Uruguay enacted a new set of gambling laws and taxes on January 1 that include a ban on online gaming and higher taxes on turnover for land-based casinos.
The ban on online gambling is an effort to prevent unauthorized services from being provided to local gambling customers and states that unlicensed domestic and international gaming operators are prohibited to target Uruguayan players with online casino and poker games, according to a report in Casino News Daily.
The ban does not include online sports betting. However, state-run lottery operator La Banca is the only platform licensed by Uruguay to offer online sports betting and online lottery games.
The ban reinforces an 1895 Uruguayan law holding that gambling operators must be authorized to offer gambling to residents. The new law allows for ISP blocking of unauthorized online gambling sites and prohibits sponsorships between unlicensed sites and sports clubs and other gambling interests in the country.
The new tax scheme requires land-based gambling venues in the country to pay an additional 0.75 percent tax on gaming and betting turnover.
