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Marshall Islands for operators: illegal to offer

ProhibitedBanned: online casino, sports betting, poker, lottery.Updated Overview built from public sources, last updated 2 Jun 2026. In-depth review to follow.Framework 1998The year Marshall Islands's current gambling law took effect; the rules on this page come from it and the changes made since.RestrictedMost online gambling is banned, limited to a state operator or tightly restricted.
Quick AI overviewAI overview

How this page was researched

  1. Quick AI overview

    An AI summary of public information, not yet checked against the law or the regulator. Treat it as a starting point.

  2. Deep AI ScanNot run yet

    Every question of our checklist answered from official documents only. Ask us to run it for Marshall Islands.

  3. Checked by our research team
  4. Compliance review
  5. Signed off
How we research
PlayersOperators

All commercial gambling is illegal in the Marshall Islands under the Gaming and Recreation Prohibition Act 1998.

OverviewOverview built from public sources. An in-depth review of Marshall Islands is available on request. Request it

Active licensees~0Licence termPer-event

Product by product

Online gambling products in Marshall Islands: status, licence, tax and rules
ProductStatus
Online betting · Online casino · Online poker · LotteryBanned

Regulator and player protection in Marshall Islands

Regulator
Office of the Attorney General; Marshall Islands Police Department (Enforcement)
Application authority and enforcement body
Mandatory RG controls
No limit imposed on players
Deposit limits or reality checks the law requires operators to offer
Advertising stance
Banned or near-banned
Whether you can run TV / sponsorship / paid-social campaigns

Heads-up for operators

Changes coming in Marshall Islands

  1. Note

    No reform contemplated.

Not yet in force: drafts, laws adopted without a start date, and sections of the law still to be commenced. An item moves to the timeline below on the day it takes effect.

Licence Types in Marshall Islands

One licence type is listed for Marshall Islands: Non-Profit Fundraising Permit.

LicenceRegulatorTermNotes
Non-Profit Fundraising PermitLocal Government CouncilPer-eventPermits for specific fundraising activities (bingo, raffles, cakewalks) by non-profit organizations are the only legal exception to the national gambling ban.
Licensing model
The Marshall Islands has a prohibitive model, not a licensing one. The only exception to the blanket ban is for fundraising activities like bingo, raffles, and cakewalks conducted by registered non-profit organizations, which require a specific permit from the local government council for each event.

Gambling tax and fees in the Marshall Islands

Detail

No meaningful legal gambling industry.

Year-1 cost: Not applicable

There is no legal framework for commercial gambling operators in the Marshall Islands, so no compliance costs, application fees, or taxes exist. All commercial gambling operations are strictly prohibited by law.

Year 1 estimate
Not applicable

Commercial gambling is illegal under the Gaming and Recreation Prohibition Act 1998.

Which foreign licences the Marshall Islands accepts

The Marshall Islands recognises none of these 9 foreign licences.

BannedMalta (MGA) · United Kingdom (UKGC) · Gibraltar (GRA) · Isle of Man (GSC) · Curaçao · Kahnawake (KGC) · Anjouan (AGB) · Costa Rica (data-processing) · Antigua & Barbuda (FSRC)

All forms of online gambling are illegal under the Gaming and Recreation Prohibition Act 1998. All foreign licences are invalid.

Bonus rules: welcome bonuses banned

Bonuses bannedInducement ads: Banned

Given the complete prohibition on iGaming under the 1998 Act, there is no specific legal framework governing bonuses or promotions. The primary gambling activity is illegal, so any associated marketing or player inducements are illegal by extension.

What the player can claim
Welcome bonus
Banned
VIP schemes
Banned
Loyalty schemes
Banned
Cashback
Banned
  • All verticals are prohibited, including casino, sports betting, and poker.

All forms of bonuses are considered components of a prohibited gambling activity and are therefore illegal.

What the operator can advertise
Channels off-limits
  • All channels
Penalties

Criminal penalties include fines up to 1,000.00 USD and/or imprisonment up to one year. A civil penalty of 1,000.00 USD per day may also be levied for each day a violation continues.

Enforcement targets the underlying illegal gambling activity, as there are no licensed operators to penalize for bonus-specific infractions.

Recent advertising-violation cases
DateOperatorViolationPenaltySource
April 2023Various local businessesOperating illegal gambling machines resembling slot or video arcade games in Majuro.Confiscation of 41 gambling machines and pending criminal charges.MBJ Guam

Sources12

How the Marshall Islands enforces against unlicensed operators

Enforcement of the national gambling ban is active and significant. Authorities have shown a willingness to act against both land-based illegal operations and offshore online platforms, backed by recent legislative amendments that have increased penalties to felony-level offenses.

  • January 2026: Authorities forced the offshore online platform CasinoChan to cease all operations targeting the country.
  • October 2025: The Gaming and Recreation Prohibition (Amendment) Act 2025 increased maximum penalties for illegal gambling to a $5,000 fine and a thirty-five month prison term.
  • April 2023: Police in the capital, Majuro, confiscated 41 illegal gambling machines from local businesses.

