Is online gambling legal in Cuba?

No. No gambling of any kind is authorised, so any game of chance played for gain is an illicit game under the Penal Code, and running or promoting one carries one to three years in prison or a fine of 300 to 1,000 quotas, or both (Law No. 151/2022, art. 281). No statute addresses online gambling separately.

Is it an offence to play?

No provision found makes playing an offence. Penal Code art. 281 targets bankers, collectors, bet-takers and promoters, and art. 405 punishes inducing a person under 18 to take part in illicit games.

Can gambling be advertised?

No. Law No. 162/2023 bars content that reflects or stimulates games of chance, Decree No. 102/2024 applies that rule to advertising, and promoting illicit games is part of the Penal Code offence in art. 281.

Sovereign state

Latin America

ISO CU

Cuba: gambling regulation and licensing

Online casinoProhibited
Online sports bettingProhibited
Online pokerProhibited
iLotteryProhibited
Land-based (reference)Prohibited

Regulator: Not yet verified
Headline tax: Not yet verified
Licence required: Not yet verified
Last verified: 24 Sept 2026

Summary

Cuba prohibits all gambling. There is no regulator, no licensing regime, no state lottery and no legal casino: GAFILAT's 2015 mutual evaluation records that casinos and other games of chance have been prohibited since Law No. 86 of 1959 and treats the casino sector as non-existent. The main offence is in the Penal Code of 2022 (Law No. 151/2022). Article 281 punishes anyone acting as banker, collector, bet-taker or promoter of illicit games with one to three years in prison or a fine of 300 to 1,000 quotas, or both, rising to three to eight years where two or more people act together or minors are used. Illicit games are defined as those expressly banned or lacking any legal authorisation, played for gain, where the outcome depends on chance; because no authorisation exists, the definition covers every gambling product, online or offline. No provision makes playing an offence, although inducing a minor to take part carries two to five years. Decree No. 160/2026, in force since early August 2026, lists games of chance and betting as an activity of absolute prohibition for all private enterprises, cooperatives and self-employed workers, for reasons of public order and social protection. Law No. 162/2023 on Social Communication bars media and advertising content that reflects or stimulates games of chance. There is no gaming tax. Companies and other legal persons may use virtual assets only with Central Bank authorisation. No bill to open or regulate the market was found; the next scheduled milestone is GAFILAT's new evaluation of Cuba, with plenary discussion provisionally listed for December 2026.

Common pitfalls

Assuming a state lottery or state casino exists: GAFILAT records that casinos and other games of chance have been prohibited since 1959. Citing art. 219 of the Penal Code: that was the 1987 code, repealed by Law No. 151/2022, where the offence is now art. 281. Reading the lawful cockfights under Decree No. 38/2021 as lawful betting: the decree regulates animal welfare and does not provide for wagering. Assuming the rules on private businesses leave a route through a licence: Decree No. 160/2026 classes gambling as an absolute prohibition, a category no authorisation can lift.

Key facts

Regulator: Not yet verified
Regulator type: No dedicated regulator
Headline tax: Not yet verified
Licence required: Not yet verified
Minimum age: Not yet verified
Tax base: No gaming tax applies because all gambling is prohibited and there is no licensed or state operator (Penal Code art. 281; Decree No. 160/2026, Annex, item 73).

