Uruguay to Regulate Online Gambling, Combat Illegality in 2026
The Government of Uruguay plans to submit to Parliament, during the first half of 2026, a legislative package aimed at regulating the gaming and online betting market, as well as strengthening the sector's oversight mechanisms. The confirmation came from the Director General of Casinos, Fernando Estévez, during a meeting with representatives of the recently created Uruguayan Chamber of Casino Service Operators and Lessors and Entertainment Halls (CUOASEC).
According to the weekly Búsqueda, Estévez presented to the chamber — which has former regulator Luis Gama as executive secretary — that the Government of Yamandú Orsi is working on three bills aimed at organizing a market where “illegal gambling has flourished in all its forms.”
A legal framework for iGaming and an institutional restructuring
One of the projects revives a proposal debated during José Mujica’s presidency: to separate the regulatory and control functions from the direct operation of gambling activities. This would involve:
- Transforming the current National Directorate of Lotteries and Sweepstakes into a National Directorate of Gambling and Betting Oversight, with a regulatory character.
- Turning the General Directorate of Casinos into a decentralized service, dedicated exclusively to operations.
The second project aims to resume the discussion on the licensing of online casinos, whose legislative debate was left unfinished in the Chamber of Deputies during the previous term.
Although Estévez did not reveal the regulatory criteria that the future initiative will contain, Gama assured that CUOASEC companies aspire to fully participate in this market. “Operators have invested more than USD 600 million in hospitality and casinos, generating almost 20,000 jobs; it is legitimate that they can obtain licenses to operate online gambling, which is already displacing physical gambling,” he stated.
The chamber maintains that each company should obtain individual iGaming licenses, although they may later choose to operate jointly or in consortium.
Slot machine control: the third legislative focus
A third project will address the regulation of slot machines installed in bars and businesses, a market where informality has expanded significantly. According to estimates mentioned in the meeting:
- There are 6,300 legal machines,
- and between 50,000 and 60,000 illegal slot machines operating throughout the country.
Gama warned that, from the chamber’s perspective, no more machines than those already authorized should be allowed, and supported the need to create a clear framework to prevent the clandestine ecosystem from continuing to grow.
A basic consensus: regulate to stop the expansion of illegal gambling
Although the Government has not yet revealed the details of the projects, operators and the administration agree on a common diagnosis: the absence of regulation in online matters and the weakness of control favored the expansion of illegal gambling in Uruguay. The 2026 legislative debate will therefore be key to defining:
- how the future regulated market will operate,
- which operators will be able to participate,
- and which institution will have the final responsibility to oversee the sector.
Starting next year, the Uruguayan Parliament will have one of the most relevant debates for the future of the gaming ecosystem, both physical and digital, in the country.
Tags: Uruguay, Uruguay betting regulation, online gaming regulation Uruguay, Uruguay betting bill project