Online gambling: no regulation, offshore only (Venezuela)

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1) Basic laws - about offline, not about the Internet

The modern framework of the industry in Venezuela is the 1997 casino/bingo/slot machine law and its regulations, which describe only ground activities: who and how receives permission, where you can place halls (in tourist areas), what sanctions are applied, etc. Online formats are not described in it. Separately, there is a national law on lotteries (CONALOT), also focused on offline circulation and administration of fees.

At the same time, there is a tax law on games and betting (2007), which lists the taxable activities (lotteries, casinos, bingo, hype, etc.), but does not establish an independent regime for online operators: this is a fiscal act, not a law on licensing the Internet.

Conclusion: at the federal level there is no special "online framework" like the Colombian one; specialized laws cover land and lotteries, and the Internet is not under a clear license.

2) What happens in reality: "vacuum" + offshore

• Venezuelan investigations into online hype (horse racing betting) record "almost absent regulation" and weak/zero fiscalization of Internet rates by other bodies; dozens of platforms work without transparent control, some do not disclose owners, and there is no state supervision over online operations;
• international and profile reviews classify Venezuela as an unregulated/obscurely regulated online marketplace, where players withdraw to offshore sites due to the lack of a local permitting regime.

At the consumer level, it looks like this: legal offline casinos (permits from 2021) exist, but online casinos and wide online sports books for Venezuelans are mainly foreign domains with licenses of third jurisdictions (Curaçao, MGA, etc.) that are not licensed by Venezuela.

3) Why it doesn't change the fact of "no regulation"

Sometimes media/Hyde sites write that "online betting is legal" - usually referring to the ability to play on offshore platforms or relying on general tax regulations. But a legal game ≠ a local license: without a specialized law/regulation on "games operated via the Internet," the state does not maintain a register of permitted domains, does not impose uniform requirements on KYC/AML, responsible play, data storage and technical monitoring - hence the qualification "vacuum/gray zone." Venezuelan publications directly write about the legal vacuum online and the lack of protective norms for players/operators.

4) Exceptions and "islands"

The only "formally regulated" sports segment is a hippodrome (sweepstakes), but even here a transparent digital model did not work out: Internet sites on hipik work variably, a significant part - without clear state verification.

Offline casinos will be revived by permits (≈30 objects) from 2021, but this does not create an online mode: we are talking about a ground network and technical control of the "interconnect" for gaming machines.

5) Implications for players and businesses

• no state "white" storefront. ve-domains - it is difficult to distinguish a legal operator from phishing;
• no responsible play/CUS standards in national law for online;
• disputes/blockages by the offshore operator are not resolved inside Venezuela.
• This is directly indicated by Venezuelan reports on the lack of control online.

• there are no local online licenses (it is impossible to officially position. ve-product with a federal "seal");
• banking/payment work in the "border" mode;
• marketing/taxes - spots (there are general fiscal norms, but there are no specialized "digital" rules).

6) What could change the picture

To "pull" the market out of the offshore, the country needs a comprehensive online law: the definition of "games operated via the Internet," domain registry, technical regulations (certification, logging, reporting), KYC/AML, responsible play, payment/dispute mode and public "white list." In practice, it is precisely such elements in neighboring jurisdictions that dramatically increase the sewerage into the "white" segment - while their absence pushes players to offshore sites. Industry reviews classify Venezuela this way - as an unregulated online jurisdiction where offshore companies prevail.

Short FAQ

Do online casinos/sportsbook "Venezuelan" exist? Yes, but as offshore companies and/or as poorly controlled Internet services (especially hipik). There is no national online license.

And offline casinos? Yes, they are allowed under the 1997 law and decisions 2021 +, this is a ground license.

Lotteries? Regulated separately by Ley Nacional de Lotería (CONALOT) - this is not about online casinos.

As of October 2025, online gambling in Venezuela does not have its own federal framework: specialized acts cover the ground segment and lotteries, and the Internet market is de facto taken offshore and local "gray" models (especially in hipik). For players, this is a lack of protection and transparency, for business - the lack of a "white" path. Until a special law/regulation on online games appears, de jure there will be no "legal" online with a local license - only offshore companies.