Sri Lanka establishes a Gambling Regulatory Authority, legalizing gambling.

The Sri Lankan government will establish a national gambling regulatory body—Gambling Regularization Authority—to comprehensively manage industries related to casinos, online gambling, gambling in the Port City Economic Zone, and offshore gambling ships. Currently, the establishment plan for this agency has been approved by the cabinet, and the related legislative draft has been completed, awaiting the initiation of the parliamentary review process.

According to the draft, the Gambling Regularization Authority will be endowed with the following responsibilities:

- Issuing and managing gambling operation licenses

- Formulating and implementing industry operational standards

- Implementing anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) systems

- Implementing restrictive measures, including voluntary gambling prohibition programs and betting limits

- Conducting regulatory reviews and penalizing violations

This move stems from a significant resolution at the cabinet meeting in February 2025, against the backdrop of the rapid expansion of online and cross-border gambling, with a clearly lagging regulatory system. The establishment of this agency is considered a key step in building a modern gambling governance framework in Sri Lanka.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development and the current President, stated that the new agency will fill regulatory gaps, suppress illegal gambling activities, and simultaneously promote foreign investment and the recovery of the tourism industry. Dr. Jayathissa, a government spokesperson, added that the bill not only focuses on current compliance governance but also reserves institutional space for the future digital and international development of the gambling industry.

Once the Gambling Sports Regularisation Act is passed, it will officially replace the old gambling regulations, providing operators with a clearer and unified compliance framework.

Tiancheng Bao Wang will continue to follow the progress of Sri Lanka's gambling policies, providing you with authoritative compliance analysis and industry observations as soon as possible.