Online gambling in Ecuador: regulation, licence and market guide

Is online gambling legal in Ecuador?

Casinos, slot halls and other games of chance have been prohibited since the May 2011 referendum and the Penal Code punishes operating them, so online casino has no legal route. Online sports betting developed as "pronósticos deportivos": since 1 July 2024 operators, resident or not, pay a 15% single income tax on net revenue and withhold 15% on prizes, and 65 operators registered with the tax authority. The Sports Law published in February 2026 and its regulation (Executive Decree 422, June 2026) make a five-year licence from the sports ministry the only valid title to offer sports forecasting, priced at 655 unified basic salaries a year, with active operators given 90 days to apply and the detailed procedure due by October 2026.

Partially regulated: Some verticals are licensed (usually betting); others are prohibited or unaddressed.

Who regulates gambling in Ecuador?

• Ministerio del Deporte (ente rector del deporte) (Ministerio del Deporte) — Licenses, supervises and sanctions sports forecasting operators under the 2026 Sports Law and Executive Decree 422; can order suspension and blocking of unlicensed platforms
• Servicio de Rentas Internas (SRI) — Registers sports forecasting operators and collects the 15% single income tax and prize withholding

Ecuador gambling licence: how it works

Until 2026 there was no gambling licence in Ecuador, only a tax registration: operators of sports forecasting, including foreign companies, registered with the SRI and paid the single income tax created in 2023. The Sports Law of 11 February 2026 and its General Regulation (Executive Decree 422, June 2026) created a licence issued by the sports ministry as the sole enabling title for sports forecasting and online games related to sport. The licence runs up to five years, is renewable, costs 655 unified basic salaries a year (about USD 316,000 at the 2026 SBU) and requires an Ecuadorian domicile, proof of financial capacity, ownership or use rights over the brand, certification of the platform by authorized laboratories, a bank guarantee or performance bond covering payments to users, UAFE registration and responsible-gaming and identity-verification policies. Operators active at publication had 90 days to file; the ministry was to complete the licensing procedure by October 2026, so no licences had been reported as issued by September 2026.

What an applicant needs

• Legal entity domiciled in Ecuador with a compatible corporate purpose and tax compliance
• Proof of financial capacity and a bank guarantee or performance bond covering payments to users
• Ownership or licensed use of the brand and the platform domain
• Technical certification of the platform by laboratories authorized by the sports ministry
• Registration with the UAFE as an AML reporting entity and internal monitoring policies
• Identity and age verification, responsible-gaming policies and prices displayed in US dollars with Spanish-language content
• Annual licence fee of 655 unified basic salaries

Gambling taxes in Ecuador

• Operators: Single income tax for sports forecasting operators (IRUPD) of 15% on income from losing bets and commissions minus prizes paid, applied to resident and non-resident operators since 1 July 2024 under the Internal Tax Regime Law (Chapter VII-A) and SRI Resolution NAC-DGERCGC24-00000029; VAT and other general taxes apply to Ecuadorian companies.
• Players: 15% income-tax withholding on the value of each prize, applied by the operator per forecast event.
• Also: Non-resident operators register with the SRI under the activity "management of internet sites dedicated to sports forecasting" and file through the withholding return; the SRI listed 65 registered operators, two of them foreign companies, after the tax took effect. The 2026 regulation adds the annual licence fee on top of the tax.

Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments

Advertising

The 2026 regulation regulates advertising and bars influencers and content creators from promoting unlicensed operators; sponsorship of football clubs and broadcasts by forecasting brands is widespread and remains permitted for licensed operators. Advertising of casinos or other games of chance is unlawful because the activity is prohibited.

Responsible gaming

Licensed operators must adopt responsible-gaming policies, verify age and identity, and prevent betting by players, coaches, officials and their close relatives on the sports in which they participate; the regulation also requires user-protection measures and dispute channels.

Identity and age verification

Identity and age verification at registration, UAFE registration with transaction monitoring and suspicious-operation reports, and cooperation with the SRI, the telecommunications regulator, the Central Bank and police intendancies.

Payments

Amounts must be shown in US dollars; local operators use bank transfers, cards and cash networks, and the ministry may order the blocking of payment methods, domains and apps used by unlicensed platforms in coordination with the Central Bank and the telecommunications regulator. Crypto is not contemplated by the regulation.

