Puerto Rico has initiated a consultation period concerning sports betting regulations, marking a significant step toward the launch of legal sports betting more than a year after the activity was legalized. This 30-day consultation was developed in collaboration with Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), aimed at establishing a regulatory framework for the budding industry.
Last July, the territory's then-governor, Rico Rosselló Nevares, signed legislation to legalize sports betting just before his resignation following a scandal involving controversial comments he shared via the messaging app Telegram.
In 2023, the landscape of gambling regulation in Puerto Rico has evolved markedly. Jaime Alex Irizarry, the gambling director of Puerto Rico’s Tourism Board, resigned in April. Following this, Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced appointed José Balasquide-Córdova and Cristóbal Méndez to create a new dedicated gambling authority. In May, GLI was engaged to assist in the development of sports betting regulations.
The proposed regulations include a 7% tax on gross gaming revenue for land-based betting, with an increased rate of 12% for online wagering. Additionally, fantasy contest operators will be taxed at a rate of 12% based on entry fees. Betting activities are set to take place in various venues, including casinos, hotels without casinos, inns, racetracks, horse betting agencies, and retail establishments deemed secure by the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission. Notably, online and mobile betting appears to be unrestricted by any land-based requirements.
Wagers will be permitted on professional and college sports, as well as esports, which encompasses real-time strategy, fighting, and first-person shooter games.
