- 24/7 sports gambling apps legal
- 24/7 iCasino apps not legal
- No addiction or bankruptcy prevention protections
- Operators can offer bets to individuals demonstrating addictive gambling behaviors
- Unusually low tax rate for online gambling.
- No steps taken to close Kalshi / Robinhood betting loophole.
- Some low-impact consumer policies in place.
Puerto Rico PR
Score: 45 / 100
Report Card
Legal Status
| Legal Status | Notes & sources | |
|---|---|---|
| Online sports betting | Legal |
Puerto Rico law authorizes online betting on sports events, eSports, and fantasy-style products under Commission licensing.
|
| iCasino (online casino-style games) | Not legal |
Current Commission public materials identify sports betting and fantasy products and separate casino regulation, but no public at-home iCasino operator framework comparable to the mainland iCasino states was identified.
|
| Minimum age (sports betting) | 18+ |
|
Estimated Net Outflows
Online gambling apps route losses to out-of-state operators and vendors, creating large net leakages from state economies and reduced in-state spending by residents, even after deducting retained state taxes and activity from in-state app operations.
Model: gambling-flows (mid scenario, 2025).
- Research note (March 28, 2026): Puerto Rico's sportsbook tax rate is clear in Law 81-2019, but no annual outflow estimate is shown here because the current Puerto Rico Gaming Commission public site does not expose a usable monthly sportsbook revenue series and Puerto Rico is not present in the shared revenue feeds currently used by the sibling gambling-flows model.
History and Overview
- When betting apps were legalized/launched (sports betting): online + retail launch: June 7, 2023.
- Main legal model / provisions (sports betting): Puerto Rico authorized sports betting in 2019, and BetMGM announced the launch of online sports betting in Puerto Rico on June 8, 2023. The Gaming Commission continues to list licensed sports-betting and fantasy operators.
- Online casino / iCasino: Not legal.
- Score-relevant protections observed here: Problem gambling hotline (+2), Non-integrated Self-exclusion list (+2)
Legislative changes since launch
- No post-launch legislative/regulatory updates captured in this dataset.
- About BetMGM . Accessed 2026-03-29.
- Puerto Rico Gaming Commission Act (Law 81-2019) [English translation] . Accessed 2026-03-29.
- Negociado de Apuestas Deportivas y Concursos de Fantasía . Accessed 2026-03-29.
- Negociado de Juegos de Azar . Accessed 2026-03-29.
- Ley de la Comisión de Juegos del Gobierno de Puerto Rico (Ley 81-2019) . Accessed 2026-03-29.
Score math
Safety Scoring
Scoring methodology and formula.
Online sports betting
Online sports betting apps are legal.
- Puerto Rico Gaming Commission Act (Law 81-2019) [English translation] . Accessed 2026-03-29.
- Negociado de Apuestas Deportivas y Concursos de Fantasía . Accessed 2026-03-29.
iCasino (online casino-style games)
iCasino apps are not legal.
- Puerto Rico Gaming Commission Act (Law 81-2019) [English translation] . Accessed 2026-03-29.
- Negociado de Apuestas Deportivas y Concursos de Fantasía . Accessed 2026-03-29.
- Negociado de Juegos de Azar . Accessed 2026-03-29.
Neither online sports betting nor iCasino
Bonus not awarded — at least one form of online gambling is legal in this state.
- Puerto Rico Gaming Commission Act (Law 81-2019) [English translation] . Accessed 2026-03-29.
- Negociado de Apuestas Deportivas y Concursos de Fantasía . Accessed 2026-03-29.
- Negociado de Juegos de Azar . Accessed 2026-03-29.
State promotion / advertising of online gambling
Not in place.
Tax Score
Statutory tax rate (sports betting operators): Online 12%; retail 7%
- Puerto Rico imposes a 7% tax on in-person sports betting and eSports betting and a 12% tax on internet sports betting and eSports betting.
- Different rates for online vs retail channels.
- Ley de la Comisión de Juegos del Gobierno de Puerto Rico (Ley 81-2019) . Accessed 2026-03-29.
Age Requirement
0 points for 18+, 2 points for 21+, 5 points for 25+.
- Ley de la Comisión de Juegos del Gobierno de Puerto Rico (Ley 81-2019) . Accessed 2026-03-29.
Credit card funding ban
Bans using credit cards to fund online betting.
Problem gambling hotline
Publicly advertised problem-gambling hotline/helpline (and referral to support resources). This is a low-efficacy intervention.
- Juego Responsable . Accessed 2026-03-29.
Funding for problem gambling messaging
Earmarks funds for problem gambling education/public-awareness messaging (not just voluntary operator messaging). This is typically small and often poorly executed.
Non-integrated Self-exclusion list
State provides a self-exclusion program (ideally centralized across licensed operators). This is a low-efficacy tool when not integrated into the gambling user flow.
- Formulario Auto Exclusión . Accessed 2026-03-29.
- Juego Responsable . Accessed 2026-03-29.
Mandatory loss limits
Mandatory, enforceable, cross-operator loss limits that cap how much a person can lose in a time period (e.g., monthly). Highly effective for preventing bankruptcies.
Inducement / promo restrictions
Bans or tightly limits promotional inducements (bonuses, risk-free bets, boosted odds) used to accelerate losses.
Ban on in-game betting and microbets
Prohibits in-game/live betting so wagers can only be placed before events begin.
Mandatory operator intervention / duty of care
Requires operators to stop offering bets when users exhibit defined high-risk patterns (not merely provide links to a hotline).
Spousal consent for joint accounts
Requires explicit spousal consent before connecting or using a shared/joint bank account for gambling.
Default deposit/loss limits at signup
Requires players to set limits at signup (or imposes defaults) rather than burying optional limit-setting tools.
Deposit-to-bet waiting period
Imposes a mandatory waiting period between deposits and wagering to reduce compulsive 'tilt' behavior.
Strong advertising protections
Imposes meaningful limits on gambling advertising (e.g., time/place bans, tobacco-style warnings) beyond generic 'gamble responsibly' language.
Not allowed in app stores (web only)
Removes gambling apps from app stores, where the easy access and notification systems increase addictive patterns. In states with legal online gambling, these services would remain available on websites.
Public transparency & harm metrics
Requires public reporting on operator harm indicators (e.g., share of revenue from high-risk users, intervention rates), enabling oversight.
Close the Kalshi “investment contract” loophole
State action to block sports event contracts marketed as federally regulated derivatives. Joining the 36-state attorney general coalition earns 2 points; cease-and-desist earns 4; court action earns 8 (max 8).
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