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Trinidad and Tobago: gambling regulation and licensing

  • Online sports bettingProhibited
  • Online casinoUnregulated
  • Online pokerUnregulated
  • iLotteryMonopoly
  • Horse race bettingRegulated
  • Land-based (reference)Regulated
Regulator
Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission
Headline tax
Not yet verified
Licence required
Yes
Last verified
23 Sept 2026

Summary

Trinidad and Tobago runs gambling under laws from the 1950s and 1960s while a modern regime waits to be switched on. The Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Act 2021, assented on 12 July 2021, creates the Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission, eleven licence types, annual taxes per gaming table and slot machine, and funds for problem gambling and community projects. Only Parts I, II and X are in force, so the Commission exists and is publishing fees, guidance and a licensing portal, but cannot yet license anyone. Until the rest is proclaimed the Gambling and Betting Act 1963 applies. Registered members' clubs holding a gambling certificate under the Registration of Clubs Act offer casino games and pay the Board of Inland Revenue an annual gaming tax per table and device, from TT$24,000 per slot machine to TT$150,000 per table. Bars may host up to 33 amusement games, taxed since the Finance Act 2026 at TT$3,125 each a quarter. Betting is lawful only through licensed betting offices, pool betting and the turf clubs: fixed-odds bets carry a 10% tax or a TT$400,000 annual levy, whichever is greater, payable to the Betting Levy Board, and turf club pool bets a duty of 10% in Trinidad and 2.5% in Tobago, payable to the Board of Inland Revenue. The National Lotteries Control Board holds the lottery monopoly through about 1,100 lottery centres, and cash prizes above TT$1,000 bear a 10% winnings tax. No law licenses online gambling and the Commission says remote gambling licences are unavailable. The Finance Act 2025 raised illegal lottery penalties to TT$3 million and seven years and made it an offence to take bets on NLCB draw results outside the agent network. The FY2025 Budget expected full proclamation in January 2025; it has not happened.

Common pitfalls

Treating the 2021 Act as either fully in force or not in force at all: Parts I, II and X are in force, the licensing and tax Parts are not. Saying private members' clubs pay no gaming tax: they pay a fixed annual tax per table and device to the Board of Inland Revenue, at the amounts later copied into Schedule 5. Citing the 2016 consolidation's club tax rates, which the 2017 Order doubled, or its TT$3,000 amusement game tax and 20-game cap, both changed since by the 2017 Order and the Finance Acts 2025 and 2026. Reading the NLCB's "on-line lottery" as internet lottery: it means terminal draws sold through agents.

Key facts

Regulator
Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission (GCC)
Regulator type
Dedicated regulator
Headline tax
Not yet verified
Licence required
Yes
Minimum age
18+
Tax base
Betting is taxed on stakes: 10% of all fixed-odds bets at a licensed betting office, or a TT$400,000 annual levy if greater (Gambling and Betting Act s.36), 10% of bets placed with the National Tote System (s.34A), both paid to the Betting Levy Board, and a pool betting duty on turf club bets of 10% for Trinidad race meetings and 2.5% for Tobago (s.34), paid to the Board of Inland Revenue (Fourth Schedule). Casino-style gaming in members' clubs pays a fixed annual gaming tax per table and device, and bar amusement games TT$3,125 each a quarter, to the Board of Inland Revenue. There is no tax on gaming revenue.

Licensing

Licence required
Yes
Application window
Closed
Local establishment required
Yes
Local server required
Not yet verified
Local director required
Yes
Bank guarantee or bond
Members' clubs deposit TT$500,000 with the Comptroller of Accounts to meet valid player claims (Registration of Clubs Act s.23B); betting office licensees other than the Turf Club deposit TT$100,000 in the Treasury to meet valid claims (Gambling and Betting Act s.33).
Barriers to entry
No Commission licence can be applied for until the licensing Parts of the 2021 Act are proclaimed; new operators may not open until licensed, while existing clubs, betting shops and machine operators get three months to notify the Commission and keep trading. A foreign applicant must incorporate in Trinidad and Tobago and have a registered local individual manage the company. There is no route for online gambling.

