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Bolivia is a South American country with a long history of different types of games and betting. The gambling regulations in Bolivia are rather unique. For several years, gambling has been popular in Bolivia. However, it wasn‘t until the year 2002 that some form of regulation in the name of the National Lottery of Bolivia (Lotería Nacional de Bolivia, LNB) was laid down.
In 2010, Bolivia adopted Law No. 060, which remains the main legal act regulating the entire gambling market, including land-based and online gambling activities. The mentioned law provided for the establishment of the Bolivian Gambling Control Authority (Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego, AJ), entitled to supervise and regulate gaming processes within the state.
This article was updated on April 22, 2026, and is based on information available on this date.
What is Law No. 060?
The main law regulating gambling in Bolivia is Law No. 060, dating from 2010. It prohibits all types of gambling that are not authorized by the law, including online gambling, and provides severe sanctions for operators and players in cases of illegal gambling. It contains many references to the fact that only an operator with a license may lawfully operate the provision of gambling. At the same time, it did not clearly set the rules on the licensing of online operators, which created a large grey area in the fast-growing online gambling market.
Who regulates gambling in Bolivia?
The national regulatory body overseeing all gambling activities within the country is the Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego, or AJ. Led by Melissa Joseline Sánchez Gisbert and attached to the Ministry of Economy and Public Finance, the AJ is tasked with monitoring the compliance of operators with local laws, monitoring advertisements for their appropriateness, and cracking down on illegal gambling operations. The role has become all the more significant with the expansion of online gambling, as the AJ continues to enforce strict controls, seizing hundreds of illegal slot machines every year and cracking down on unauthorized online bingo operations.
The role of the AJ and efforts to update the law
Although the AJ was established in 2010, efforts to update Bolivia’s gambling laws have historically been slow. During a Public Accountability Hearing in 2020, its then-executive director Juan Carlos Antonio Abrego presented changes for the modification of Law No. 060, showing the new punitive system and regulation in the legal introduction of online bets, which began to spread increasingly across Latin America.
Heading into 2026, there has been a renewed focus on the sector as an economic driver. The current administration has positioned regulated gaming as part of an economic recovery strategy, highlighting that there are now over 1,200 active licenses (mainly for gaming machines and authorized operators) under Law No. 060. The government projects that the formalization of this sector could significantly increase tax collection and state revenue.
Online gambling: Legal grey area
Online gambling in Bolivia remains a very grey area. While Law No. 060 forbids unauthorized online gambling, it still fails to detail a specific domestic licensing procedure for online services. This practically means that most foreign online gambling sites continue to take players from Bolivia with little government efforts to crack down on these sites. Many of these operators have licenses from other jurisdictions such as Malta, Gibraltar, and Curacao, though their operations do not comply with the specific domestic legislation of Bolivia.
The AJ has recently intensified raids on illegal gambling dens as “WhatsApp casinos” and other unauthorized digital platforms have spread nationwide. Despite these enforcement efforts, many players continue playing on reputable foreign platforms without consequence.
Licensing and legal precedents
The AJ is responsible for land-based operator licensing, but without any outlined licensing procedure concerning online gambling, the situation remains complicated. Most online operators that serve Bolivian players are licensed elsewhere. This has led to calls for the government to develop a more open and robust licensing framework—one that would have mutual benefits for the government through taxation and for players through consumer protection.
In a significant recent development for 2026, the government has proposed sweeping tax reforms that include the abolition of the specific gambling tax (along with taxes on wealth and financial transactions). Finance Minister José Gabriel Espinoza Yáñez indicated that the current gambling levy was ineffective and costly to administer. While this signals a shift in fiscal policy, it does not yet represent a full liberalization of the sector, as strict AJ oversight remains in place.
Future of gambling regulations in Bolivia
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the possible development of clearer online gambling regulations in Bolivia. The more this type of gambling grows, the more likely that changes may be forced on the government’s hands. While the 2026 budget moves to scrap certain taxes to attract investment, Law No. 060 remains the governing force.
A possible future amendment to Law No. 060 to explicitly include online gambling and provide a clear licensing framework could be the ticket to a more regulated market. Currently, however, the government appears more focused on formalizing existing land-based operations and reducing the administrative burden of tax collection.
Final thoughts
Bolivian gambling is basically regulated by Law No. 060, enacted in 2010, and overseen by the Autoridad de Fiscalización del Juego. According to the law of this country regarding gambling, it does not allow gambling not duly authorized in accordance with the law, establishing severe sanctions for those disobeying such a ban. Still, the lack of a clear online licensing procedure has turned Bolivian online gambling into a grey market where foreign operators can freely exploit the local market with almost no persecution.
Although the government is integrating regulated gaming into its 2026 growth strategy and simplifying the tax code, the legislative update for online-specific licenses is still pending. Until further notice, Bolivia’s gambling industry consists of a combination of regulated land-based operations and loosely monitored online platforms. Future changes remain on the horizon.
