Is online gambling legal in Nicaragua?

1. 1Ley Nº 766, Ley Especial para el Control y Regulación de Casinos y Salas de Juegos de Azar, Texto Consolidado (Digesto Jurídico de Turismo, consolidated to 25 Mar 2020; La Gaceta 156, 21 Aug 2020)
2. 2Decreto Ejecutivo Nº 06-2015, Reglamento de la Ley 766, Texto Consolidado (consolidated to 25 Mar 2020; La Gaceta 156, 21 Aug 2020; original La Gaceta 47, 10 Mar 2015)
3. 3Decreto A.N. Nº 8765, approving the assignment of the Electronic (online) Lottery Operation Contract to Canadian Bank Note Company and Reform Agreement Nº 2 (approved 12 Aug 2021; La Gaceta 153, 17 Aug 2021)
4. 4Ley N. 822, Ley de Concertacion Tributaria (approved 30 Nov 2012; La Gaceta 241, 17 Dec 2012), original text

Gambling with crypto: Banned.

You must be 18 to gamble online in Nicaragua, for online casino, sports betting and lottery alike. 18 to enter, stay or play in casinos and gaming rooms; no separate age is stated for internet games or betting.

The payer withholds 15% income tax from a lottery prize over C$50,000 and from a casino, raffle, draw or bingo prize of C$25,000 or more; the rate has been 15% since 28 February 2019.

Always verify a casino holds a valid Ministerio de Hacienda y Crédito Público (MHCP), through its Oficina de Casinos y Salas de Juegos de Azar licence before depositing.

Prominent operators in Nicaragua

If a site isn't on the regulator's licensee register, ask the regulator before you play: an unlisted site is usually not licensed here (a register can lag behind a new licence). An unlicensed site is outside the regulator's supervision, so you cannot complain to the regulator about it.

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  No public register to check

  The law requires the Oficina de Casinos to keep a register of licences and permits, but no public copy appears on the MHCP site as of 27 October 2026.

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  Online prizes come by cheque

  A licensed Nicaraguan operator may pay sports and internet betting prizes only by non-negotiable, non-transferable cheque.

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  No self-exclusion or limits in law

  The gambling rules set no self-exclusion register, deposit limits or helpline number.

What you can expect from a licensed site's offers in Nicaragua. The rules operators must follow are on the operator page.

We have no record of a national self-exclusion scheme or problem-gambling helpline in Nicaragua. The law does not require licensed sites to offer deposit limits. Reality checks (reminders of how long you have played) are not required.

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   1. Complain to the operator

   Under the consumer-protection law the operator must keep an easy-to-reach complaints system and resolve a complaint within ten working days.

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   2. Go to the Dirección de Casinos or DIPRODEC

   Anyone affected may lodge a complaint with the Dirección de Casinos y Salas de Juegos de Azar. DIPRODEC, the consumer authority, takes complaints within 30 working days of the operator's answer, but rejects those a sector regulator can hear.

• Myth

  All gambling winnings in Nicaragua are tax-free.
  Reality

  Prizes above C$50,000 (lottery) or from C$25,000 (casino and other games) have 15% income tax withheld when paid; smaller prizes are exempt.

• Myth

  Playing on a foreign site is a crime in Nicaragua.
  Reality

  No provision in Ley 766 or the Penal Code penalises a player; the sanctions bind those who operate or trade in gambling.

• Myth

  Any online casino can get a licence from Nicaragua.
  Reality

  Only a licensed Category A land-based casino may add internet games or sports betting, by written MHCP authorisation.