Licence types

  • Members' club gambling certificate (Registration of Clubs Act, in force)

    Scope
    Casino-style table games and slot machines in a registered members' club, for members and their guests
    Term
    Annual (registration applications by 15 January each year)
    Fee basis
    Annual gaming tax per table and device (TT$24,000 per slot machine to TT$150,000 per table) plus a TT$500,000 deposit with the Comptroller of Accounts
    Renewal terms
    Renewed each year by the Licensing Committee on proof of no gaming tax arrears for the previous six years (s.9A)
  • Amusement games on liquor-licensed premises (Liquor Licences Act, in force)

    Scope
    Up to 33 amusement games with a maximum payout of TT$5,000 a game
    Fee basis
    Gaming tax of TT$3,125 a quarter per amusement game and TT$30,000 a quarter per electronic roulette device (Finance Act 2026)
    Renewal terms
    Licence renewal requires proof of no gaming tax arrears for the previous six years
  • Betting office licence and permit (Gambling and Betting Act, in force)

    Scope
    Fixed-odds and pool betting at licensed betting offices
    Fee basis
    10% of fixed-odds bets or a TT$400,000 annual levy, whichever is greater, paid to the Betting Levy Board
  • Gaming Operator's Licence (2021 Act, not in force)

    Scope
    Conducting casino gaming
    Term
    2 years
    Application fee
    TTD 500
    Fee basis
    Published by the Commission: TT$35,000 a year for a large casino (above 130 gaming instruments), TT$28,000 medium (95 to 130), TT$21,000 small (41 to 95); micro gaming operator (up to 40 electronic devices, no live tables) TT$15,000
    Renewal terms
    Notify intention to renew six months before expiry (s.43)
  • Gaming Owner's Licence (2021 Act, not in force)

    Scope
    Owning a gaming operation; the holder pays the Schedule 5 taxes
    Term
    3 years (2 years for micro operators)
    Application fee
    TTD 500
    Fee basis
    Published by the Commission: TT$50,000 a year large, TT$35,000 medium, TT$25,000 small, TT$20,000 micro
  • Betting Operator's and Bookmaker's Licences (2021 Act, not in force)

    Scope
    Fixed-odds, sports and pool betting
    Term
    Betting operator 2 years; bookmaker 3 years
    Application fee
    TTD 500
    Fee basis
    Published by the Commission: betting operator TT$35,000 a year (fixed odds and sports) or TT$7,000 (pool); bookmaker TT$140,000; promoter TT$16,700
  • Premises, gaming machine, technical and personal licences (2021 Act, not in force)

    Scope
    Premises (TT$14,000 to TT$175,000 a year), gaming machine operating and distributor licences scaled by machine count, technical operator (TT$5,000), key person (TT$5,000) and non-key person (TT$700) licences; gaming lounges file a TT$500 notification
    Term
    2 or 3 years
    Application fee
    TTD 500
    Fee basis
    Published by the Commission; grant fee TT$500, variation TT$5,000
    Renewal terms
    Renewal fee equals the licence fee

Taxation

Headline GGR tax
Not yet verified
Effective date
Not yet verified
Turnover tax
10%
Player winnings tax
Lottery winnings tax of 10% on national lottery cash prizes above TT$1,000, withheld by the NLCB and its agents and paid to the Board of Inland Revenue by the 15th of the following month (Miscellaneous Taxes Act Part IIA, inserted by the Finance Act 2017; effective 13 August 2018).
Withholding mechanism
The NLCB and its agents withhold the lottery winnings tax before paying the prize.
Tax base
Betting is taxed on stakes: 10% of all fixed-odds bets at a licensed betting office, or a TT$400,000 annual levy if greater (Gambling and Betting Act s.36), 10% of bets placed with the National Tote System (s.34A), both paid to the Betting Levy Board, and a pool betting duty on turf club bets of 10% for Trinidad race meetings and 2.5% for Tobago (s.34), paid to the Board of Inland Revenue (Fourth Schedule). Casino-style gaming in members' clubs pays a fixed annual gaming tax per table and device, and bar amusement games TT$3,125 each a quarter, to the Board of Inland Revenue. There is no tax on gaming revenue.

