Ecuador’s PGE finds most gambling civilly unlawful
Ecuador’s Procuraduría General del Estado issued binding Oficio No. 16528, concluding that gambling is generally an activity with an unlawful civil object, regardless of whether the organiser seeks profit. The opinion, dated 4 May 2026, preserves exceptions for the Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil’s lottery and certain civic toy raffles. It distinguishes civil illegality from criminal liability, which requires profit-seeking under the cited criminal provision.
Operators may face invalid contracts and permits even where conduct is not criminally punishable.