Sri Lanka cites progress on creation of new gambling regulator as report shows rise in online gaming

The government still aims to launch the Gambling Regulatory Authority in 2026.

Sri Lanka.- The government of Sri Lanka says it’s still committed to launching a dedicated gambling regulator. It says the long-delayed Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) will be up and running by June 30, 2026, unifying oversight of both physical and digital gambling operations.

Licensing and tax structures will be introduced for online casino gambling, and implement mandatory age and identity verification systems will be introduced to try to prevent underage play.

Officials from the Finance Ministry and the Inland Revenue Department confirmed that nominations are underway for a seven-member board and that a CEO will soon be appointed.

Findings presented this week to the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) revealed that only about one-third of gambling in Sri Lanka occurs within the country’s licensed land-based casinos, while the rest takes place on foreign online platforms that fall outside existing regulations. Experts estimate that over 300,000 Sri Lankans regularly participate in online betting through offshore apps and websites, wagering more than LKR60bn (US$197m) annually.

“This is a massive regulatory blind spot,” warned opposition MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, who chairs the CoPF. “Without an independent mechanism, we risk not only losing tax income but also enabling financial crimes linked to gambling.”

Effective regulation is seen as essential for Sri Lanka to comply with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) requirements related to anti–money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF).

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The government still aims to launch the Gambling Regulatory Authority in 2026. Sri Lanka.- The government of Sri Lanka says it’s still committed to launching a dedicated gambling regulator. It…