British Virgin Islands: gambling regulation and licensing
Part of United Kingdom
- Online sports bettingPre-regulation
- Online casinoPre-regulation
- Online pokerPre-regulation
- iLotteryPre-regulation
- Horse race bettingPre-regulation
- Land-based (reference)Pre-regulation
- Regulator
- Gaming and Betting Control Commission
- Headline tax
- Not yet verified
- Licence required
- Yes
- Last verified
- 23 Sept 2026
Summary
The British Virgin Islands has a gambling law but no working regulator. The Virgin Islands Gaming and Betting Control Act, 2020 replaced the old Criminal Code ban with a licensing regime to be run by a Gaming and Betting Control Commission. The Act has been in force since July 2021, and an amendment in October 2021 extended its definitions of gaming, betting and bookmaking to play by computer, electronic means or the internet, so online casino, sports betting and lottery products all fall inside it. The Commission, however, has never been constituted. With no body able to grant licences, commercial gaming and betting remain unlawful: conducting them without a licence carries a fine of up to 100,000 dollars or five years in prison. In September 2022 the Premier's Office told casino, gaming and betting operators to stop until licensed, and the CFATF's 2024 mutual evaluation recorded no licensed casinos and a Commission still to be set up. In February 2026 the Government advertised for a Chair, Deputy Chair, Corporate Secretary and Board members, describing a remit that covers horse racing, e-gaming, lotteries and cruise related activities. The Act sets no gaming tax rate. It directs 2.5% and 5% of the money the Commission collects into rehabilitation and development funds, and leaves fees and a horse racing levy to regulations that have not been made. Licences will be open only to individuals aged 25 or over and to BVI companies partnered with a Belonger, and the Act treats anyone under 21 as a minor. Gaming and betting is already relevant business for anti-money laundering purposes, supervised by the Financial Investigation Agency.
Common pitfalls
Reading the 2020 Act as a live regime: it is in force, but with no Commission there is nobody to grant a licence, so any gaming or betting offered in or from the Territory is unlicensed. Treating a BVI business company as authorised to offer gambling: incorporation is not a gaming licence. Confusing the British Virgin Islands with the US Virgin Islands, a separate jurisdiction with its own law.
Key facts
- Regulator
- Gaming and Betting Control Commission (GBCC)
- Regulator type
- Dedicated regulator
- Headline tax
- Not yet verified
- Licence required
- Yes
- Minimum age
- 21+
- Tax base
- Not yet verified
Legal framework
Primary statutes
Virgin Islands Gaming and Betting Control Act, 2020 (No. 14 of 2020)
- Year
- 2020
- In force
- Yes
- Summary
- Establishes the Gaming and Betting Control Commission and a licensing regime for gaming machine locations, bookmakers, pool betting promoters, machine suppliers, software, premises and key staff (ss.29 and 30). Sets offences for unlicensed gaming and betting, a minimum age of 21, rehabilitation and development funds, administrative penalties and an appeals tribunal. Repealed the Criminal Code gambling offence in section 335.
Virgin Islands Gaming and Betting Control (Amendment) Act, 2021 (No. 37 of 2021)
- Year
- 2021
- In force
- Yes
- Summary
- Rewrote the definitions of betting, bookmaker, fixed odds betting, gaming, gaming machine, pool betting, promoter and sports betting so that each covers activity by computer, electronic means or the internet, bringing online gaming and betting inside the licensing requirement.
Secondary instruments
- In force
- Yes
- Summary
- Gaming and betting within the meaning of the 2020 Act is relevant business for transactions of US$3,000 or more, and an entity licensed or registered under the Act must carry out customer due diligence on one-off transactions of that size.
Key amendments
- 9 Jul 2021The 2020 Act brought into force by proclamation.
- 19 Oct 2021Gaming and Betting Control (Amendment) Act, 2021 gazetted, extending the Act to internet and electronic gaming and betting.
Licensing
- Licence required
- Yes
- Application window
- Closed
- Local establishment required
- Yes
- Local server required
- Not yet verified
- Certification requirements
- The Commission approves every game played at a licensed gaming machine location and may designate any machine as a gaming machine (ss.52 and 53); licences may require identification discs and online monitoring software approved by the Commission on gaming and betting machines and devices (s.36(2)(e)).
- Barriers to entry
- No licence can be applied for until the Commission is constituted. When it is, applicants must be individuals aged 25 or over or companies incorporated in the Virgin Islands that partner with a Belonger (s.31(1)); applications are advertised in two local newspapers for public comment and residents and business owners may object (s.31(4) and (6)); owners, directors and key staff must pass a fit and proper test (s.40 and Schedule 3). Key stakeholders in racing may not hold a Bookmakers or Promoters Licence (s.30(3)).
