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🇳🇮For operators

Nicaragua for operators: no online regime

Online only via a land casinoVia land casinoOnline casino games and sports betting only as a written add-on of a licensed Category A land-based casino (Reglamento Art. 21); no route for a purely online operator, and no casino holding the add-on found as of 27 October 2026; the lottery is the state Lotería Nacional.Updated Research revised 27 Oct 2026 (Deep AI Scan of 40 official documents, first researched 27 Oct 2026).Framework 2011The year Nicaragua's current gambling law took effect; the rules on this page come from it and the changes made since.
Checked by our research teamChecked

How this page was researched

  1. Quick AI overview

    A first AI summary of the rules.

  2. Deep AI Scan

    Every question of our regulatory checklist, answered from 40 official documents: the law, the regulator's own pages and its register.

  3. Checked by our research team

    Every figure traced to the document and sentence that states it.

  4. Compliance reviewNext

    The full research report goes to our compliance team next.

  5. Expert review

    Dated here when a named expert has reviewed it.

Across every Nicaragua page: 10 official websites, 44 pages cited, 241 sourced data points. See the sources

Request the research reportHow we research
PlayersOperatorsGet licensed

Nicaragua licenses land-based casinos and gaming halls through the MHCP; online casino games and sports betting are allowed only as an add-on of a Category A casino, no casino was found holding it as of 27 October 2026, and the lottery belongs to the state Lotería Nacional.

Land-based casino taxUS$40-500Held or committedUS$350,000Licence term20 yearsAdd-on decision10 work days

Product by product

Every applicant first needs a Category A casino licence, because only a Category A casino can ask the MHCP to authorise internet games or sports betting; there is no route for a purely online operator.
Online gambling products in Nicaragua: status, licence, tax and rules
ProductStatusLicensed byTaxKey restrictionAdvertising
Online casino and slotsLimitedMHCP, as a written add-on for a Category A casinoNo rate named for internet games; the common tax law applies (Ley 766 Arts. 48-49)No standalone online licence and the authorisation cannot be transferred; no holder found as of 27 October 2026No gambling-specific rule; the consumer-protection law (Ley 842) applies
Online sports bettingLimitedMHCP, same Category A add-onNo rate named for sports betting; the common tax law appliesNeeds signal and odds contracts of at least one year; prizes paid only by non-negotiable chequeNo gambling-specific rule; Ley 842 applies
Online pokerLimitedSame route as online casinoNo rate namedNot named separately in the law; poker is named only for casino tablesNo gambling-specific rule
LotteryState monopolyLotería Nacional (state enterprise)Exempt from IVA; prizes over C$50,000 carry 15% withholdingElectronic lottery run under a contract with Canadian Bank Note Company approved by Decreto A.N. 8765No gambling-specific rule
Land-based casinosLicensableMHCP: Título-Licencia plus a Permiso per establishmentUS$500 a table and US$40 a machine a month400 m distance rule; guarantee from US$10,000 to US$50,000 by categoryNo gambling-specific rule
Decided17 Jul 202617 July 2026

Can the MHCP block gambling sites or act against illegal gambling?

The gambling law, its Reglamento and the Normativa give the MHCP no power to block websites, domains or applications, as of 27 October 2026. Its listed sanctions are seizure and destruction of goods, fines of US$500 to US$25,000 and suspension. On 17 July 2026 the MHCP published that 369 seized slot machines were destroyed on 16 July 2026, a land-based enforcement step.

MHCP note on the destruction of seized machines ↗

Regulator and player protection in Nicaragua

Regulator
Ministerio de Hacienda y Crédito Público (MHCP), through its Oficina de Casinos y Salas de Juegos de Azar
Application authority and enforcement body
Mandatory RG controls
No limit imposed on players
Deposit limits or reality checks the law requires operators to offer

Heads-up for operators

Changes coming in Nicaragua · last change 27 Oct 2026

  1. Note

    No bill amending Ley 766, its Reglamento or the gambling provisions of the tax law appears in the Asamblea Nacional's initiatives listing as of 27 October 2026; the listing shows its first 1,000 entries only. The latest amendment of the gambling statute is Ley 884 of 2014, which moved the casino powers from INTUR to the MHCP. Outside the gambling law, Ley 1282 (in force 19 June 2026) amended the AML law that names casinos as obliged subjects.

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.

Getting licensed: applications before the market opens

The licence, its cost and the steps are in the licence guide
4 licence types: Título-Licencia de Operación; Permiso de Funcionamiento; Internet games and sports-betting authorisation; and others. Year-1 budget From US$3,720. Fees, requirements, documents, certification and the step-by-step route are set out there.Read the licence guide

Gambling tax and fees in Nicaragua

Detail

Casinos pay the special tax of Title VI of Ley 822: US$500 a month per table and US$40 a month per slot machine in operation (US$450 per table in 2019), at the Banco Central rate, declared monthly. It is the minimum definitive payment on account of the annual income tax (30% of net income) and is not deductible.

Internet games and sports betting are taxed 'as the common tax legislation determines' (Ley 766 Arts. 48-49); no rate is named for them. IVA is 15%;

Managua's municipal plan charges casinos 7% of gross income.

Bonus rules in Nicaragua

Ley 766 and its Reglamento do not mention welcome bonuses, free spins or wagering requirements. Any additional prize a casino offers needs the Dirección de Casinos' approval before the event, and the consumer-law promotion rules apply.

What the operator can advertise

A promotion must state its terms, period and conditions clearly and publish its results afterwards (Ley 842 Arts. 27-29).