Notable restrictions

• Casinos, gaming halls and games of chance are prohibited since the 2011 referendum and criminalized in the Penal Code
• Only sports forecasting and sport-related online games may be licensed; online casino has no legal route
• Athletes, coaches, officials and their relatives may not bet on their own sport
• Unlicensed platforms face suspension, domain and app blocking and payment cut-offs
• Minors may not participate

Ecuador iGaming market: size, players and payments

No reliable public estimate of gaming revenue; a 2025 academic study of SRI data reported a more than tenfold rise in tax collection from the sector after the 15% tax took effect in July 2024, when 65 operators registered.

No official participation survey; football dominates demand and forecasting brands sponsor most first-division clubs.

Play is mobile-led on a dollarized market with high smartphone penetration; no official share is published.

Local brands such as Ecuabet, Sportbet and Betcris compete with international operators registered with the SRI including Betano and Novibet; the 2026 licence will define which of them remain.

Timeline: how Ecuador got here

1. 2011-05Referendum bans casinos and gaming halls; the prohibition is written into the Penal Code
2. 2023-06Decree-Law 742 creates the single income tax on sports forecasting operators
3. 2023-12Economic Efficiency Law reshapes the tax base to net revenue with 15% prize withholding
4. 2024-07The 15% single tax takes effect; 65 operators register with the SRI
5. 2025-09Constitutional Court clears a reformulated referendum question on casinos in five-star hotels (Dictamen 9-25-CP/25), but it is not put to voters
6. 2026-02New Sports Law published (Registro Oficial 223) with a licensing regime for sports forecasting
7. 2026-06Executive Decree 422 issues the regulation: five-year licences, 655 SBU annual fee, UAFE registration and blocking powers

Outlook

The immediate question is implementation: the sports ministry was due to complete the licensing procedure by October 2026 and decide the applications filed by active operators, which will show how many international brands remain. A casino reopening limited to five-star hotels was cleared by the Constitutional Court in September 2025 but was left off the November 2025 ballot, so the 2011 prohibition stands and any change would need a new popular consultation. Expect secondary rules on advertising, laboratories and payments through 2027.

Launching in Ecuador with GameBridge

Model decided with counsel. Ecuador's licence is brand new, covers sports forecasting only and requires an Ecuadorian-domiciled licence holder, so GameBridge treats the market case by case: a sportsbook-led turnkey deployment for a licence holder once the ministry issues licences, and default exclusion until then.

Ecuador is excluded by default in GameBridge geo lists while the licensing procedure is completed. For an operator that obtains the sports ministry licence, GameBridge would configure a sportsbook-led brand in Spanish (Latin America) with a USD wallet, geo-controls limited to players in Ecuador who pass identity and age checks, prices displayed in dollars, local transfer and card rails connected on request through the operator's providers, insider-betting blocks, 15% prize withholding and UAFE reporting hooks. Casino content stays disabled for Ecuador because games of chance remain prohibited. The operator's counsel confirms licence status before any launch.

• Ecuador excluded by default until a licence is held
• Sportsbook-only configuration with casino verticals disabled
• Spanish (Latin America) site language and USD wallet
• Identity, age and insider-betting controls
• Prize withholding and tax reporting aligned to SRI rules
• Certification packages for platform review by authorized laboratories

Football and other sports forecasting only; slots, live casino and Originals are not offered to Ecuadorian residents while the casino prohibition stands.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and review

Reviewed against the sources below on 11 September 2026. Regulation changes; confirm the current position with local counsel before launch.

• Ley Orgánica del Deporte, la Educación Física y la Recreación (Registro Oficial 223, 11 February 2026) — Gobierno del Ecuador (gob.ec), accessed 2026-09-11
• Esto pasará con los pronósticos deportivos en Ecuador: nuevo reglamento (Decreto Ejecutivo 422) — El Diario, accessed 2026-09-11
• Pronósticos deportivos en Ecuador: nuevas reglas para operar, publicitar y cumplir — Meythaler & Zambrano Abogados, accessed 2026-09-11
• Resolución NAC-DGERCGC24-00000029 — Impuesto a la Renta Único para Operadores de Pronósticos Deportivos — Servicio de Rentas Internas, accessed 2026-09-11
• SRI reconoce a 65 operadores de pronósticos deportivos — El Telégrafo, accessed 2026-09-11
• Dictamen 9-25-CP/25 — consulta popular sobre casinos en hoteles de cinco estrellas — Corte Constitucional del Ecuador, accessed 2026-09-11
• El nuevo panorama de las casas de apuestas en Ecuador con la Ley del Deporte reformada — Ecuavisa, accessed 2026-09-11

Regulatory summaries are provided for orientation only and are not legal advice. Licensing requirements change; we validate them with you during scoping.