Licence types
Gaming Operators Licence
- Scope
- Operating a gaming machine location for the purpose of conducting gaming (s.30(2)(a))
- Fee basis
- Prescribed fee (s.31(3)); no fee regulations have been made
- Renewal terms
- Expires on the date stated in the licence; the licensee must give at least three months' notice of intention to renew (ss.41 and 42)
Gaming Owners Licence
- Scope
- Owning a gaming machine location; operating it also needs a Gaming Operators Licence (s.30(2)(b))
Bookmakers Licence
- Scope
- Betting other than pool betting, including fixed odds and sports betting by internet since 2021 (s.30(2)(c))
Betting Operators Licence
- Scope
- Operating a betting business; an applicant may hold more than one (ss.30(2)(j) and 58)
Promoters Licence
- Scope
- Staging live racing and conducting pool (pari-mutuel) betting (s.30(2)(d))
Gaming Machine Operating, Gaming Machine Distributor and Technical Operators Licences
- Scope
- Selling or leasing, importing and supplying, and installing or repairing gaming machines (s.30(2)(e) to (g))
Premises Licence and Personal Licence
- Scope
- Premises where licensed activities take place, and key employees of licensed betting or gaming locations (ss.30(2)(h), 30(2)(i), 38 and 39)
Taxation
- Headline GGR tax
- Not yet verified
- Effective date
- Not yet verified
- Tax base
- Not yet verified
Earmarked levies
- Rehabilitation Fund: 2.5% of the monies the Commission collects from gaming and betting, deposited annually (Non-governmental organisations and groups working with people harmed by gaming and betting addiction and their families (s.61))
- Development Fund: 5% of the monies the Commission collects from gaming and betting, deposited annually (Sport, social and community work, arts and culture (s.61))
- Horse racing betting levy: To be prescribed by Commission regulations approved by Cabinet; none made (Gaming and Betting Control Commission (s.60(2)))
Compliance
- Minimum age
- 21+
- National self-exclusion
- Not yet verified
- KYC timing
- Threshold based: one-off transactions of US$3,000 or more
- AML regime
- Gaming and betting is relevant business under reg. 2(1)(l) of the Anti-Money Laundering Regulations for transactions of US$3,000 or more, and every licence is conditional on compliance with AML and counter-terrorist financing law (s.36(1)(e)). The Territory's 2022 money laundering risk assessment, as reported in the CFATF's 2024 mutual evaluation, rated gaming and betting a high-risk emerging product.
- AML supervisor
- Financial Investigation Agency
- KYC requirements
- Customer due diligence is required on one-off transactions of US$3,000 or more, including linked transactions (AML and Terrorist Financing Code of Practice s.19(4)(bb)); licence conditions may also require the recording of users of facilities (s.36(2)(d)).
- Stake limits
- Not yet verified
- Mandatory player messaging
- Rules of all games played in a gaming machine location must be available to patrons at a prominent place, and licensees must help patrons judge the merits of playing a game (s.54).
- Reporting obligations
- Licensees must give seven days' prior notice of changes in directors, management or control, report relevant convictions, and may be required to file annual audited accounts (s.36).
- Game content restrictions
- Only games approved by the Commission may be played at a licensed gaming machine location (s.53).
Advertising
- Advertising permitted
- Not yet verified
- Penalties for breach
- Inviting a minor to game or bet carries a fine of up to 10,000 dollars, two years' imprisonment, or both (s.74(3)).
Restrictions
- Licence conditions may set how licensed activities are advertised (s.36(2)(c))
- Knowingly inviting, causing or permitting a minor (under 21) to game or bet is an offence (s.74)
- Knowingly enticing a person to a place where gaming is conducted in breach of the Act, intending them to play, is prohibited (s.70(3)(d))
Enforcement
- ISP blocking
- Not yet verified
- DNS blocking
- Not yet verified
- Payment blocking
- Not yet verified
- App store takedowns
- Not yet verified
- Administrative penalties
- Notification of contraventions, enforcement notifications enforceable by injunction, and penalties up to the maximum the High Court could impose for the equivalent offence (Part IX, ss.79 to 83); suspension and revocation of licences (ss.44 and 45).
- Criminal penalties
- Conducting gaming or betting or providing facilities without a licence: fine of up to 100,000 dollars or five years' imprisonment (s.68(1)). Using premises without a licence: up to 50,000 dollars or two years (s.67). Supplying gaming software without a licence: up to 5,000 dollars or six months (s.69).
- Operator liability
- Any person who conducts gaming and betting, operates as a bookmaker or promoter, or provides facilities for gaming and betting of any kind without the appropriate licence commits an offence (s.68(1)); since 2021 these activities include those carried out by internet.
