Bahamas: gambling regulation and licensing

The Gaming Board for The Bahamas was established in August 1969 under the Lotteries and Gaming Act 1969, making it one of the oldest gambling regulators in the western hemisphere. It was substantially remade in November 2014, when the government enacted the Gaming Act 2014, the Gaming Regulations 2014, the Gaming House Operator Regulations 2014, the Gaming Rules 2015 and the Financial Transactions Reporting (Gaming) Regulations 2014. The board describes the purpose of that reform in unusually direct language: to modernise the regime, to regulate an otherwise unregulated domestic gaming sector, to widen the range of services and products, and to build a more robust licensing regime. What it was regulating was a domestic numbers business that had operated outside the law for decades, and bringing it inside was the central political act. The result is one of the more interesting online frameworks in the region. Domestic Gaming under the Gaming Act 2014 is conducted entirely over the internet and licensed to Gaming House Operators, of which the board lists seven: Island Luck, Chances Games, Paradise Games, A Sure Win, Percy's at the Island Game, Ultra Games and Everybody Wins. That is a licensed online market serving residents, which is a different proposition from the offshore licensing model most Caribbean jurisdictions built. Licence fees, tax treatment, advertising rules and compliance obligations have not yet been verified against primary sources.

Regulator

Gaming Board for The Bahamas

Regulator type

Gaming board

Headline tax

Not yet verified

Licence required

Yes

Minimum age

Not yet verified

Tax base

Not yet verified

Licence required

Yes

Application window

Not yet verified

Local establishment required

Not yet verified

Local server required

Not yet verified

Active licences

7 (as of 27 Aug 2026)

Notable licensees

Island Luck, Chances Games, Paradise Games, A Sure Win, Percy's at the Island Game, Ultra Games, Everybody Wins

Advertising permitted

Not yet verified

Affiliate rules

Affiliates are not separately licensed. Only operators holding a licence from the national regulator may lawfully be promoted.

Penalties for breach

The Gaming Board for The Bahamas supervises licensees and can act against the licence.

1. Gaming and Casino Regulations - Gaming Board for The Bahamas

   Government of The Bahamas

   Tier 1Accessed 27 Aug 2026