Legal framework

Primary statutes

Law No. 151/2022, Penal Code
Ley 151/2022 "Código Penal"
Year
2022
In force
Yes
Summary
Approved by the National Assembly on 15 May 2022, published on 1 September 2022 and in force 90 days after publication; it repeals the 1987 Penal Code (Law No. 62). Art. 281 (Title VII, crimes against public order, Chapter XI, illicit games): 1. anyone acting as banker, collector, bet-taker (apuntador) or promoter of illicit games is punished by one to three years in prison or a fine of 300 to 1,000 quotas, or both; 2. the same penalty applies to using animals in an illicit game and mistreating them; 3. two to five years or 500 to 1,000 quotas if the animals are injured or killed; 4. three to eight years where the offence is committed by two or more persons or using persons under 18. Annex, definition 1(o): illicit games are those expressly proscribed by law or lacking any legal authorisation, played for gain or any financial interest, where winning or losing depends on chance or other factors outside the participants' control. Art. 405.1: inducing a person under 18 to take part in illicit games is punished by two to five years or 500 to 1,000 quotas, or both. Art. 40.2: each fine quota is set by the court at CUP 10 to 200. Art. 324: laundering the proceeds of any crime is punished by five to twelve years.
Decree No. 160/2026 on the activities not authorised or conditioned for private enterprises, private MSMEs, non-agricultural cooperatives and self-employed workers
Decreto 160/2026 "De las actividades no autorizadas o condicionadas para el ejercicio por las empresas privadas, micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas privadas, las cooperativas no agropecuarias y trabajadores por cuenta propia"
Year
2026
In force
Yes
Summary
Signed on 22 July 2026, published on 28 July 2026 and in force seven days after publication; it repeals Decree No. 107 of 2024. Non-state actors may carry on any lawful activity except those listed in the single annex (art. 3). An activity of absolute prohibition is not authorised to any non-state actor because it is a risk that cannot be regulated (art. 4(a)). Annex item 73: games of chance and betting (CNAE 9200) are an activity of absolute prohibition, for reasons of public order and social protection. The list is read literally, without analogy (art. 5.1), and is reviewed at least every two years (final provision one). State enterprises are outside its scope (art. 2).
Law No. 162/2023 on Social Communication
Ley 162/2023 "De Comunicación Social"
Year
2023
In force
Yes
Summary
Approved on 25 May 2023, published on 5 June 2024 and in force 120 days after publication. Art. 13.3(g): content may in no case reflect or stimulate pornography, prostitution, games of chance or themes that incite drug use. Art. 14: a breach engages liability under the law.
Decree-Law No. 317/2013 on the prevention and detection of money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation and illicit capital movements
Decreto-Ley 317/2013
Year
2013
In force
Yes
Summary
Cuba's AML/CFT framework, published in Official Gazette Extraordinary No. 8 of 2014 and modified by Decree-Law No. 361 of 2018. Art. 5.1 makes the Central Bank of Cuba the governing authority for AML directives for the banking and financial system (as recited in Resolution No. 215/2021). It contains no gambling sector, because the sector is prohibited.

Secondary instruments

Decree No. 102/2024, Regulation on advertising and sponsorship
Decreto 102/2024 "Reglamento para el ejercicio de la publicidad y el patrocinio"
Year
2024
In force
Yes
Summary
Art. 4: advertising messages in physical and digital public spaces follow the content rules of arts. 13 to 17, 77 and 78 of Law No. 162/2023, which include the bar on content reflecting or stimulating games of chance. Art. 155: athletes, teams, events and entities of the sports system may not promote prohibited products or services. Arts. 167 to 169 set fines for advertising infractions, CUP 10,000 for other unlawful advertising (art. 167(ñ)).
Decree No. 38/2021, Regulation of Decree-Law No. 31 on Animal Welfare
Decreto 38/2021 "Reglamento del Decreto-Ley 31 de Bienestar Animal"
Year
2021
In force
Yes
Summary
The head of the provincial animal health department authorises cockfights organised by the clubs of the state Flora and Fauna Business Group (art. 2); applications are made a month ahead and events are inspected for animal welfare (arts. 3 to 6). Nothing in the decree authorises wagering.
Central Bank of Cuba Resolution No. 215/2021 on virtual assets
Resolución 215/2021 del Banco Central de Cuba
Year
2021
In force
Yes
Summary
The Central Bank may, for socio-economic reasons, authorise the use of specific virtual assets in commercial transactions and license virtual asset service providers (para. 3). Legal persons may use virtual assets only where the Central Bank authorises it (para. 4), and financial institutions must avoid being used for virtual asset transactions between natural persons involving unauthorised assets or providers (para. 6).

