CNC — Venezuela (zona gris legal, sin marco online específico) — Venezuela

Venezuela: Venezuela tiene regulación de juego físico pero el juego online opera sin marco formal. iGaming operators serving the Venezuela market primarily use offshore licences from Curaçao, Panama or other international jurisdictions.

Venezuela has one of South America's most incomplete and legally ambiguous online gambling frameworks. The regulatory structure rests on three main laws: the Law for the Control of Casinos, Bingo Halls and Slot Machines (1997), the National Lottery Law (Official Gazette N° 38,480, 17 July 2006), and the Tax Law on Games of Chance. None of these laws explicitly mentions online gambling, creating a legal vacuum that remained unresolved as of 2025. Key regulator: CNC The Comisión Nacional de Casinos, Salas de Bingo y Máquinas Traganíqueles (CNC), a decentralized body under the Ministry of Finance, issues land-based licenses and supervises financial, technical and anti-corruption standards. The 1997 Law requires casinos to be locally incorporated (max 80% foreign ownership) and located exclusively in five-star hotels with at least 200 rooms in officially designated tourist zones. In 2021, the CNC issued technical instructions for licensed operators to implement real-time interconnection control systems. Horse racing falls under the Superintendencia Nacional de Actividades Hípicas (SUNAHIP); state lotteries under CONALOT. Regulatory history and current status In 2011, the Chávez government closed all casinos and bingo halls nationwide, displacing over 100,000 workers. The Maduro government quietly authorized reopening from 2020. In 2024, FATF placed Venezuela on its grey list for AML deficiencies. As of late 2024, approximately five physical casinos are active in the country. Online gambling: legal grey zone No Venezuelan law expressly prohibits citizens from accessing offshore online gambling platforms, and no law creates a framework for domestic online casino licensing. The CNC does not issue online operator licenses. Offshore operators serve Venezuelan players under their home jurisdiction licenses (Curaçao, Malta, Gibraltar) without local authorization. The total betting market — including informal activity — is estimated at approximately USD 4 million annually (2022 data). No concrete online gambling legislation had been introduced as of October 2025. Payment infrastructure constraints OFAC sanctions (CACR framework) and major card network restrictions mean payments to Venezuelan accounts face significant compliance friction. Online gambling transactions are predominantly channeled through cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, USDT) and regional digital wallets. For regulatory monitoring: gacetaoficial.gob.ve.

CNC — Venezuela (zona gris legal, sin marco online específico) - Technical Sheet
Founded	2000
HQ	Venezuela
Country	Venezuela
City	Capital de Venezuela
Licenses	Zona gris / Offshore
Products	Regulatory Analysis Venezuela, Offshore Licences for Venezuela, iGaming Legal Framework Venezuela
Web	https://www.google.com/search?q=Venezuela+regulacion+juego+online