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Ecuador
Ecuador banned land-based casinos and gaming halls via the 2011 referendum, and that prohibition remains in force. Online sports betting, however, has rapidly shifted from a taxed grey zone into a formal licensing regime: a 15% single income tax (effective 2024) was followed by Executive Decree 487 (Dec 2024) and the new Ley Orgánica del Deporte (ratified Feb 2026) creating the LOPD license issued by the Ministerio del Deporte, plus AML obligations under UAFE. As of mid-2026 the framework is legally in force (regulated), though full operational licensing was still being implemented.
A May 2011 popular referendum banned casinos and gaming halls in Ecuador (codified via Criminal Code Art. 236), so land-based gambling stays prohibited. For years online sports betting existed in a grey zone with no licensing. That changed with a 15% single income tax on sports-prediction operators effective 1 January 2024 (~65 operators registered with the SRI), then Executive Decree 487 (19 December 2024) creating the Licencia para la Operación de Pronósticos Deportivos (LOPD) — a 5-year license issued by the Ministerio del Deporte — and the new Ley Orgánica del Deporte (Assembly approval December 2025, plenary ratification 10 February 2026) with its reglamento (~June 2026) adding mandatory licensing, AML controls (UAFE), an 18+ requirement and a 15% VAT on digital betting.
Ecuador’s legal theory distinguishes sports prediction (a skill activity) from prohibited "juegos de azar," letting online betting be regulated without overturning the casino ban. Oversight is split across the Ministerio del Deporte (licensing), SRI (tax) and UAFE (AML); as of mid-2026 secondary regulations and actual license issuance were still rolling out.
Horse-race betting and prediction markets have no domestic framework (left null). Minimum age 18.
No operator on this site has been confirmed on the Ecuador regulator's register for online sports betting.
Support in Ecuador
In Ecuador, online sports betting is legal and now regulated and taxed (operators taxed since 1 July 2024; a general regulation under the Ley Orgánica del Deporte took effect 16 June 2026); casino-style gambling remains banned by the 2011 referendum. There is no gambling-specific national helpline; for support call the Ministry of Health mental-health line 171, option 6 (free, daily 07:00-20:00). The 2026 regulation requires operators to offer self-exclusion and deposit limits, but there is no centralized national self-exclusion register — use the tools in your betting account with each operator. For free confidential online help in Spanish, use Gambling Therapy (gamblingtherapy.org).