Can an operator get an online gambling licence in Barbados?

No. No Barbados law provides a licence for online casino, poker or betting. A betting and gaming framework covering online gaming was announced in March 2023, but no bill had been tabled by September 2026.

Who regulates gambling in Barbados?

The Betting and Gaming Committee under the Betting and Gaming Duties Act, Cap. 60, with the Comptroller of Customs issuing machine licences and registering betting businesses. Its members are public officers appointed by the Minister.

How is gambling taxed in Barbados?

By duties on turnover and licences, not on revenue: 20 cents in the dollar on most lottery tickets, video lottery terminals and slot machines of approved national organisations, 30% of pool betting stakes (60% for promoters abroad), and BBD 15,000 a year per gaming machine.

Are there casinos in Barbados?

No. The 2018 CFATF evaluation recorded no casinos. Machine gaming is lawful only on approved liquor-licensed premises, and amusement arcades pay BBD 300,000 a year.

What changes for gaming operators under the 2026 money laundering amendment?

Once in force, every gaming institution becomes a designated non-financial business that must register with the Chief Compliance Officer and pay an annual fee, with 90 days for existing operators. Parliament passed it in September 2026.

Sovereign state

Latin America

ISO BB

Barbados: gambling regulation and licensing

Online casinoUnregulated
Online pokerUnregulated
Online sports bettingUnregulated
Horse race bettingRegulated
iLotteryNot yet verified
Land-based (reference)Regulated

Regulator: Betting and Gaming Committee
Headline tax: Not yet verified
Licence required: Yes
Last verified: 23 Sept 2026

Summary

Barbados has no licensing regime for online gambling. Gambling is governed by old statutes: the Gambling Act (Cap. 134), which makes keeping a common gaming house and running a public lottery offences; the Gaming Act (Cap. 135) of 1891; and the Betting and Gaming Duties Act (Cap. 60) of 1977, which is the working regime. Under Cap. 60 a Betting and Gaming Committee of public officers appointed by the Minister approves gaming machines, amusement arcades and the liquor-licensed premises that may host them, and licenses charitable lotteries. The Comptroller of Customs registers pool betting and racing service businesses and issues the machine licences. Lotteries are run by approved national organisations; the Barbados Lottery is operated for the Barbados Cricket Association, Barbados Olympic Association, Barbados Turf Club and National Sports Council. Duties fall on turnover and licences, not revenue: 20 cents in the dollar on most lottery tickets, video lottery terminals and slot machines, 30% of pool betting stakes (60% where the promoter is abroad) and BBD 15,000 a year per gaming machine. The 2018 CFATF evaluation found no casinos. None of these laws provides for remote gambling, and a betting and gaming framework the Finance Ministry announced in March 2023 has not been tabled. The change under way is on money laundering: an amendment passed by Parliament in September 2026 requires every gaming institution to register with the Chief Compliance Officer of the Anti-Money Laundering Authority's Compliance Unit, after CFATF found gaming arcades unsupervised. A 1984 Betting and Gaming Act that would replace all three laws has never been brought into force.

Common pitfalls

Reading the Betting and Gaming Act, Cap. 134A, as current law: it was enacted in 1984 but never proclaimed, and Cap. 60 remains the operative regime. Treating slot machine licences as casino permission: machines are allowed only on approved liquor-licensed premises, and there are no casinos. Assuming a 2023 announcement produced an online licence: no bill has been tabled.

Key facts

Regulator: Betting and Gaming Committee
Regulator type: Gaming board
Headline tax: Not yet verified
Licence required: Yes
Minimum age: 18+
Tax base: There is no tax on gaming revenue and no online gambling tax. Cap. 60 charges duty on turnover and per licence: a share of the price of each lottery or bingo ticket, a share of the amounts played on video lottery terminals and slot machines run by approved national organisations, a percentage of pool betting stakes, a flat stamp per racing service ticket, and fixed annual duties per gaming machine, arcade and amusement machine. All Cap. 60 revenue goes to the Consolidated Fund (s.33).