Scheduled changes

  • Schedule 5 taxes payable by Gaming Owner's licensees to the Commission, at the same amounts as the current club gaming tax from On proclamation of the remaining Parts; expected January 2025 in the FY2025 Budget and not yet proclaimed
    Enacted

    On full proclamation of the 2021 Act the per-table and per-machine taxes move from the Registration of Clubs Act to Schedule 5, payable to the Commission, and the two funds start

Earmarked levies

  • Club gaming tax (Registration of Clubs Act s.23 and Schedule): Per year: TT$24,000 per slot machine; TT$60,000 per poker table or other table or device; TT$70,000 per dice table; TT$100,000 per baccarat table; TT$120,000 per blackjack or roulette table or electronic roulette device; TT$150,000 per Caribbean stud, Rum 32 or Sip Sam table (Board of Inland Revenue)
  • Gaming tax on amusement games (Liquor Licences Act s.20B, as replaced by the Finance Act 2026): TT$3,125 per amusement game per quarter; TT$30,000 per electronic roulette device per quarter (Board of Inland Revenue)
  • Rehabilitation Fund and Development Fund (2021 Act s.64, not in force): The Commission deposits amounts equal to 2.5% of the monies it collects from gaming and 5% of those from betting, by 30 September each year (Problem gambling programmes; sport, social and community work, arts and culture)

Compliance

Minimum age
18+
National self-exclusion
Not yet verified
KYC timing
At the TT$10,000 transaction threshold
AML regime
Proceeds of Crime Act and Financial Obligations Regulations 2010: private members' clubs are listed businesses that must have an approved compliance programme and report suspicious transactions to the FIUTT (s.55A). The 2021 Act names the FIUTT as AML/CFT/PF supervisor of gambling establishments.
AML supervisor
Financial Intelligence Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (FIUTT)
Source of funds thresholds
Customer due diligence at TT$10,000 in members' clubs and betting businesses; large transaction threshold TT$50,000.
KYC requirements
Members' clubs and betting licensees must apply customer due diligence under the Financial Obligations Regulations to any transaction of TT$10,000 or more, or linked transactions reaching that amount (regulation 11(1A)); all listed businesses must watch transactions of TT$50,000 or more (Proceeds of Crime Act s.55(3C)). Under the 2021 Act licensees will register with the FIUTT within five business days of licensing.
Stake limits
Not yet verified
Mandatory player messaging
Premises hosting amusement games must display a sign stating that individuals under 18 are not allowed in that part of the premises, and each game must show its TT$5,000 maximum payout (Liquor Licences Act s.20A).
Reporting obligations
Members' clubs file an annual return of tables and devices with the Board of Inland Revenue within 15 days of the certificate and pay the gaming tax, with 20% a year interest on late payment; bar operators file a return for amusement games and pay the tax each quarter; betting office licensees pay the 10% tax weekly by the following Wednesday. Under the 2021 Act licensees will report changes within 14 days and lodge audited accounts within four months of the year end.
Game content restrictions
Amusement games may pay out no more than TT$5,000 a game (Gambling and Betting Act s.10(2)); gambling in members' clubs must give equal chances to all players and be open only to members of more than 24 hours' standing and their guests (s.11).

Minimum age by vertical

  • Land-based (reference): 21+

Advertising

Advertising permitted
Not yet verified
Affiliate rules
The Commission's 2025 advertising guidance applies to third-party marketers and affiliates acting for a licensee, and the licensee must monitor them.
Penalties for breach
Lottery advertising offences: TT$250,000 and three years on summary conviction, or TT$3 million and seven years on indictment (s.19(1A)).

Restrictions

  • Printing, publishing or distributing any advertisement for a lottery that is not exempt, promoted in Trinidad and Tobago or elsewhere, is an offence (Gambling and Betting Act s.19), now punishable by up to TT$250,000 and three years on summary conviction.
  • Announcing or publishing that premises are open as a common gaming house, or inviting anyone to play in one, is an offence (s.4(d)).
  • Offering or advertising tickets for NLCB draw results by anyone other than an NLCB agent is an offence (National Lotteries Act s.33, from the Finance Act 2025).
  • For licensees once Commission licensing starts, the Commission's Guidance Notes for Ethical Advertising (September 2025) require prior Commission approval of every advertisement, a clear responsible gambling message, a statement that minors may not gamble, the licensee's legal identity, an opt-out in electronic marketing, and no advertising aimed at under 18s or on or near secondary schools, colleges or universities.