Sources3

Enforcement cases in the Marshall Islands: 1 recent

Material regulator actions, court rulings, and high-profile fines from 2016–2026 against operators serving Marshall Islands. Each entry includes the technical failure and a one-line read-across for other operators in the market.

  • April 2023

    Various local businesses in Majuro

    Grey-MarketConfiscation of 41 gambling machines and revocation of local gaming licenses

    Operating illegal gambling machines in violation of the national Gaming and Recreation Prohibition Act 1998.

    Read-across: This enforcement action reminds any would-be operators that the ban on gambling is actively enforced. It deters the spread of grey-market land-based operations.

    Source

Licensed operators: none

As of 2 Jun 2026, no operator holds an active online licence in Marshall Islands.

Traps operators hit in the Marshall Islands

Specific operational risks that have caught new entrants in this market. Each item is country-specific. Generic gambling-ops issues (KYC, RG tools) are not included unless they have a local twist.

  • Operating Under Any Foreign Licence

    All foreign-issued gambling licences (e.g., Curaçao, MGA, Anjouan) are invalid in the Marshall Islands. The Gaming and Recreation Prohibition Act 1998 establishes a complete ban, so any online operation targeting the country is an illegal act subject to enforcement.

    Sources3

  • Misinterpreting Crypto Policy as a Loophole

    The country's exploration of a national digital currency (SOV) does not create a loophole for gambling. The 1998 Act's prohibition covers wagering any 'thing of value,' which explicitly includes cryptocurrencies. All crypto gambling is illegal.

    Sources3

  • Underestimating Enforcement Capabilities

    Despite its small size, the jurisdiction actively enforces its ban. The directive forcing CasinoChan to cease operations in 2026 shows that authorities monitor and take action against offshore operators, which poses a significant risk.

    Sources3

Timeline: rules in force

  1. January 2026

    Enforcement Action Against Offshore Operator

    Marshallese authorities forced the offshore online gambling site CasinoChan to cease operations, which shows active enforcement of the national ban against remote operators.

    Source: 3

  2. October 2025

    Penalties Increased via Amendment Act

    The Gaming and Recreation Prohibition (Amendment) Act 2025 elevated illegal gambling to a third-degree felony and increased maximum fines and prison terms, which reinforced the prohibitive stance.

    Source: 3

  3. 1998

    Gaming and Recreation Prohibition Act Enacted

    The foundational legislation was passed and established a comprehensive ban on all forms of commercial gambling throughout the Marshall Islands.

    Source: 3

Operator myths vs reality in the Marshall Islands

Common assumptions about gambling licensing that turn out to be wrong in practice.

  • Myth
    The Marshall Islands is a 'no-enforcement' jurisdiction for online gambling.
    Reality

    False. Authorities actively enforce the ban, as demonstrated by the 2026 shutdown of offshore operator CasinoChan and the 2025 legislative amendment that increased penalties to felony-level offenses.

    Sources3

  • Myth
    A foreign licence from Curaçao or Anjouan provides legal cover to operate.
    Reality

    This is incorrect. The national prohibition on all gambling overrides any foreign licence. All foreign-licensed operations targeting the Marshall Islands are illegal and subject to enforcement action.

    Sources3

  • Myth
    The government's interest in a national digital currency (SOV) signals a future opening for the iGaming market.
    Reality

    There is no evidence for this. The SOV project is unrelated to gambling policy. The 1998 Act's ban on wagering any 'thing of value' makes crypto gambling explicitly illegal, and no reforms are contemplated.

    Sources3

Markets that work like Marshall Islands

Compared on what our records hold for each country: whether online casino, betting, poker and lottery are licensed, state-run or banned, the licensing model, what the operator tax is levied on and its band, how most advertising channels are treated, and how foreign licences are treated. A point we hold for only one of the two countries counts for nothing.

  1. PalauAI overview
    Timor-LesteAI overview
    BruneiAI overview
    IndonesiaAI overview
    MongoliaAI overview

    Online casino, betting, poker and lottery banned; most ad channels banned; foreign licences mostly banned.

Methodology & sources

This page is a Quick AI overview: a summary of public information, not yet checked against the law or the regulator. Treat it as a starting point. It has not yet been through our Deep AI Scan.

How we researchAsk us to run the Deep AI Scan for Marshall Islands

Documents cited on this page

  1. 1Gaming and Recreation Prohibition Act 1998
  2. 2MBJ Guam
  3. 3verlete.com
Looking for the player guide?
For consumer-facing information about gambling in Marshall Islands (tax on winnings, where to play legally, self-exclusion options), see the Marshall Islands player guide.
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Disclaimer. This page reflects the law as we understood it on 2 Jun 2026. Rules change: always check the current position with Office of the Attorney General; Marshall Islands Police Department (Enforcement). We are not a legal adviser.