Legal framework

Primary statutes

Betting and Gaming Duties Act, Cap. 60
Year
1977
In force
Yes
Summary
The working regime, in force from 1 July 1977. Sets up the Betting and Gaming Committee, requires registration of pool betting and racing service businesses and approved national organisations running lotteries, licenses gaming, amusement and arcade machines on approved premises, and sets the duties and fees in the First Schedule.
Gambling Act, Cap. 134
In force
Yes
Summary
Suppresses common gaming houses and public lotteries. Keeping or managing a common gaming house, or selling, advertising or announcing a public lottery, is an offence (s.8); playing in a common gaming house or buying a lottery ticket is an offence for the player (ss.9, 10). Pool betting and Turf Club and Transport Board lotteries are exempt (s.26).
Gaming Act, Cap. 135
Year
1891
In force
Yes
Summary
The 1891 consolidation: gambling in streets and public places, lottery and dice offences, and gaming debts: securities given for gaming debts are void (s.13) and a loser who pays BBD 24 or more may sue to recover it within three months (s.14).
Betting and Gaming Act, Cap. 134A
Year
1984
In force
No
Summary
Act 1984-33, a full revision that would license gaming premises, bookmakers, on-course and off-course betting and lotteries and repeal Caps. 60, 134 and 135 (s.83 and Second Schedule). It comes into force on a date fixed by proclamation (s.85), and we found none.
Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention and Control) Act, 2011-23
Year
2011
In force
Yes
Summary
Lists a person operating a gaming institution engaged in financial transactions at or above the value set in the Authority's guidelines as a non-financial business entity subject to the Act (Second Schedule para. 5).

Secondary instruments

Betting and Gaming Duties Regulations, 1979
Year
1979
In force
Yes
Summary
Applications for pool betting and racing service registration are advertised for objections; opening hours of 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday; closure on Sundays, Good Friday, Independence Day and Christmas Day; no under-18s on registered premises or in any betting, lottery or gaming.

Key amendments

26 Aug 2010Betting and Gaming Duties (Amendment) Act, 2010-16 redefines the machines covered by Part IV to include machines that let a player bet on the outcome and are electronically programmed to credit money to the player.

Pending legislation

Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention and Control) (Amendment) Act, 2026
Stage
Passed by the House of Assembly on 15 September 2026 and the Senate on 23 September 2026 without amendment; assent and commencement not yet published
What it changes
Makes any person operating a gaming institution a designated non-financial business, dropping the transaction threshold from the Schedule, although the Authority may set one in guidelines. Gaming institutions must register with the Chief Compliance Officer of the Authority's Compliance Unit before operating, with 90 days for existing operators, and pay a prescribed annual fee; false statements carry BBD 50,000 or one year.
Betting and gaming framework covering online gaming
Stage
Announced by the Minister in the Ministry of Finance in March 2023 for introduction by June 2023; no such bill appears in the Parliament bills register at 23 September 2026
What it changes
Described by the Minister as a new betting and gaming framework responding to the spread of online gaming, with monitoring arranged with the telecommunications industry. No text has been published.

Licensing

Licence required: Yes
Application window: Not yet verified
Local establishment required: Not yet verified
Local server required: Not yet verified
Bank guarantee or bond: Racing service businesses and approved national organisations deposit Government of Barbados or Barbados Development Bank securities, or cash, of at least BBD 40,000 with the Accountant-General, held until all taxes and Crown debts are paid (Cap. 60 ss.11, 12, 14C).
Notable licensees: The Barbados Lottery, operated by IGT Global Services Limited (Barbados Branch) for the Barbados Cricket Association, Barbados Olympic Association, Barbados Turf Club and National Sports Council
Barriers to entry: There is no licence for online gambling of any kind. Every land-based permission is tied to premises: machines only on liquor-licensed premises the Committee has approved and gazetted, and betting only at registered premises, with applications advertised for objections. The Committee must be satisfied the applicant is fit and proper (s.17(4)).

