Sri Lanka Sets December 31 Deadline for Gambling Regulations

Sri Lanka’s Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) now aims to publish its casino and online gambling rules by December 31, 2026, after missing earlier deadlines of June 30 and November 30. The draft regulations, prepared by an international advisory team, are currently being finalized by the GRA.

What Happened

The Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) in Sri Lanka has set a new target of December 31, 2026, for the publication of its casino and online gambling rules, according to iGaming Today. This revised deadline follows previous delays, with the authority failing to meet its June 30 target for publication and a November 30 target for becoming fully operational (iGaming Today).

GRA Director General Wickramasinghe informed The Sunday Morning that the regulations are in their final stages. An international advisory team initially prepared the draft, which a committee subsequently reviewed before returning it to the authority for completion (iGaming Today). The first package of rules is expected to cover licensing and fees, online gambling provisions, and anti-money laundering controls. It will also include a ministerial order specifying the types of gambling authorized under law (iGaming Today).

Key Details

• The Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) aims to publish casino and online gambling rules by December 31, 2026, after missing prior June 30 and November 30 deadlines (iGaming Today).
• The draft regulations were prepared by an international advisory team, reviewed by a committee, and are now being finalized by the GRA, according to GRA Director General Wickramasinghe (iGaming Today).
• The initial regulatory package is anticipated to address licensing, fees, online gambling, and anti-money laundering measures, alongside a ministerial order detailing authorized gambling types (iGaming Today).
• Under the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act No. 17 of 2025, published regulations must be submitted to Parliament for approval within three months of their publication (iGaming Today).
• Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance Chairman Harsha de Silva criticized the delays, citing uncollected potential tax revenue and a lack of adequate financial supervision for foreign-linked online gambling businesses (iGaming Today).

Why It Matters

The consistent delays in publishing these regulations highlight challenges in establishing a fully functional regulatory framework for Sri Lanka’s gambling sector. The Gambling Regulatory Authority Act No. 17 of 2025, which came into effect on December 1, 2025, consolidated casinos, betting, and online gambling under a single regulator (iGaming Today). However, many of the Act’s provisions require supporting regulations for implementation, rendering the authority’s establishment distinct from its operational capacity (ASEAN Gaming).

Harsha de Silva, chairman of Parliament’s Committee on Public Finance, has publicly criticized the government over these delays, arguing that substantial potential tax revenue remains uncollected (iGaming Today). De Silva also alleged that foreign-linked online gambling businesses are operating in Sri Lanka without sufficient financial oversight, linking the absence of regulations to both revenue collection shortfalls and supervision gaps (iGaming Today). Official data presented to Parliament in July indicated Sri Lanka has 6 licensed casino operators, with 5 active, and 37 licensed sports betting and horse-racing operators. However, Inland Revenue Department officials reported no registered online casino operators at that time (iGaming Today). The government collected LKR14.91 billion, approximately $50 million, in 2024 through the Betting and Gaming Levy and casino license fees, according to the department’s annual performance report (iGaming Today).

What’s Next

Following publication of the supporting rules by December 31, the regulations must be submitted to Parliament for approval within three months, as mandated by the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act (iGaming Today). This parliamentary approval constitutes a separate requirement from the committee’s review of the draft (iGaming Today).