The Gambling Regulatory Authority Act, No. 17 of 2025 was certified on 3 September 2025 and published in the Gazette supplement of 4 September. Section 18 provides a distinct digital gambling licence.
Digital gambling needs its own permission
Section 18 requires a digital gambling licence. Section 18(3) provides for a Gazette order on how digital gambling may be offered. Section 19 allows the Minister to specify authorized types of gambling, including digital games, by Gazette order. A land-based casino licence is separate from a digital gambling licence.
When the Act took effect
The signed commencement order in Gazette Extraordinary No. 2463/03 was published on 17 November 2025. It sets 1 December 2025 as the start date for the substantive provisions. Section 1 itself took effect when the Bill became law.
What happened to older casino licences?
Section 78(2)(c) carried over casino business licences issued under the 2010 Act if they were in force immediately before 1 December 2025. Check the scope of the particular licence. A carried-over premises licence does not establish permission for a website under section 18.
Check the operator, games and website
Section 20 requires operators to submit their rules, game list and maximum stakes to the Gambling Regulatory Authority for written approval. For an online casino, check the legal operator, its digital licence, the authorized games and the exact web address. This guide has no verified order under section 18(3) for how digital gambling is offered, no order under section 19 authorizing digital casino games and no issued digital licence linked to an exact website.
Sources
- Sri Lanka Parliament — Gambling Regulatory Authority Act 17 of 2025
Source read: · Source date: 2025-09-04
- Central Bank of Sri Lanka — Annual Economic Review 2025, table 5.1
Source read: · Source date: 2026-04-20
- Sri Lanka Department of Government Printing — Gazette Extraordinary No. 2463/03
Source read: · Source date: 2025-11-17