Licence types

Gaming machine licence
Scope
A machine used for gaming on approved premises (liquor-licensed premises approved by the Committee and declared in the Official Gazette with a maximum number of machines)
Term
Whole year, half year or quarter
Annual fee
BBD 15,000
Fee basis
Duty per machine: BBD 15,000 a year, BBD 9,300 a half year, BBD 4,700 a quarter (First Schedule para. 5)
Renewal terms
Renewable before expiry on payment of the duty (s.24(5)); requires Committee approval of the machine and premises (ss.17, 22, 23)
Amusement arcade licence
Scope
Approved premises, other than a hotel, with more than two gaming machines
Term
Whole year or half year
Annual fee
BBD 300,000
Fee basis
BBD 300,000 a year or BBD 155,000 a half year (First Schedule para. 7)
Renewal terms
Renewable before expiry on payment of the duty (s.24(5))
Amusement machine licence
Scope
Machines for amusement only: a stake of up to 25 cents and a money prize of up to 50 cents or a non-money prize of up to BBD 2
Term
Annual
Annual fee
BBD 1,200
Fee basis
BBD 1,200 a year per machine (First Schedule para. 6)
Racing service business certificate of registration
Scope
Taking bets on horse and greyhound races at registered premises, excluding races run under the Barbados Turf Club
Term
Whole year (to 31 December) or half year
Annual fee
BBD 105,000
Fee basis
BBD 105,000 a year or BBD 57,500 a half year, plus 10 cents stamp duty per betting ticket (First Schedule para. 4) and a deposit of at least BBD 40,000 in securities or cash (s.11)
Renewal terms
Applications are advertised and open to objection within 7 days (Regulations reg. 3)
Pool betting business certificate of registration
Scope
Carrying on a pool betting business, including by totalisator
Term
To 31 December, renewable each December
Application fee
BBD 1,000
Fee basis
BBD 1,000 for grant or renewal, plus pool betting duty on stakes (First Schedule para. 3)
Renewal terms
Renewed by the Comptroller in December each year (s.6(4))
Approved national organisation certificate of registration
Scope
Running lotteries, including video lottery terminals and slot machines, by a national organisation approved by order of the Minister responsible for sport
Term
Whole year or half year
Annual fee
BBD 100,000
Fee basis
BBD 100,000 a year or BBD 55,000 a half year, plus duty on tickets and machines (First Schedule para. 1)
Charitable lottery licence
Scope
A lottery for a charitable object, licensed by the Betting and Gaming Committee
Gaming machine import licence
Scope
Importing gaming machines, for a stated number of machines and period

Taxation

Headline GGR tax: Not yet verified
Effective date: Not yet verified
Tax base: There is no tax on gaming revenue and no online gambling tax. Cap. 60 charges duty on turnover and per licence: a share of the price of each lottery or bingo ticket, a share of the amounts played on video lottery terminals and slot machines run by approved national organisations, a percentage of pool betting stakes, a flat stamp per racing service ticket, and fixed annual duties per gaming machine, arcade and amusement machine. All Cap. 60 revenue goes to the Consolidated Fund (s.33).

Earmarked levies

Lottery duty (approved national organisations): 20 cents in the dollar on tickets over 25 cents and 13 cents on tickets of 25 cents or less; for the Barbados Lottery, 13 cents on pari-mutuel and forecast tickets and 11 cents on daily lotteries; 20 cents in the dollar on video lottery terminals and on slot machines (Consolidated Fund)
Bingo duty: 10 cents in every 50 cents, or part, of the price of each bingo ticket (Consolidated Fund)
Pool betting duty: 30% of stake money where the totalisator or promoter is in Barbados; 60% where the promoter is outside Barbados, paid by the local agent (Consolidated Fund)
Racing service ticket duty: 10 cents per ticket issued for a bet accepted (Consolidated Fund)

Compliance

Minimum age: 18+
National self-exclusion: Not yet verified
AML regime: A gaming institution engaged in financial transactions at or above the value in the Authority's guidelines is a non-financial business entity under the 2011 Act. The 2018 CFATF evaluation found gaming institutions registered with Customs and Excise but not supervised for AML purposes and recommended a risk assessment of the slots and arcade sector. The 2026 amendment passed by Parliament brings every gaming institution, whatever its transaction values, under a duty to register with, and be supervised by, the Chief Compliance Officer of the Authority's Compliance Unit.
AML supervisor: Anti-Money Laundering Authority, through its Compliance Unit; under the 2026 amendment, once in force, the Unit's Chief Compliance Officer
KYC requirements: Not yet verified
Stake limits: Amusement machines only: a charge of up to 25 cents a game and prizes of up to 50 cents in money or BBD 2 in kind (Cap. 60 s.25(2)). No statutory stake limit was found for gaming machines.
Mandatory player messaging: Every gaming machine must carry a conspicuous notice that use by minors is prohibited, and the licence must be displayed at the main entrance of the premises (Cap. 60 s.27(1)).
Reporting obligations: Registered and licensed persons keep the books and records the Comptroller directs, for at least six months, and make the returns required (Cap. 60 s.35); the Accountant-General may inspect ticket accounts (s.32).
Game content restrictions: Racing service businesses may not take bets on races run under the Barbados Turf Club and must close from noon on Turf Club race days (Cap. 60 ss.8, 9). Registered betting premises may show only betting information on screens and may not offer music, dancing or refreshments (Regulations reg. 8).

