Online Gambling License in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has long been a major hub for online gambling,
sports betting, and poker. A few of the largest and most
successful names in all of gambling are either currently based
out of Costa Rica or were in the past. The country has call
centers, headquarters, and even a few billionaires all related to
internet gaming.

The funny thing is Costa Rica doesn’t have a licensing system
and never has. There are no licenses, permits, or regulatory
bodies governing online gambling in Costa Rica. All the operator
needs to do is run the business how it sees fit. There are no
laws in Costa Rica that specifically address the business of
online gambling other than one: no company located in Costa Rica
may take online wagers from locals.

If you’re a player, that might sound scary. Anyone can set up
shop in Costa Rica and ask for your money. However, you should
remember that a number of respected gambling sites still operate
out of Costa Rica. It’s a beautiful country with a low tax rate
and limited business-killing regulations. Not every gambling
site in Costa Rica is there to take advantage of the licensing
situation.

But yes, there are also bad operators working out of Costa
Rica. If you’re in the market for a gambling site, we recommend
looking at our reviews rather than basing your decision on where the site
is located or what licenses it has. Licenses don’t tell the
whole story. In some jurisdictions, licenses are handed out so
easily that it’s just as useless as having no license at all.

Data Processing License

There’s no official license for online gambling in Costa
Rica, so all gambling operations simply get a “data processing”
license from San Jose City Hall. Then, the operator sets up a
corporation and corporate bank account in Costa Rica.

Banking is difficult for gambling sites in Costa Rica as the
banking system there is heavily influenced by the United States.
Local banks want nothing to do with online gambling. Obviously,
there are ways around the banking problem.

Corporations in Costa Rica aren’t taxed on income earned
overseas. Since operators based out of the nation do zero
business with locals, they essentially operate tax-free.

There are several companies that specialize in getting
everything set up for those interested in starting an operation
in Costa Rica. These companies are able to assist in
establishing a Costa Rican corporation, getting a banking
solution in order and obtaining the data processing license.

A Proposal to Regulate E-Gaming

President Laura Chinchilla announced in 2013 that the Costa
Rican government was interested in regulating and licensing
online gambling. The Finance Ministry released draft plans to
issue licenses to providers for an annual fee of $50,000.

The proposal also included a 0.5% tax on gross income and a
5% tax to combat any criminal activity associated with gambling.
Nothing has changed as of this writing, but it’s worth noting
that the idea is at least floating around out there. We’ll
update this page if anything changes.