-envisages 14% tax on gross value of every bet placed with betting shops and gaming lounges
A new gaming bill tabled in the National Assembly proposes a 30% settlement fee on transactions between customers in Guyana and foreign service providers, while establishing a new regulatory authority with broad powers over casinos, betting shops, gaming lounges and online gaming.
The Gaming Authority Bill 2026 was tabled and read for the first time by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall SC during Monday’s sitting of the National Assembly.
Its introduction came amid vociferous protests by opposition members over the MV Barima tragedy. Opposition MPs repeatedly disrupted the proceedings as they protested the government’s handling of the disaster and called for the resignations of Ministers of Public Works and Public Utilities and Aviation, Juan Edghill and Deodat Indar respectively.
The 91-clause bill seeks to establish a comprehensive framework for the “licensing, regulation, supervision, taxation and control of gaming, betting and wagering activities in Guyana.”
It covers casinos, gaming lounges, betting shops, betting agents, remote gaming platforms and simulcast, horse and hound racing. It also provides for customer identification, record-keeping, anti-money laundering controls and responsible gaming programmes.
Under the proposed legislation, banks, payment service providers, credit and debit card issuers, payment gateways, digital wallet providers and virtual asset service providers would be required to impose a settlement fee on transactions involving foreign gaming companies.
“The settlement Fee shall be thirty per cent of the gross amount of the transaction,” the bill states.
The fee would apply to payments, transfers, deposits and other remittances made by customers in Guyana to foreign gaming service providers. It would also apply to payments or credits representing gaming winnings received in Guyana from foreign remote gaming operators.
Payment intermediaries would be required to deduct the fee when the transaction is processed and show it separately on the customer’s transaction record or account statement. They would generally be prohibited from waiving, reducing or refunding it.
A company that fails to impose the fee would face a fine of up to $25 million on summary conviction.
It states that an individual would be liable to a fine “not less than two million and not more than five hundred thousand dollars”, or imprisonment for up to two years, or both.
The proposed law would also amend the Tax Act to impose a 14% tax on the gross value of every bet placed with betting shops and gaming lounges and on every prize or net winnings paid by those operators. A 30% tax would apply to bets and winnings involving remote gaming operators.
The taxes collected would be paid into a Special Responsible Gaming Fund.
The fund would finance public education, research, prevention initiatives, treatment and counselling services and other programmes intended to minimise gambling-related harm and prevent underage gaming.
The bill would establish the Gaming Authority of Guyana as a corporate body administered by a governing board. The board would comprise a chairperson, deputy chairperson and between five and seven other members, all appointed by the minister responsible for gaming.
The Authority’s principal function would be “to permit gaming, in so far as the Authority thinks it is reasonably consistent with pursuit of the objectives of this Act.”
It would be empowered to grant, vary, suspend and revoke licences; inspect licensed and unlicensed premises; monitor gaming activities; examine records and electronic data; certify gaming equipment and software; and investigate unlawful gaming.
The Authority could also seize equipment believed to have been used in contravention of the law, issue compliance and enforcement notices, impose administrative penalties and apply to the court for search warrants, injunctions and production orders.
The bill expressly prohibits anonymous gaming and requires licensees to verify customers’ identities and maintain records of bets, winnings and transactions. It also requires gaming operators to comply with anti-money laundering and countering-the-financing-of-terrorism obligations.
A person who conducts gaming at unlicensed premises or provides remote gaming without a licence would be liable on summary conviction to a fine of between $2 million and $10 million.
The bill provides for substantial application and annual licensing fees. A remote gaming operator licence would attract an application fee of $250 million and an annual fee of the same amount.
A betting shop operator licence would carry a $30 million application fee and a $30 million annual fee, while a separate betting shop premises licence would cost $2 million to apply for and $2 million annually. A betting shop agent licence would require a $500,000 application fee but no annual fee.
Gaming lounge operators and premises licences would each attract application and annual fees of $20 million.
Casino operators and casino premises licences would each carry a $5 million application fee and an annual fee of $4 million. Casinos would also pay $60,000 annually for each unit of gaming equipment and $200,000 for each gaming table.
Betting shops and gaming lounges would be charged $1 million annually for each gaming-equipment unit and $200,000 for each table.
A simulcast, horse and hound racing licence would attract a $2.5 million application fee but no annual fee.
The bill requires casino premises to form part of a hotel or resort complex with at least 150 rooms available for guests. The number of casino and gaming lounge licences granted in each administrative region would also be limited.
The minister, after consulting the Authority, would be empowered to prescribe the maximum number of casino licences permitted in each region.
In deciding whether to approve a casino, the Authority would consider its proposed location, the number of casinos already operating in the region, potential economic and tourism benefits, public safety, security and social impact.
The legislation would apply to gaming and wagering conducted in Guyana as well as gaming activities conducted overseas but directed at or made available to persons here. Lotteries conducted under the Government Lotteries Act would be excluded.
Discussion