Advertising

Advertising permitted: Not yet verified
Penalties for breach: Cap. 134 s.8 offences carry a fine of BBD 960 or twelve months; the Cap. 135 s.7 offence a penalty of BBD 480. Lotteries of approved national organisations, charitable lotteries licensed by the Committee and Turf Club and Transport Board lotteries fall outside the Cap. 134 offences (Cap. 134 ss.2 and 26).

Restrictions

Writing, printing or publishing any lottery ticket, list of prizes, result or announcement relating to a public lottery is an offence (Gambling Act, Cap. 134 s.8(f)).
Announcing or publishing that any place is kept as a common gaming house, or inviting anyone to play in one or to take part in a public lottery, is an offence (Cap. 134 s.8(g)).
Advertising or publishing schemes for lotteries is an offence under the Gaming Act (Cap. 135 s.7(b)).

Payments

Credit card ban: Not yet verified
Crypto stance: Not yet verified
Payment blocking regime: No payment blocking regime. Sending or trying to send money or anything of value out of Barbados in connection with a pool bet is an offence unless the sender is registered as a pool betting business, and the Postmaster-General may open suspect postal packets on the Governor-General's warrant and forfeit their contents (Cap. 60 s.5).

Enforcement

ISP blocking: Not yet verified
DNS blocking: Not yet verified
Payment blocking: Not yet verified
App store takedowns: Not yet verified
Administrative penalties: The Committee may cancel or suspend a licence it approved for up to six months for good cause (Cap. 60 s.17(6)); the Comptroller may cancel or refuse to renew registrations and machine licences after a conviction under the Act or for fraud (s.31); unlicensed machines are liable to forfeiture (s.42).
Criminal penalties: Offences under Cap. 60 carry BBD 5,000 or twelve months, and running a racing service business at unregistered premises BBD 50,000 or two years (s.37). Keeping a common gaming house or running a public lottery carries BBD 960 or twelve months (Gambling Act s.8).
Operator liability: Owners, occupiers and managers of a common gaming house and promoters of public lotteries are liable under Cap. 134 s.8; directors and officers of a company are deemed guilty of its Cap. 60 offences unless they show they did not consent and exercised due diligence (Cap. 60 s.40).
Player liability: Playing in a common gaming house, or paying a stake to one or buying a ticket in a public lottery, carries a fine of BBD 24 or two months (Cap. 134 ss.9, 10); gambling in a public place or licensed premises carries the same (s.13).

Notable actions

All betting and gaming operators1 Feb 2021
The Betting and Gaming Committee ordered that no gaming, amusement or slot machines, video lottery terminals, bingo, lotteries, sweepstakes, pool betting or racing service business operate from 3 to 17 February 2021 during the COVID-19 national pause

Timeline

1 Jul 1977
Betting and Gaming Duties Act comes into force, creating the Betting and Gaming Committee
1 Jul 1979
Betting and Gaming Duties Regulations come into force
26 Aug 2010
Amendment brings electronically credited betting machines within the machine gaming rules
4 Aug 2011
Money laundering Act lists gaming institutions as non-financial businesses
Feb 2018
CFATF mutual evaluation finds gaming institutions unsupervised for AML and no casinos
3 Feb 2021
All betting and gaming suspended until 17 February for the COVID-19 national pause
15 Sept 2026
House of Assembly passes the money laundering amendment requiring gaming institutions to register
23 Sept 2026
Senate passes the same amendment without changes

Outlook

The Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention and Control) (Amendment) Act, 2026 passed the Senate on 23 September 2026; once assented and in force, existing gaming institutions have 90 days to register with the Chief Compliance Officer. Watch for the Authority's guidelines on any transaction threshold for gaming, and for whether the online betting and gaming framework announced in 2023 reaches Parliament.

