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Sovereign state
Latin America
ISO BO

Bolivia: gambling regulation and licensing

  • Online sports bettingProhibited
  • Online casinoRegulated
  • Online pokerRegulated
  • Lottery and iLotteryMonopoly
  • Land-based (reference)Regulated
Regulator
Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego
Headline tax
30% of stakes
Licence required
Yes
Last verified
23 Sept 2026

Summary

Bolivia regulates gambling under Law 060 of 2010, which created the Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego (AJ), a dedicated regulator under the Ministry of Economy and Public Finance and the only body that can license gaming. Private companies incorporated in Bolivia may run casinos, gaming halls and draws under licences of up to ten years, with paid-up capital of at least 1.5 million UFV. Lotteries are reserved to public bodies, in practice the national lottery LONABOL. Betting for profit is banned except as the stake in a game of chance, and sports betting is not among the authorised games. Since 2021 an AJ regulation has also allowed online licences for casino games and draws, restricted to Bolivian IP addresses, with servers for AJ monitoring hosted in Bolivia and a real-time data feed to the regulator. The AJ register lists only one licensed games of chance operator and no online licensee, and in July 2026 it called the online casinos serving Bolivians illegal and said it was going to court. Operators pay the Impuesto al Juego at 30% of gross receipts from selling chips and tickets, net only of VAT, and collect a further 15% participation tax from players. Advertising is confined to the venue or the operator's own website. Law 1733 of May 2026 removed business promotions from the gaming law; the regulator's own figures show that about two thirds of gaming tax collected in 2025 came from the 10% levy on promotions that the law repealed. Enforcement is mostly raids on unlicensed venues.

Common pitfalls

Treating the 30% Impuesto al Juego as a tax on GGR: it is levied on gross receipts from chips and tickets with no deduction for prizes, and the player also pays a 15% participation tax. Assuming offshore online casinos are tolerated: the AJ calls them illegal, and an online licence requires a Bolivian company, Bolivian IP restriction and local monitoring servers. Advertising on social media or third-party websites is not allowed.

Key facts

Regulator
Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego (AJ)
Regulator type
Dedicated regulator
Headline tax
30% of stakes
Licence required
Yes
Minimum age
18+
Tax base
Impuesto al Juego (IJ): 30% of the gross receipts from selling chips, tickets, cards and any other means of access to the game, including online play, with no deduction other than the VAT amount; prizes paid are not deducted (Ley 060 arts. 35 to 39; DS 782 arts. 2, 6 and 7). Paid monthly by the operator to the national treasury.

How to get a gambling licence in Bolivia

The regulator is Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego (AJ).

We record 3 licence types for Bolivia.

Applications
Accepted on a rolling basis
Licence term
Licence to operate games of chance and draws (land-based): Up to 10 years, renewable
Time to licence
The AJ must decide within 30 working days of a complete application, extendable once; an online licensee then has up to two years to build its infrastructure and needs a start-of-operations certificate, issued within 30 days, extendable by 30 (RR 01-00001-21 arts. 12 and 13).
Local presence
A local company or establishment is required; servers must be located locally.
Domain
Online operators must redirect connections made from Bolivia to their .bo website (RR 01-00001-21 art. 31).
Financial guarantee
Minimum paid-up capital of 1,500,000 UFV (Unidades de Fomento de la Vivienda) in cash or assets, held in a Bolivian account in the company's name; gaming systems count towards it only if certified (DS 781 art. 12; RR 01-00002-25 art. 6; RR 01-00001-21 art. 7).
Headline tax
30% of stakes (see Taxation for the full position)

Built from the record on this page, last verified 23 Sept 2026. The Licensing and Taxation sections carry the full detail and sources.

Licensing

Licence required
Yes
Application window
Rolling
Local establishment required
Yes
Local server required
Yes
Local domain required
Online operators must redirect connections made from Bolivia to their .bo website (RR 01-00001-21 art. 31).
Active licences
1 (as of 23 Sept 2026)
Typical time to licence
The AJ must decide within 30 working days of a complete application, extendable once; an online licensee then has up to two years to build its infrastructure and needs a start-of-operations certificate, issued within 30 days, extendable by 30 (RR 01-00001-21 arts. 12 and 13).
Bank guarantee or bond
Minimum paid-up capital of 1,500,000 UFV (Unidades de Fomento de la Vivienda) in cash or assets, held in a Bolivian account in the company's name; gaming systems count towards it only if certified (DS 781 art. 12; RR 01-00002-25 art. 6; RR 01-00001-21 art. 7).
Notable licensees
Curucusi Games S.R.L. (games of chance, Resolution 04-00001-20), Lotería Nacional de Beneficencia y Salubridad, LONABOL (lottery)
Certification requirements
Gaming machines, software and online systems need a certificate of compliance from a certifying company authorised by the AJ; the AJ register lists one, Gaming Laboratories International (Resolution 30-00001-17). Online random number generators must pass statistical tests and the data centre needs at least a Tier III certification.
Barriers to entry
Only private companies incorporated and domiciled in Bolivia whose sole business is games of chance; no sole traders, individuals or joint ventures. Public servants, people with unserved criminal sentences or unpaid state debts, AJ suppliers and people on international sanctions lists may not be shareholders or managers. Applicants file a feasibility study, sworn statements on the origin of funds, criminal record and tax solvency certificates, and a problem gambling prevention plan; the AJ may ask the UIF about the origin of funds. Land-based venues also need municipal zoning approval.

