Ecuador requires $500,000 in equity to operate betting
Half a million dollars in net worth. That is the minimum threshold that any company wishing to offer sports betting in Ecuador must demonstrate under the new procedure that the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture (MINEDEC) has just established to obtain the License for Sports Betting Operators (LOPD), the only title that authorizes legal operation in the country.
The regulation is not limited to ordering a procedure. It obliges each operator to review its internal structure, what documentation it can present, how it complies, and what real capacity it has to sustain operations.
Carlos José Riofrio, founder and managing partner of Riofrio Bustamante law firm, detailed the requirements on LinkedIn. In addition to the minimum net worth, legal existence within the country is required, along with the establishment of a bank guarantee or an immediately executable policy for 1 percent of that net worth, intended to back users. The authority then takes up to 90 days to review the file from four angles: legal, financial, technical, and operational.
The cost of remaining in operation is also fixed. The license lasts five years and requires an annual payment of 655 unified basic salaries, which in 2026 will be equivalent to approximately 315,000 dollars. Added to this is a list of permanent obligations. Operators must register with the Financial and Economic Analysis Unit, technically certify their platform, open a bank account exclusively for this operation, and have written procedures for user verification, data protection, money laundering prevention, and responsible gambling application.
For foreign entities, there is a corporate requirement. Foreign operators must act through a domiciled branch or a locally incorporated company. Companies already operating have 180 days to adapt to the new scheme.
The procedure is the final piece of a framework that began to be assembled in June, when President Daniel Noboa promulgated the General Regulations to the Organic Law of Sports, Physical Education, and Recreation. This text, issued by Executive Decree No. 422, ended years without specific rules for online sports betting and created the Single Operating License, also for five years and with an identical annual fee.
Two definitions in these regulations directly impact bettors' pockets. Every prize collected by a bettor will be reduced, as the authorized operator must withhold 15 percent of the total value at the source. And transactions have limits: one thousand dollars per transaction if the money comes from a bank account or debit card, and 350 if paid with credit, a cap designed to curb fraud and money laundering.
Financial control also adds an institutional layer. Each operator must be registered with the Financial and Economic Analysis Unit (UAFE), while an Anti-Money Laundering Complementary Unit dedicated to the sector must be established within the Ministry of Sports. With this procedure, Ecuador moves from a market without its own rules to one with a high barrier to entry, in line with what other countries in the region have already done by first regulating access and then oversight.
Tags: Sports Betting Operator License, MINEDEC, Executive Decree 422, Gambling Regulation in Ecuador