Key amendments

Feb 1959Law No. 86 prohibits casinos and other games of chance (as recorded by GAFILAT; text not retrieved).
1 Sept 2022Law No. 151/2022 replaces the 1987 Penal Code (Law No. 62, whose art. 219 GAFILAT cited for the casino ban) with a new code whose art. 281 punishes the organisers of illicit games.
5 Jun 2024Law No. 162/2023 and Decree No. 102/2024 published, barring media and advertising content that reflects or stimulates games of chance.
28 Jul 2026Decree No. 160/2026 published, repealing Decree No. 107 of 2024 and classing games of chance and betting as an activity of absolute prohibition for non-state actors.

Licensing

Licence required: Not yet verified
Application window: Not yet verified
Local establishment required: Not yet verified
Local server required: Not yet verified
Barriers to entry: The market is closed. Any game of chance played for gain without legal authorisation is an illicit game under the Penal Code, and organising one carries one to three years in prison (Law No. 151/2022, art. 281). Decree No. 160/2026 makes games of chance and betting an activity of absolute prohibition for private enterprises, MSMEs, cooperatives and the self-employed. There is no route to a licence for a domestic or foreign operator.

Licence types

None available
Scope
No licence exists for any form of gambling, online or land-based, and no state operator or lottery exists. Decree No. 160/2026 puts games of chance and betting in the category of absolute prohibition, which no non-state actor may be authorised to carry on.

Taxation

Headline GGR tax: Not yet verified
Effective date: Not yet verified
Tax base: No gaming tax applies because all gambling is prohibited and there is no licensed or state operator (Penal Code art. 281; Decree No. 160/2026, Annex, item 73).

Compliance

Minimum age: Not yet verified
National self-exclusion: Not yet verified
AML regime: Decree-Law No. 317/2013, modified by Decree-Law No. 361/2018, is the AML/CFT framework. There is no gambling sector to supervise: GAFILAT's 2015 mutual evaluation lists casinos among the designated non-financial businesses that do not exist in Cuba because they are prohibited. Laundering the proceeds of any crime, including illicit games, carries five to twelve years under Penal Code art. 324. Cuba's next GAFILAT evaluation shows a possible onsite visit in May 2026 and plenary discussion in December 2026.
AML supervisor: None for gambling. The Central Bank of Cuba is the governing authority for AML directives for the banking and financial system (Decree-Law No. 317/2013, art. 5.1).
KYC requirements: Not yet verified
Stake limits: Not yet verified

Advertising

Advertising permitted: No
Sponsorship rules: Decree No. 102/2024, art. 155, bars the sports system from promoting prohibited products or services; gambling is not named in the article.
Penalties for breach: Administrative measures under Decree No. 102/2024, arts. 168 to 172, imposed by the Institute of Information and Social Communication, including a CUP 10,000 fine for other unlawful advertising (arts. 167(ñ) and 169(g)). Promoting illicit games: one to three years in prison or 300 to 1,000 fine quotas, or both (Penal Code art. 281.1).

Restrictions

Law No. 162/2023 on Social Communication, art. 13.3(g): content may in no case reflect or stimulate games of chance.
Decree No. 102/2024, art. 4: advertising in physical and digital public spaces must follow the content rules of Law No. 162/2023, including art. 13.
Decree No. 102/2024, art. 155: athletes, teams, events and entities of the sports system may not promote prohibited products or services.
Promoting illicit games is itself an element of the Penal Code offence: art. 281.1 punishes the promoter of illicit games.

Payments

Credit card ban: Not yet verified
Crypto stance: Not yet verified
Payment blocking regime: No statutory duty on banks or payment providers to block gambling transactions was found. Financial institutions and other legal persons may use virtual assets only where the Central Bank of Cuba authorises it, and financial institutions must avoid being used for virtual asset transactions between natural persons involving unauthorised assets or providers (Resolution No. 215/2021, paras. 3, 4 and 6). Virtual asset transactions between natural persons are not prohibited, but those persons bear the civil and criminal risks (para. 8).