Licence types

  • Licence to operate games of chance and draws (land-based)

    Scope
    Casinos and gaming halls with tables, gaming machines and draws in categories listed in the AJ classifier of authorised games
    Term
    Up to 10 years, renewable
    Renewal terms
    Renewable after evaluation by the AJ (Ley 060 art. 26 c; DS 781 art. 17).
  • Licence to operate online games of chance and draws

    Scope
    Online cards, dice, roulette, machine games and draws offered only to IP addresses assigned to Bolivia
    Term
    Up to 10 years, renewable
    Renewal terms
    Application at least 60 working days before expiry (RR 01-00001-21 art. 19).
  • Lottery licence

    Scope
    Lottery games, reserved to public bodies at national, departmental and municipal level

Taxation

Headline GGR tax
Not yet verified
Effective date
2 Feb 2011
Turnover tax
30%
Withholding mechanism
The operator collects the 15% IPJ from the player as collection agent, shows it separately on each invoice and pays it monthly (Ley 060 arts. 47 and 48).
VAT treatment
Games of chance and draws are treated as services for tax purposes (Ley 060, final article 2), and both IJ and IPJ are calculated after deducting the VAT amount. The VAT rate itself was not verified for this record.
Tax base
Impuesto al Juego (IJ): 30% of the gross receipts from selling chips, tickets, cards and any other means of access to the game, including online play, with no deduction other than the VAT amount; prizes paid are not deducted (Ley 060 arts. 35 to 39; DS 782 arts. 2, 6 and 7). Paid monthly by the operator to the national treasury.

Earmarked levies

  • Impuesto a la Participación en Juegos (IPJ): 15% of the price the player pays to take part, net of VAT (70% national treasury (of which up to 70% to the Ministry of Health and Sports), 15% departmental and 15% municipal governments)

Compliance

Minimum age
18+
National self-exclusion
Registro General de Personas Autoexcluidas y Suspendidas (AJ) (mandatory)
KYC timing
At registration, before access to the online system or entry to the venue
AML regime
Gaming operators are reporting entities under UIF rules; the AJ supervises compliance and sanctions breaches under RR 01-00003-24. Laundering proceeds through games is prosecuted under art. 185 bis of the Penal Code and the establishment is closed permanently (Ley 060 art. 28).
AML supervisor
Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego, applying rules of the Unidad de Investigaciones Financieras
Central monitoring system
Player, financial, accounting and significant-event data from online systems must be transmitted to the AJ data centre in real time through AJ web services (RR 01-00001-21 arts. 40 to 42 and Annex II).
Data localisation
The online operator's control and supervision module must sit in a data centre physically located in Bolivia, and the company is domiciled where its gaming infrastructure is installed (RR 01-00001-21 arts. 9 and 23). Connections from Bolivia to sites outside the .bo domain must be redirected to the operator's .bo site (art. 31).
KYC requirements
Online players register with identity document type and number, full name, gender, date and place of birth, address and a proof of life; the operator must revalidate personal data every quarter (RR 01-00001-21 art. 25). Land-based players must show identity documents, and people on UIF international lists or the self-exclusion register may not play (RR 01-00002-25 arts. 8 and 9).
Stake limits
The AJ has power to set maximum stakes for games of chance (Ley 060 art. 26 j); no general limit was found.
Mandatory player messaging
Online operators must show a responsible gaming link and a link to the AJ list of authorised operators on the home page, information on the chances of winning, and let players see how much they have lost in each game; land-based venues must display the self-exclusion rules and risk messages (RR 01-00005-22 art. 6).
Reporting obligations
Operators must keep accounting records, allow AJ inspections of premises, machines and systems, and forward self-exclusion requests to the AJ within two working days (Ley 060 art. 14; RR 01-00005-22 art. 17).
Game content restrictions
Only games entered in the AJ register of authorised games may be offered; the return to player may not be below 85%; gaming machines may not be activated with cash (RR 01-00001-21 art. 4; Ley 060 art. 15).

