Costa Rica

For Costa Rican residents, private online sports betting sits in an unregulated grey zone. The country's decades-old framework neither expressly authorises nor bans it, and there's no online gambling regulator. Costa Rica is often cited as the only Central American nation without a dedicated gambling authority. The Junta de Protección Social (JPS) runs the state lottery and official betting products under Law 8718.

That same gap made Costa Rica a global iGaming hub. With no remote-gaming licensing regime in law, foreign-facing operators set up Costa Rican companies and get only a generic "data processing" business and municipal permit. The permit is explicitly not a gambling licence, and holders must avoid Costa Rican players and local banking.

The JPS has warned that this "regulatory vacuum" lets unauthorised online betting flourish. Reform efforts picked up in 2025. Bill 25.057 proposed licensing regulated operators but was rejected in early 2026, and lawmakers then revived reform through file 25.600 ("Strengthening and Modernisation of the JPS"). As of mid-2026, no online betting regulator has been enacted.

The minimum gambling age is 18. Horse-race betting and prediction markets have no domestic framework.

Costa Rica has a healthy land-based gambling industry, but it's known above all as the place where online betting sites incorporate. A stable government, adequate infrastructure, relaxed gaming laws and low tax rates have drawn several hundred online betting sites to base themselves there.

Costa Rica Betting Sites

Costa Rica's relaxed gaming laws are a thorn in the side of governments that try to prohibit online gambling. The country has almost no rules for the betting sites based there, which makes it a major base for operators going after "off limits" markets such as the United States.

Costa Rica betting sites are free to accept customers from every country in the world except Costa Rica. Operators registered there are expected to block locals. Residents themselves aren't the target of those restrictions.

Should Costa Ricans Use Local Betting Sites?

Costa Rica is home to hundreds of online betting sites, but they aren't a good fit for Costa Rican players. They aren't supposed to accept locals in the first place, and they mostly cater to the US market, so they use US deposit methods, offer their service mainly in English and only accept the US dollar.

Sites headquartered in other countries suit ticos better. It may seem odd to recommend sites from other parts of the world when so many are based in Costa Rica, but gaming laws rarely make sense.

Can I Deposit in Colones?

You can deposit in colones at most major betting sites, but you can't keep your account balance in colones. Your deposit is converted automatically into another currency such as US dollars or euros, and when you withdraw, the balance is converted back into colones before it reaches your bank account.

The easiest way to deposit colones is through an e-wallet. E-wallets link to your local bank account and hold your money in a virtual account that you can use to move funds to and from most large betting sites.

• Neteller: Neteller has long dominated e-wallet payments for online gambling. It was one of the first services to cater to gamblers and poker players back in the early 2000s, and it's still going strong as part of the Paysafe group. Read more here.

• PayPal: PayPal serves markets around the world, including Costa Rica. It's the largest online banking service in the world, used by millions of people to shop online, send money to friends and deposit at betting sites in licensed countries. Read more here.

• Skrill: Skrill (formerly Moneybookers) works the same basic way as PayPal and Neteller. If you have trouble with either of those, Skrill should cover you. Read more here.

These are three of the most common deposit methods at large betting sites, and you'll see more once you log in. Some sites also accept certain prepaid debit cards and cash transfer services, which come in handy if you don't have a bank account or would feel safer depositing cash.

Costa Rica Gambling Laws

Costa Rica's gambling laws cover land-based casinos only. They set where casinos can be located, how many tables they can have, what taxes they pay and so on. Officially, a casino can only operate inside a hotel with at least 60 rooms and a rating of three stars or higher.

If you visit Costa Rica, though, don't be surprised to see small gambling parlours tucked between shops in downtown San José and elsewhere. They advertise openly despite not being attached to hotels. In some places the gaming laws work more like suggestions than hard and fast rules.

Casinos can't serve free alcoholic drinks to gamblers, let anyone under 18 in, or let anyone who is obviously under the influence of alcohol or drugs gamble. Again, some venues treat these rules as suggestions.

Is There an Online Gambling Licence in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica's gambling laws don't address the internet at all, yet the country has become a major base for online betting operators because of its lax laws, low taxes and well-educated workforce. Setting up there takes very little investment and very little personal information, which appeals to operators serving American customers.

With no licensing system for online betting, companies get a "data processing licence" instead. It costs roughly US$5,000, and that's all they need. There are no extensive background checks or software audits like you see in other gaming jurisdictions. Costa Rica is the Wild West of online gambling.

There actually aren't as many crooks operating out of Costa Rica as you'd think. The industry does a decent job of self-regulating, because word spreads quickly online. There are bad operators in the country, but far fewer than the loose laws would suggest.

Costa Rica has two other advantages for operators. There are no special gaming taxes like those in many other countries, and income earned overseas is tax-free. Only income earned inside Costa Rica is subject to income tax, and Costa Rican law treats online gambling as taking place where the person placing the bet is located.

Government officials hinted in 2013 that they were interested in a more formal licensing process for online gambling.