Payments

Credit card ban
Not yet verified
Crypto stance
Not yet verified
Payment blocking regime
No payment blocking regime. Sending money or anything of value out of Trinidad and Tobago in connection with a betting transaction, other than to a foreign pools operator, is an offence with a fine of TT$750 (Gambling and Betting Act s.43), and postal articles suspected of carrying such money may be opened on warrant (s.44).

Enforcement

ISP blocking
Not yet verified
DNS blocking
Not yet verified
Payment blocking
Not yet verified
App store takedowns
Not yet verified
Administrative penalties
Licensing Committees may cancel a members' club certificate for unpaid gaming tax or undisplayed tax tags, and a bar's licence for amusement game breaches; betting office licences may be revoked for unpaid tax or levy.
Criminal penalties
Unlicensed betting business: TT$250,000 and two years (Gambling and Betting Act s.28(3)). Lottery offences: TT$250,000 and three years on summary conviction, TT$3 million and seven years on indictment (s.19, as amended in 2025), with the same penalties for taking plays on NLCB results outside the agent network (National Lotteries Act s.33). Keeping a common gaming house: TT$1,500 or twelve months (s.4). Unpaid betting tax or levy: TT$250,000 and two years (s.36(5)).
Operator liability
Owners, occupiers and managers of a common gaming house, unlicensed bookmakers and promoters of unlawful lotteries are criminally liable; the Secretary of a members' club answers for its gaming tax, returns and deposit.
Player liability
Gambling in a common gaming house carries TT$750 or six months (s.5); placing a bet with an unlawful bookmaker carries TT$5,000 and three months (s.28(4)); resorting to premises used for unlawful betting carries TT$750 (s.27(2)).

Timeline

  1. 1 Jan 1963

    Gambling and Betting Act (Act 22 of 1963) creates the common gaming house offences, betting office licences and pool betting duty.

  2. 23 Oct 2017

    Provisional Collection of Taxes Order 2017 doubles the gaming taxes on members' club tables and devices, to TT$24,000 per slot machine, and the bar amusement game tax, both from 1 January 2018.

  3. 13 Aug 2018

    Lottery winnings tax of 10% on prizes above TT$1,000 takes effect.

  4. 28 Feb 2020

    FIUTT tells private members' clubs that customer due diligence now applies from TT$10,000.

  5. 12 Jul 2021

    Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Act 2021 assented; gazetted 15 July 2021; commencement by Proclamation.

  6. 2 Oct 2023

    FY2024 Budget: Commission board appointed and working; full proclamation promised in 2024.

  7. 30 Aug 2024

    Consultation on the draft Licensing, Amusement Machine Control, Conduct of Betting, Electronic Betting and Responsible Gaming Regulations closes.

  8. 30 Sept 2024

    FY2025 Budget expects full proclamation in January 2025 and licence fee collection from the second quarter of fiscal 2025.

  9. 10 Sept 2025

    Commission issues Guidance Notes for Ethical Advertising and Marketing Practices for future licensees.

  10. 13 Oct 2025

    FY2026 Budget proposes higher illegal lottery penalties and a new NLCB draw results offence.

  11. 23 Dec 2025

    Finance Act 2025 enacts the higher lottery penalties and the National Lotteries Act section 33 offence.

  12. 25 Jun 2026

    Finance Act 2026 raises fines on betting office licensees, lifts the bar amusement game cap from 20 to 33 and moves the amusement game tax to TT$3,125 a quarter.