Advertising

Advertising permitted
No
Affiliate rules
No affiliate regime was found. Since operators may advertise only on their own premises or website, third-party promotion on websites and social media falls outside what the rules allow (RR 01-00005-22 art. 9 o).
Social media rules
Operators may not advertise on social media (RR 01-00005-22 art. 9 o).
Bonus advertising rules
Operators may not give players free chips, tickets or other means of access to the game (DS 781 art. 9); the online regulation nevertheless refers to bonus credits held in the player's game account (RR 01-00001-21 art. 26).
Mandatory warnings
"Juega con responsabilidad" with the AJ logo and the words "Esta actividad está fiscalizada y controlada por la Autoridad de Juegos", clearly visible in venue advertising and at the end of online operators' web advertising, plus a statement that minors may not take part (RR 01-00005-22 arts. 9 and 10).
Penalties for breach
Breaching AJ rules is a minor infringement fined 2,000 UFV each; a third minor infringement within a year becomes a serious one (Ley 060 art. 28).

Restrictions

  • Operators may not advertise on television, radio, print, social media or websites; they may promote their services only to their own users, and online operators only on their own official website (RR 01-00005-22 art. 9 o)
  • Advertising inside gaming venues must warn about problem gambling and may not present gambling as a solution to personal, work or financial problems or as a financial investment
  • No content linking gambling with personal, family, social or professional success, and no suggestion that skill, experience or repeated play improves the chance of winning
  • No advertising aimed directly or indirectly at minors, and every commercial communication must state that minors may not play (RR 01-00005-22 art. 10)

Payments

Credit card ban
Not yet verified
Crypto stance
Not yet verified
Permitted methods
Credit card (online accounts), Debit card (online accounts), PayPal (online accounts), Prepaid card (online accounts)
Currency restrictions
Online winnings are paid to a savings account at a bank or financial institution, in bolivianos (RR 01-00001-21 art. 26). The online methods listed are the deposit codes in the AJ's data-reporting schema (RR 01-00001-21 Annex II), not a separate list of approved payment methods. In land-based venues operators may not install bank ATMs, accept credit or debit cards, accept goods or securities as stakes, or let people play on credit (Ley 060 art. 15).

Enforcement

ISP blocking
Not yet verified
DNS blocking
Not yet verified
Payment blocking
Not yet verified
App store takedowns
Not yet verified
Administrative penalties
Minor infringements 2,000 UFV each; serious infringements by operators 10,000 UFV; unlicensed operation or unauthorised machines, permanent confiscation plus 5,000 UFV per machine; revocation for very serious infringements such as a third serious breach in a year or transferring the licence (Ley 060 art. 28). The AJ may close venues, seize equipment and have funds retained through ASFI (Ley 211/2011; Ley 717/2015).
Criminal penalties
Money laundering through gaming falls under art. 185 bis of the Penal Code and leads to permanent closure of the establishment (Ley 060 art. 28).
Operator liability
Unlicensed operators face confiscation of machines and gaming equipment, fines per machine and criminal complaints (the AJ reported 138 criminal cases in progress at July 2026); unpaid fines lead to closure until paid with surcharges (Ley 060 arts. 28 and 30).

Notable actions

  • Illegal online casino sites30 Jul 2026

    The AJ warned the public against unlicensed online casinos and said it was taking legal action before the courts

  • Unlicensed gaming venues, January to July 202631 Jul 2026

    12 illegal venues raided and 147 machines or gaming devices seized, with fines of 735,000 UFV

  • Unlicensed gaming house, Santa Cruz2 Sept 2026

    37 gaming machines and four poker tables seized

  • Unauthorised poker game, La Paz5 Sept 2026

    Three poker tables, chips and cards seized

  • Sector-wide, 202531 Dec 2025

    221 sanctioning resolutions issued during 2025

Market data

Figures on this record are drawn from official regulator data.

Online GGR
Not yet verified
Reporting year
2026
Licensed operators
1

Timeline

  1. 25 Nov 2010

    Law 060 sets the basic gaming law, creates the gaming authority and the gaming taxes

  2. 2 Feb 2011

    Supreme Decrees 781 and 782 bring the licensing and tax titles into force

  3. 13 Jul 2015

    Law 717 renames the regulator Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego and adds fund retention powers

  4. 1 Jun 2020

    The AJ licenses Curucusi Games S.R.L. to operate games of chance

  5. 1 Apr 2021

    The AJ issues the regulation for online games of chance licences

  6. 24 Oct 2022

    Responsible gaming regulation creates the national self-exclusion register and restricts advertising

  7. 5 Nov 2025

    New licensing procedure for lottery and games of chance operators

  8. 27 May 2026

    Law 1733 takes business promotions out of the gaming law and repeals the 10% tax on them

  9. 30 Jul 2026

    The AJ warns against illegal online casinos and announces court action

  10. 2 Sept 2026

    Raid on an illegal gaming house in Santa Cruz seizes 37 machines and four poker tables

Outlook

Watch the court action the AJ announced in July 2026 against online casino sites, and whether any operator applies for or receives an online licence under RR 01-00001-21. With business promotions gone from its remit since May 2026, the AJ's work narrows to licensed games, the lottery and illegal gaming. No bill to change the online regime was found in an official source.

