Ministerio de Gobernación — Guatemala (Art. 477 CP, zona gris online) — Guatemala

Ministerio de Gobernación — Guatemala (Art. 477 CP, zona gris online) — Guatemala logo
Guatemala: Sin regulación formal de juego online. iGaming operators serving the Guatemala market primarily use offshore licences from Curaçao, Panama or other international jurisdictions.
Guatemala presents a paradoxical situation: a criminal prohibition on gambling dating from 1956 (Article 477 of the Penal Code), combined with a 2015 ministerial decree enabling tourist casinos, and a de facto market where thousands of illegal slot machines operate and players freely access offshore platforms without legal consequences. Regulatory framework Article 477 of the Criminal Code prohibits organizing or exploiting games of chance in national territory. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (Gobernación) issued Acuerdo Gubernativo 54-2015 enabling casinos in tourist establishments. The Dirección General de Control de Juegos de Azar (DGSCJ) within Gobernación supervises licensed physical operators. The SAT (tax authority, Decree 10-2012) would govern fiscal collection in a regulated market; currently the informal sector largely escapes taxation. The market is estimated at approximately GTQ 1.5 billion annually (USD ~195 million) with most activity unregulated. Online gambling No specific online gambling regulation exists. International operators access the market without blocks or local licensing requirements. Article 477 is not actively enforced against individual players on offshore platforms. In April 2025, the Lotería del Niño granted local approval to 1xBet and Gana777 — the first documented local authorizations for online platforms, though within an underdeveloped framework. November 2025 legislative development The Congressional Gobernación Commission (chair: Deputy Fidencio Lima) issued a favorable ruling on a bill to regulate and sanction unauthorized slot machines and gambling operations. The proposal establishes a specific gambling superintendency, a licensing regime, and a 3% monthly tax on casinos, bingo halls, sportsbooks and other gambling activities. The bill requires full congressional approval and presidential signature to become law. For monitoring: congreso.gob.gt, mingob.gob.gt.
Ministerio de Gobernación — Guatemala (Art. 477 CP, zona gris online) - Technical Sheet
Founded2000
HQGuatemala
CountryGuatemala
CityCapital de Guatemala
LicensesZona gris / Offshore
ProductsRegulatory Analysis Guatemala, Offshore Licences for Guatemala, iGaming Legal Framework Guatemala
Webhttps://www.google.com/search?q=Guatemala+regulacion+juego+online