- Player liability
- Resorting to premises used for unlicensed betting is an offence punishable by a fine of up to 10,000 dollars or two years' imprisonment (s.72(2)), and betting in a street or public place is an offence (s.73).
Notable actions
- Casino, gaming and betting operators in the Virgin Islands14 Sept 2022
Premier's Office public notice requiring anyone operating casino, gaming or betting services to cease immediately until the Commission is in effect and grants a licence
Timeline
18 Jun 2020
House of Assembly passes the Virgin Islands Gaming and Betting Control Act, 2020
20 Aug 2020
Act gazetted after the Governor's assent on 18 August 2020
9 Jul 2021
Act brought into force
19 Oct 2021
Amendment Act gazetted, extending the regime to internet and electronic gaming and betting
31 Mar 2022
Government invites proposals for a consultancy to set up the Commission and draft its regulations
14 Sept 2022
Premier's Office tells casino, gaming and betting operators to cease until licensed
26 Feb 2024
CFATF mutual evaluation published, recording that the Commission has not been established
4 Nov 2025
Government welcomes the CFATF follow-up report; the casino licensing regime is unchanged
6 Feb 2026
Government advertises for the Chair, Deputy Chair, Corporate Secretary and Board of the Commission, closing 27 February 2026
Outlook
The next step is for Cabinet to appoint the Commission's Board; applications closed on 27 February 2026, and no appointment appears in the Cabinet decisions published up to 17 September 2026. Once constituted, the Commission would have to make regulations under section 85 on fees, licence conditions, betting and lotteries before it could license anyone. The CFATF's next enhanced follow-up report on the Territory is due in November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
- Is online gambling legal in the British Virgin Islands?
- Not yet. The Gaming and Betting Control Act, 2020, as amended in 2021, covers internet gaming and betting, but only a Commission licence makes them lawful and the Commission has not been constituted, so no licence exists.
- Who regulates gambling in the BVI?
- The Act gives the job to the Gaming and Betting Control Commission, whose Board is appointed by Cabinet. The Government advertised for the Board in February 2026. For anti-money laundering purposes gaming and betting is supervised by the Financial Investigation Agency.
- Can an operator apply for a BVI gaming licence?
- Not until the Commission is set up. When it is, applicants must be individuals aged 25 or over or BVI companies that partner with a Belonger, and applications are advertised for public comment.
- What is the minimum gambling age?
- 21. The Act defines a minor as anyone under 21 and makes it an offence to invite a minor to game or bet.
- What tax will licensed operators pay?
- The Act sets no gaming tax rate. Fees and a levy on horse racing bets are left to regulations that have not been made, and the Commission must put 2.5% and 5% of what it collects into rehabilitation and development funds.
Sources
- Virgin Islands Gaming and Betting Control Act, 2020 (No. 14 of 2020), as gazetted 20 August 2020
Attorney General's Chambers, Virgin Islands Laws Online (laws.gov.vg)
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 20 Aug 2020 - Virgin Islands Gaming and Betting Control (Amendment) Act, 2021 (No. 37 of 2021)
Attorney General's Chambers, Virgin Islands Laws Online (laws.gov.vg)
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 19 Oct 2021 - Virgin Islands Laws Online: laws in force listing (checked for regulations made under the Gaming and Betting Control Act)
Attorney General's Chambers, Virgin Islands Laws Online (laws.gov.vg)
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026 - Gaming And Betting Control Act Gazetted For Public Information (Cabinet Office bulletin, archived copy)
Government of the Virgin Islands
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 20 Aug 2020 - Government Seeks Consultancy For Gaming And Betting Control Commission (Premier's Office press release, archived copy)
Government of the Virgin Islands
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 31 Mar 2022 - PUBLIC NOTICE: Casino and Gaming Operators (Premier's Office bulletin, archived copy)
Government of the Virgin Islands
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 14 Sept 2022 - Vacancy: The Gaming and Betting (Gambling) Control Commission (Chair, Deputy Chair, Corporate Secretary and Board members)
Government of the Virgin Islands, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sustainable Development
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 6 Feb 2026 - Cabinet decisions, published November 2024 to 17 September 2026 (none concern the Gaming and Betting Control Commission)
Government of the Virgin Islands, Cabinet Office
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026 - British Virgin Islands Makes Progress in FATF Ratings
Government of the Virgin Islands, Financial Investigation Agency
Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 4 Nov 2025 - Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures: Virgin Islands (British), Fourth Round Mutual Evaluation Report
Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF)
Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 26 Feb 2024 - Virgin Islands (British): 2nd Enhanced Follow-up Report and Technical Compliance Re-Rating, October 2025
Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF)
Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 29 Oct 2025 - British Virgin Islands' progress in strengthening measures to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing
Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026 - Tier 3Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 29 Oct 2021