Frequently asked questions

Who regulates gambling in Bolivia?
The Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego (AJ), created by Law 060 of 2010 under the Ministry of Economy and Public Finance. It is the only body that can grant gaming licences, and it inspects and sanctions operators.
Is online casino legal in Bolivia?
Only through a Bolivian company holding an AJ online licence under Regulatory Resolution 01-00001-21, with play limited to Bolivian IP addresses. The AJ register lists no online licensee, and the AJ has called the online casinos that serve Bolivians illegal.
Is sports betting legal in Bolivia?
Law 060 art. 8 prohibits betting for profit except as the stake in a game of chance, and sports betting is not among the authorised game categories, so there is no route to a sports betting licence.
How are gaming operators taxed in Bolivia?
The Impuesto al Juego is 30% of gross receipts from selling chips, tickets and other means of access to the game, net only of VAT. Operators also collect a 15% Impuesto a la Participación en Juegos from players on the price paid to play.
What are the requirements for a gaming licence in Bolivia?
A company incorporated and domiciled in Bolivia with gaming as its sole business, paid-up capital of at least 1.5 million UFV, a feasibility study, sworn statements on the origin of funds and a problem gambling prevention plan. Licences run for up to ten years and are renewable.
Does Bolivia have a self-exclusion scheme?
Yes. The AJ keeps a national register of self-excluded and suspended persons that all licensed operators must check. Self-exclusion lasts at least one year and renews automatically unless the player cancels it in writing.
How long does it take to get a gambling licence in Bolivia?
The AJ must decide within 30 working days of a complete application, extendable once; an online licensee then has up to two years to build its infrastructure and needs a start-of-operations certificate, issued within 30 days, extendable by 30 (RR 01-00001-21 arts. 12 and 13). Last verified 23 Sept 2026.

Glossary and directory

Sources

Source tiers. Tier 1: the law, official gazette, licence register or regulator itself. Tier 2: other official sources such as ministries, parliaments, courts and statistics agencies. Only tier 1 and tier 2 sources can support a fact on their own.

  1. Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego, official website

    Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego (AJ)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  2. Ley Nº 060 de 25 de noviembre de 2010, Ley de Juegos de Lotería y de Azar (Gaceta Oficial consultation text)

    Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, text hosted by the Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 25 Nov 2010
  3. Ley Nº 717 de 13 de julio de 2015, modificaciones e incorporaciones a la Ley Nº 060

    Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, text hosted by the Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 13 Jul 2015
  4. Ley Nº 211 de 23 de diciembre de 2011, Presupuesto General del Estado 2012, Disposiciones Adicionales Primera y Segunda (amending Ley 060)

    Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, text hosted by the Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 23 Dec 2011
  5. Decreto Supremo Nº 0781 de 2 de febrero de 2011, Reglamento de Desarrollo Parcial de la Ley Nº 060 relativo al Título III

    Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, text hosted by the Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 2 Feb 2011
  6. Decreto Supremo Nº 0782 de 2 de febrero de 2011, Reglamento de Desarrollo Parcial de la Ley Nº 060 relativo al Título IV (Régimen Tributario)

    Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, text hosted by the Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 2 Feb 2011
  7. Decreto Supremo Nº 2600 de 18 de noviembre de 2015, modificaciones a los Decretos Supremos Nº 0781, Nº 0782 y Nº 2174

    Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, text hosted by the Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 18 Nov 2015
  8. Reglamentos vigentes (list of regulations in force)

    Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego (AJ)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  9. Información Lotería, Azar y Sorteo: juegos autorizados

    Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego (AJ)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  10. Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 28 May 2026
  11. Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 30 Jul 2026
  12. Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 1 Aug 2026
  13. Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 1 Aug 2026
  14. Memoria Institucional 2025

    Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego (AJ)

    Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 1 Jun 2026
  15. Reseña histórica de la Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego

    Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego (AJ)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  16. Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 3 Sept 2026
  17. Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 5 Sept 2026
  18. Consultas, denuncias y reclamos

    Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego (AJ)

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026

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This page is industry reference information and not legal advice.

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