SRI Lanka’s cabinet approved a draft gambling regulation bill on 21 April 2025 and sent it to parliament for consideration. If passed, the proposed authority would oversee land-based and offshore casinos, gambling aboard ships and online betting platforms.
Operators in SRI Lanka’s land-based, offshore and online sectors could fall under a proposed single authority if parliament passes the bill.
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Police spokesman Fredrick Wootler said authorities arrested more than 1,000 foreigners for cybercrime activity in SRI Lanka this year, more than twice last year’s 430. The Gambling Regulatory Authority, created under a 2025 law, is expected to be fully operational by 30 June 2026, with responsibility for anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing compliance.
Anutin Charnvirakul's re-election as Thailand's prime minister reportedly leaves no prospect of casino legalisation during his term. The previous government's plan for five casinos was halted after its fall, and the casino bill has been shelved; Melco had opened a Bangkok office in preparation for a licensing campaign.
Macau will adopt a model in which the government coordinates old-district revitalisation, gaming concessionaires provide resources and registered social associations plan events, Secretary for Economy and Finance Tai Kin Ip said. The approach is due to begin this year or next and replaces plans drawn up under the concessionaires’ non-gaming investment requirements.
SRI Lanka’s Gambling Regulatory Authority Act, No. 17 of 2025, will take effect on 1 December following a gazette notification issued by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The Act establishes a single regulator for casinos, online and offshore gaming, and betting, and repeals three existing gambling laws; current operators must transition to compliance under the new authority.
SRI Lanka’s draft Gambling Authority Act sets out licensing, taxation and oversight of junkets but does not specify rules for them. At a parliamentary hearing, a Financial Intelligence Unit officer questioned whether junket operators would fall within the casino’s Inland Revenue collection arrangements; the draft was published on 23 May.