Enforcement

ISP blocking: Not yet verified
DNS blocking: Not yet verified
Payment blocking: Not yet verified
App store takedowns: Not yet verified
Administrative penalties: Unlawful advertising: preventive notice, cessation of the campaign and fines, CUP 10,000 for other unlawful advertising (Decree No. 102/2024, arts. 167 to 169). No administrative sanction specific to gambling was reviewed.
Criminal penalties: Acting as banker, collector, bet-taker or promoter of illicit games: one to three years in prison or a fine of 300 to 1,000 quotas (CUP 10 to 200 each, so CUP 3,000 to 200,000), or both; three to eight years where two or more persons act together or persons under 18 are used (Penal Code arts. 40.2 and 281). Illicit games using animals that are injured or killed: two to five years or 500 to 1,000 quotas (art. 281.3). Inducing a person under 18 to take part in illicit games: two to five years or 500 to 1,000 quotas, or both (art. 405.1). Laundering the proceeds: five to twelve years (art. 324.1).
Operator liability: Bankers, collectors, bet-takers and promoters of illicit games (Penal Code art. 281.1).
Player liability: No provision found that makes playing an offence. Penal Code art. 281 targets those who run or promote illicit games; administrative contravention rules were not reviewed.

Timeline

Feb 1959
Law No. 86 prohibits casinos and other games of chance, as recorded by GAFILAT
7 Dec 2013
Decree-Law No. 317 on anti-money laundering adopted
17 Dec 2015
GAFILAT mutual evaluation of Cuba published; casinos treated as not applicable because prohibited
10 Apr 2021
Decree-Law No. 31 on Animal Welfare and Decree No. 38 published, setting an authorisation procedure for cockfights organised by Flora and Fauna Business Group clubs
26 Aug 2021
Central Bank Resolution No. 215 on virtual assets published
1 Sept 2022
New Penal Code (Law No. 151/2022) published, with art. 281 on illicit games; in force 90 days later
5 Jun 2024
Law No. 162/2023 on Social Communication and Decree No. 102/2024 on advertising published
28 Jul 2026
Decree No. 160/2026 published, classing games of chance and betting as an activity of absolute prohibition for non-state actors

Outlook

Nothing in the legislative pipeline would open the market: Decree No. 160/2026 has just restated the absolute prohibition of games of chance and betting for non-state actors, and no bill to license gambling was found. The Council of Ministers must review that decree at least every two years (final provision one). The FATF country page lists May 2026 as the possible onsite period for GAFILAT's next mutual evaluation of Cuba and December 2026 for its plenary discussion; the 2015 evaluation treated casinos as not applicable because they are prohibited, and the new report will show whether that treatment is kept under Law No. 151/2022.

Frequently asked questions

Is online gambling legal in Cuba?: No. No gambling of any kind is authorised, so any game of chance played for gain is an illicit game under the Penal Code, and running or promoting one carries one to three years in prison or a fine of 300 to 1,000 quotas, or both (Law No. 151/2022, art. 281). No statute addresses online gambling separately.
Can a foreign or private operator obtain a licence?: No. There is no licensing regime, and Decree No. 160/2026 classes games of chance and betting as an activity of absolute prohibition for private enterprises, MSMEs, cooperatives and the self-employed.
Does Cuba have a state lottery or casinos?: No. GAFILAT records that casinos and other games of chance have been prohibited since Law No. 86 of 1959, and treated the casino sector as non-existent in its 2015 evaluation.
Is it an offence to play?: No provision found makes playing an offence. Penal Code art. 281 targets bankers, collectors, bet-takers and promoters, and art. 405 punishes inducing a person under 18 to take part in illicit games.
Can gambling be advertised?: No. Law No. 162/2023 bars content that reflects or stimulates games of chance, Decree No. 102/2024 applies that rule to advertising, and promoting illicit games is part of the Penal Code offence in art. 281.

