Sri Lanka's Gambling Regulator (GRA) aims to publish casino and online gambling rules by December 31, 2026. GRA Director General Wickramasinghe confirmed the rules are still being finalised.
Earlier deadlines slipped. GRA missed its first target, the June deadline. Full launch was planned for November 30, 2026, but the rules remain unfinished, and the new system has no detailed regulations to operate under. Act No. 17 of 2025 took effect on December 1, 2025, bringing all forms of gambling under a single regulator.
The law is being rolled out in stages. Most of its provisions will take effect on a date set by the minister in an order published in the Gazette. The regulator drafts the rules, and the minister approves them. Under the law, approved rules are published in the Gazette and take effect upon publication.
The first package is expected to cover licensing and fees, online gambling, anti-money laundering controls, and the types of gambling permitted by the law. Online gambling operators will need a separate license: under the law, digital operators must obtain a separate license. The application form and filing procedure will be set by subsidiary legislation, so applications under the new system cannot be filed until the rules are published.
As of July, according to data submitted to parliament, Sri Lanka had six licensed casinos, five of which are operating, and 37 licensed sports betting and horse racing operators. Meanwhile, the tax authority has not registered a single online casino.
Budget expectations are tied to taxes. Sri Lanka collected about $45 million in 2024 from betting and gaming levies and casino licence payments (LKR 14.91 billion at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka rate as of November 2, 2026).
Harsha de Silva, chair of the parliamentary committee on public finance, said foreign online businesses operate in the country without proper financial oversight, and questioned the effectiveness of blocking illegal websites.
Publishing the rules does not complete the process. Documents issued by the minister must be submitted to parliament for approval within three months of publication in the Gazette. If the regulator meets the December 31 deadline, parliament will receive them in the first quarter of 2027.