Frequently asked questions

Can an operator get an online gambling licence in Barbados?: No. No Barbados law provides a licence for online casino, poker or betting. A betting and gaming framework covering online gaming was announced in March 2023, but no bill had been tabled by September 2026.
Who regulates gambling in Barbados?: The Betting and Gaming Committee under the Betting and Gaming Duties Act, Cap. 60, with the Comptroller of Customs issuing machine licences and registering betting businesses. Its members are public officers appointed by the Minister.
How is gambling taxed in Barbados?: By duties on turnover and licences, not on revenue: 20 cents in the dollar on most lottery tickets, video lottery terminals and slot machines of approved national organisations, 30% of pool betting stakes (60% for promoters abroad), and BBD 15,000 a year per gaming machine.
Are there casinos in Barbados?: No. The 2018 CFATF evaluation recorded no casinos. Machine gaming is lawful only on approved liquor-licensed premises, and amusement arcades pay BBD 300,000 a year.
What changes for gaming operators under the 2026 money laundering amendment?: Once in force, every gaming institution becomes a designated non-financial business that must register with the Chief Compliance Officer and pay an annual fee, with 90 days for existing operators. Parliament passed it in September 2026.

Sources

Betting and Gaming Duties Act, Cap. 60 (Act 1977-27, L.R.O. 2008 consolidation, First Schedule as amended by S.I. 2008/88)
Barbados Revenue Authority
The consolidation runs to 2008. Section 3(2) lets the Minister vary the First Schedule duties by order, and we did not locate any order after 2008; the rates shown are those in this consolidation. The Act still names the Comptroller of Customs as the licensing officer.
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 31 Dec 2008
Betting and Gaming Duties (Amendment) Act, 2010-16 (Supplement to Official Gazette No. 73, 26 August 2010)
Barbados Revenue Authority
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 26 Aug 2010
Betting and Gaming Duties Regulations, 1979 (L.R.O. 2007)
Barbados Revenue Authority
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 29 Jun 1979
Betting and Gaming Duties Act, Cap. 60: legislation and regulations
Barbados Revenue Authority
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
Letter from the Chairman of the Betting and Gaming Committee to all betting and gaming operators, COVID-19 national pause, 3 to 17 February 2021 (published as "No Betting and Gaming During National Pause")
Barbados Revenue Authority
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 1 Feb 2021
Gambling Act, Cap. 134 (L.R.O. 1979)
Barbados Judicial System (Laws of Barbados)
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
Gaming Act, Cap. 135
Barbados Judicial System (Laws of Barbados)
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
Betting and Gaming Act, Cap. 134A (Act 1984-33, L.R.O. 1985), commencement by proclamation
Barbados Judicial System (Laws of Barbados)
Section 85 brings the Act into force on a date fixed by proclamation and the consolidation shows no commencement date. We found no proclamation. Section 83 would repeal Caps. 60, 134 and 135 in full, yet Cap. 60 was amended in 2010 and is published by the Barbados Revenue Authority as current law, so we treat Cap. 134A as not in force.
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention and Control) Act, 2011-23 (Supplement to Official Gazette No. 63, 4 August 2011), Second Schedule
Financial Services Commission, Barbados
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 4 Aug 2011
Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention and Control) (Amendment) Bill, 2026
Parliament of Barbados
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 14 Sept 2026
Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention and Control) (Amendment) Act, 2026: bill stages (House of Assembly passed 15 September 2026; Senate passed 23 September 2026)
Parliament of Barbados
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 23 Sept 2026
Bills and Resolutions register (keyword searches for gaming, gambling, betting, lottery and casino returned no bills, 23 September 2026)
Parliament of Barbados
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures: Barbados, Mutual Evaluation Report (February 2018)
Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (copy hosted by the BVI Financial Services Commission)
Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published Feb 2018
Where the money goes
The Barbados Lottery
Tier 3Accessed 23 Sept 2026
Barbados Minister of Finance says online gaming regulation bill to be introduced at Parliament (reporting Barbados Today)
Yogonet International
Tier 3Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 28 Mar 2023