Outlook

Everything turns on a Proclamation. The Commission is already publishing its licence fee table, compliance, AML and reporting pages, guidance notes and the PRYME licensing portal, which suggests it is preparing for the licensing Parts to start, but no date has been announced and the FY2027 Budget has not yet been presented. When proclamation comes, existing clubs, betting shops and machine operators have three months to notify the Commission, the club gaming tax moves into Schedule 5, and the draft Regulations of 2024 need affirmative resolution of Parliament. Online gambling stays outside the regime unless the Minister makes an Order under section 76.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Act 2021 in force?
Only partly. Parts I, II and X are in force, which establish the Commission and let Regulations be made. The licensing, tax, enforcement and offence Parts still await Proclamation, which the FY2025 Budget expected in January 2025.
How are casinos regulated today?
Casino-style gaming runs in registered members' clubs holding an annual gambling certificate under the Registration of Clubs Act. They pay a yearly gaming tax per table and device, from TT$24,000 per slot machine to TT$150,000 per table, and deposit TT$500,000 to meet player claims.
Can I get an online gambling licence in Trinidad and Tobago?
No. Neither the 1963 Act nor the 2021 Act provides one, and the Commission says remote gambling licences are unavailable. Betting business outside licensed betting offices is an offence under the Gambling and Betting Act.
How is betting taxed?
Fixed-odds bets at licensed betting offices carry a 10% tax, or a TT$400,000 annual levy if greater, paid to the Betting Levy Board. Turf club pool bets carry a duty of 10% for Trinidad race meetings and 2.5% for Tobago, paid to the Board of Inland Revenue.
What will Commission licences cost?
The Commission has published a fee table for when licensing starts: for example TT$35,000 a year for a large casino gaming operator's licence, TT$140,000 for a bookmaker's licence and TT$175,000 for a large casino premises licence, plus a TT$500 application fee.
What is the minimum gambling age?
18 for betting, amusement games and the national lottery. Members' clubs with a gambling certificate may not admit members under 21.

Sources

  1. Gambling and Betting Act, Chapter 11:19 (Act 22 of 1963 as amended to Act 4 of 2014), unofficial consolidation updated to 31 December 2016

    Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs

    Consolidation predates the Finance Act 2025, which raised the lottery penalties in sections 19 to 21, and the Finance Act 2026, which raised the section 40 fines; those Acts are cited separately.

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 31 Dec 2016
  2. Registration of Clubs Act, Chapter 21:01 (Act 28 of 1955 as amended to Act 6 of 2014), unofficial consolidation updated to 31 December 2016

    Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs

    The Schedule of gaming taxes shown here (TT$12,000 per slot machine, TT$30,000 to TT$75,000 per table) was replaced by the Provisional Collection of Taxes Order 2017 (LN 117 of 2017), which doubled the rates; the record uses the 2017 rates.

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 31 Dec 2016
  3. Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 31 Dec 2016
  4. Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 31 Dec 2016
  5. Provisional Collection of Taxes Act, Chapter 74:01

    Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  6. Provisional Collection of Taxes Order, 2017, Legal Notice No. 117 (Legal Supplement Part B, Vol. 56 No. 111, 23 October 2017): new Schedule to the Registration of Clubs Act

    Ministry of Finance, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

    An order varying an existing tax lapses unless the House confirms it by resolution within 21 days (Provisional Collection of Taxes Act s.3(5)); the confirming resolution was not located, but Schedule 5 of the 2021 Act reproduces these rates exactly.

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 23 Oct 2017
  7. Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 21 Dec 2017
  8. Finance Act, 2018, Act No. 19 of 2018 (assented 31 December 2018)

    Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 10 Jan 2019
  9. Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 25 Dec 2025
  10. Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 29 Jun 2026
  11. Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 2 Oct 2023
  12. Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 30 Sept 2024
  13. Tier 2Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 13 Oct 2025
  14. Club Gaming Taxes

    Inland Revenue Division, Ministry of Finance

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  15. Gaming Amusement Taxes

    Inland Revenue Division, Ministry of Finance

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  16. Lottery Winnings: FAQs

    Inland Revenue Division, Ministry of Finance

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  17. About us: role, legislative framework and functions

    Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission

    States the Act was assented on 11 August 2021; the gazetted Act shows assent on 12 July 2021, which the record uses.

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  18. Our Board of Directors

    Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  19. Licence Fees

    Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  20. Frequently Asked Questions

    Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  21. Operator Frequently Asked Questions

    Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 25 Aug 2026
  22. Transition Process Frequently Asked Questions

    Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 25 Aug 2026
  23. AML/CFT/CPF Compliance

    Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  24. Reporting Deadlines

    Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  25. Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  26. Draft Regulations: comment period closed

    Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Commission

    Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026
  27. Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026Published 10 Sept 2025
  28. Tier 1Accessed 23 Sept 2026

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This page is industry reference information and not legal advice.

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