator.

Compliance gap for business. There are no standards for eKYC/liveness, local limits, self-exclusion-API, GGR reporting for "digit." Operators risk violating the general prohibitive framework of the basic law in local advertising and processing.

Fiscal omissions. Without the registry and taxation of online GGR, the state loses projected receipts (which contrasts with lotteries and offline casinos).

Practical recommendations

To players

Check the jurisdiction and license of the site (Malta, Curacao, etc.), terms of payment, KYC and responsibility for personal data.

Avoid impulsive play: use deposit/time limits, pause; lack of local rules increases personal risks.

To business

Any local advertising/merchandising/events without a special license may conflict with the prohibitive framework of the Gambling Prevention Act - legal expertise is needed.

If the product is designed for a Guyanese audience, think about self-regulation mechanisms: eKYC, age filters, RG panel, transparent bonuses, logging - for future legalization.

If Guyana decides to legalize online ("as possible" sketch)

1. Remote Gambling Act. B2C (casino, betting, mixed) + B2B (platform/content provider) categories.

2. Domain and payment registers. Allowed PSP/VASP, travel rule for crypto flows, reporting on GGR and AML incidents.

3. Responsible game: centralized self-exclusion, "default" limits, real-time "reality checks."

4. Advertising: ban on targeting minors, transparent bonuses, control of creatives.

5. Supervision: annual audit, pentests, WORM magazines, bug bounties; KPI public dashboard.

Online gambling in Guyana as of 2025 has no independent local regulation: offline exceptions (lotteries, hotel casinos, horse racing) do not replace a digital license and rules for the Internet market. This leaves players without local guarantees, and the state without stable taxes. If the country goes to legalization, it already has an institutional framework (lotteries, Gaming Authority, a new horse frame) for the phased launch of a transparent and socially responsible online market.