In July 2018 an
investigation carried out by the AJ
revealed that players in Bolivia used at least seven online casinos operated by web pages hosted outside the country. According to the
study, between 2013 and 2017, $b2.6m was gambled via offshore betting sites. The report advised "establishing a responsible legal framework" to regulate online activity in Bolivia so that it more closely
reflected the current gambling landscape.
like internet cafes are growing at a fast pace too but the board does not have the legal or technological resources to regulate them.
ONLINE GAMBLING
In October 2016, the AJ announced that it was in talks with the national government over the need to create a new gaming law which would allow the gaming board to intervene in online gaming and take legal action against those found to be operating outside of the law. A year later head of the AJ Marco Sánchez Vaca, told local press that the organisation was working on legal regulations which would eventually regulate online gaming.
In July 2018, an investigation carried out by the AJ revealed that players in Bolivia used at least seven online casinos operated by web pages hosted outside the country. According to the study, between 2013 and 2017, $b2.6m was gambled via offshore betting sites. Te report advised “establishing a responsible legal framework" to regulate online activity in Bolivia so that it more closely reflected the current gambling landscape. Although relatively low Bolivia’s internet penetration rate stood at 55.1 per
cent of the total population at the start of 2022 and ther number is increasing (by around 1.4 per cent last year).”
However, there seems to be some disparity in opinions over whether online gambling is legal or not and no action has been taken to update the country’s online gambling laws. In June 2020, then head of the AJ Juan Carlos Antonio Abrego said that the board was looking at changing the tax regime and putting in place new rules over online gambling. Yet a year later the AJ published a statement clarifying that online gambling was in fact covered within Law 060, and is therefore legal.
While the law only refers to online games in very general terms and makes no further elaboration on it some observers argue that it could in theory provide a basis on which regulations for online gambling could be built upon. All the same the AJ has yet to license any online sites or put forward any measures as to how the online gambling industry should be regulated going forwards. Instead the regulatory body is focused on trying to block access to online sites and will frequently post warnings on twitter regarding online betting sites that have been involved in scams or fraud.
LOTTERIES, SPORTS BETTING AND HORSE RACING
Te only institute permitted to run lotteries is Lonabol, which runs a traditional paper lottery called the Lotería Beneficencia Salubridad, which has one of the lowest turnovers in the entire region. It has recently been authorised to offer instants which have yet to be launched. It also announced plans to run an online lottery some years ago but this has yet to get off the ground.
Meanwhile, the horse racing industry in Bolivia is still limited to local small events and only occurs at local festivals and national holidays. When it comes to sports betting Bolivia’s gambling act makes no mention of it although according to reports published by the board itself online sportsbetting is becoming increasingly popular.
OUTLOOK
Te corruption scandals involving previous members of the board have cast a long shadow over the industry as has the gaming act passed over a decade ago.
WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS P109
Meanwhile the board is dedicating itself almost entirely to the role of supervisory watchdog and has become highly politicised. It seeks to limit rather than encourage the gaming sector.
Progress can’t be measured by the number of slot machines that are confiscated each month. Players will always find new ways to play especially as access to the internet increases and new forms of payment make themselves available.
At the same time there has been no news of any real changes to online gambling regulation since 2017 and pretty much nothing in the sector has happened in Bolivia for years. Despite the government’s best efforts illegal gaming remains widespread.
Te current regulatory climate coupled with political instability and economic uncertainty has done little to encourage innovation or change either. Online gambling regulation looks highly unlikely, and the tax rate on the land based sector means that no kind of expansion is likely in the short term. Unfortunately, this means that while other markets in the region forge ahead and liberalise their gambling markets Bolivia will be left far behind.
The corruption scandals involving
previous members of the board have cast a long shadow over the industry as has the gaming act passed over a decade ago.
Meanwhile the board is dedicating itself almost entirely to the role of supervisory watchdog and has become highly politicised. It seeks to limit rather than encourage the gaming sector.
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