Sources

Law No. 151/2022, Penal Code, Official Gazette Ordinary Edition No. 93 of 1 September 2022, GOC-2022-861-O93 (arts. 40, 281, 324 and 405; Annex, definition 1(o); final provisions)
Ministry of Justice, Official Gazette of the Republic of Cuba (Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba) (translated)
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 1 Sept 2022
Gazette record for Law No. 151 of 2022 (Penal Code): norms it repeals, including Law No. 62 of 1987
Ministry of Justice, Official Gazette of the Republic of Cuba (Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba) (translated)
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 1 Sept 2022
Decree No. 160/2026 on the activities not authorised or conditioned for private enterprises, private micro, small and medium enterprises, non-agricultural cooperatives and self-employed workers, Official Gazette Ordinary Edition No. 62 of 28 July 2026, GOC-2026-412-O62 (arts. 1 to 5, final provisions, Annex item 73)
Ministry of Justice, Official Gazette of the Republic of Cuba (Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba) (translated)
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 28 Jul 2026
Gazette record for Decree No. 107 of 2024 on activities not authorised for private MSMEs, cooperatives and self-employed workers of 2 August 2024, marked repealed by Decree No. 160 of 2026 (final provision three)
Ministry of Justice, Official Gazette of the Republic of Cuba (Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba) (translated)
Only the gazette record was read, not the text of Decree No. 107; it is cited for its repeal, not its content.
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026
Law No. 162/2023 on Social Communication (GOC-2024-338-O48, arts. 13 and 14, final provision nine) and Decree No. 102/2024, Regulation on advertising and sponsorship (GOC-2024-340-O48, arts. 4, 155 and 167 to 172), Official Gazette Ordinary Edition No. 48 of 5 June 2024
Ministry of Justice, Official Gazette of the Republic of Cuba (Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba) (translated)
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 5 Jun 2024
Decree-Law No. 31/2021 on Animal Welfare (GOC-2021-332-EX25) and Decree No. 38/2021, its Regulation (GOC-2021-333-EX25, arts. 2 to 6), Official Gazette Extraordinary Edition No. 25 of 10 April 2021
Ministry of Justice, Official Gazette of the Republic of Cuba (Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba) (translated)
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 10 Apr 2021
Central Bank of Cuba Resolution No. 215/2021 on virtual assets and virtual asset service providers, Official Gazette Extraordinary Edition No. 73 of 26 August 2021, GOC-2021-814-EX73 (recitals and paras. 1 to 8)
Ministry of Justice, Official Gazette of the Republic of Cuba (Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba) (translated)
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 26 Aug 2021
Gazette record for Decree-Law No. 317 of 2013 on the prevention and detection of money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation and illicit capital movements (Official Gazette Extraordinary No. 8 of 2014), modified by Decree-Law No. 361 of 2018
Ministry of Justice, Official Gazette of the Republic of Cuba (Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba) (translated)
Only the gazette record was read, not the decree-law text.
Tier 1Accessed 24 Sept 2026
Mutual Evaluation Report of the Republic of Cuba, GAFILAT 15 I PLEN 2 (paras. 108, 136, 461 and 568; technical compliance paras. CT12 and CT269)
Financial Action Task Force of Latin America (GAFILAT) (translated)
Attributes the prohibition of casinos and other games of chance to Law No. 86 of February 1959 and to art. 219 of the former Penal Code (Law No. 62 of 1987), which Law No. 151/2022 has since repealed. The text of Law No. 86 of 1959 was not retrieved; it predates the online gazette archive.
Tier 2Accessed 24 Sept 2026Published 17 Dec 2015
Cuba: country page (assessment body, last evaluation, possible onsite period and plenary discussion)
Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
Tier 2Accessed 24 Sept 2026