Sources12

Licensed operators in Nicaragua

Notable licensed operators

  • Lotería Nacional de Nicaragua

    loterianacional.com.ni

    Visit site

Traps operators hit in Nicaragua

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.

  • No route for a purely online operator

    Only a Category A casino may add internet games or sports betting (Reglamento Art. 21), so an online business first needs a 20-year Título-Licencia and a physical Category A casino with its own Permiso.

    Sources34

  • The tax is per table and per machine, and online has no rate

    Casinos pay US$500 a month per table and US$40 a month per slot machine (Ley 822 Art. 233 as reissued by Ley 987), the minimum definitive payment on the 30% income tax. Internet games and sports betting fall under the common tax law, which names no rate for them.

    Sources564

  • Payment and payout rules are narrow

    Bets may be paid only in cash, by credit or debit card or by cheque; accepting any other means is fined US$20,000. Prizes of sports and internet bets may be paid only by non-negotiable, non-transferable cheque.

    Sources43

Timeline: rules in force

  1. 19 Jun 2026

    Ley 1282 amends the AML law

    The amended Ley 977 keeps casinos and gaming rooms among the obliged subjects the UAF supervises.

    Source: 7

  2. 2019

    Ley 987 raises the casino tax

    US$450 per table in 2019 and US$500 from 2020, US$40 per machine; the winnings withholding rose from 10% to 15% on 28 February 2019.

    Source: 6

  3. 2015

    Reglamento Decreto 06-2015

    The implementing rules, including the Category A internet and sports-betting authorisation (Art. 21).

    Source: 3

  4. 2014

    Ley 884 moves casino powers to the MHCP

    Supervision passed from INTUR to the Ministerio de Hacienda y Crédito Público.

    Source: 8

  5. 2011

    Ley 766 sets up casino licensing

    The special law for the control and regulation of casinos and gaming halls created the Título-Licencia and the Permiso de Funcionamiento.

    Source: 4

Operator myths vs reality in Nicaragua

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

  • Myth
    Nicaragua offers a standalone online gambling licence.
    Reality

    It does not: internet games and sports betting are an add-on of a Category A casino (Reglamento Art. 21).

    Sources3

  • Myth
    Operator tax is a share of gross gaming revenue.
    Reality

    The casino tax is a fixed monthly amount per table (US$500) and per machine (US$40); internet games and sports betting have no rate of their own.

    Sources564

  • Myth
    INTUR is still the casino regulator.
    Reality

    Ley 884 of 2014 made the MHCP the Autoridad de Aplicación; it acts through its Oficina de Casinos y Salas de Juegos de Azar.

    Sources8

Markets that work like Nicaragua

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. United StatesResearched
    Côte d'IvoireAI overview
    MadagascarAI overview

    Online casino, betting and poker limited.

Methodology & sources

The research behind our Nicaragua coverage

Counted across every Nicaragua page, not this page alone.

compiled 27 Oct 2026

10
official websites
regulators, legislatures, courts
44
pages cited
specific documents, not homepages
241
sourced data points
each traced to the instrument

Across every Nicaragua page on this site: players, operators and the licence guide. The research report behind them cites official sources: the law, the regulator, the gazette, the courts and each platform’s own published advertising policy. Page sections not yet rewritten from the report may cite other sources.

The same research as a 65-page Nicaragua report: every one of the 201 checklist questions, each answer cited to the instrument behind it.

Request the Nicaragua report

Our Deep AI Scan took Nicaragua through all 201 questions of our regulatory checklist, from 40 official documents, read on 27 Oct 2026. Our research team then traced every figure on this page to the document and sentence that states it. The full research report is due to go to our compliance team. Where a fact rests on a press report or a law-firm summary rather than an official document, the page says so.

How we research

Documents cited on this page

  1. 1Normativa General para la Operación de Casinos (2012), Asamblea Nacional
  2. 2Ley 842 (consumer protection), Asamblea Nacional
  3. 3Reglamento de la Ley 766 (Decreto 06-2015), Asamblea Nacional
  4. 4Ley 766 (consolidated text), Asamblea Nacional
  5. 5Ley 822 de Concertación Tributaria, Asamblea Nacional
  6. 6Ley 987 (tax reform, 2019), Asamblea Nacional
  7. 7Ley 1282 (AML reform, 2026), Asamblea Nacional
  8. 8Ley 884 (2014), Asamblea Nacional

The 10 documents this page relies on most

  1. Ley 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)Law
  2. Decreto 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)Law
  3. Normativa General para la Operación de Casinos y Salas de Juegos (INTUR Consejo Directivo, Certificación Acta Nº 78 of 9 Feb 2012, certified 29 Mar 2012; La Gaceta 79, 1 May 2012)Regulator
  4. Ley N. 842, Ley de Proteccion de los Derechos de las Personas Consumidoras y Usuarias, Texto Consolidado (to 25 Nov 2021; La Gaceta 137, 26 Jul 2022)Law
  5. Ley N. 822, Ley de Concertacion Tributaria (approved 30 Nov 2012; La Gaceta 241, 17 Dec 2012), original textLaw
  6. Ley N. 987, Ley de Reformas y Adiciones a la Ley 822 (approved 27 Feb 2019; La Gaceta 41, 28 Feb 2019)Law
  7. UAF Resolucion N. UAF-N-020-2019, Normativa de Prevencion, Deteccion y Reporte de Actividades Relacionadas con el LA/FT/FP a traves de Actividades y Profesiones No Financieras Designadas (La Gaceta 67, 4 Apr 2019)Regulator
  8. UAF Resolucion N. UAF-N-021-2019, Normativa sobre las Obligaciones de Reportes de los Sujetos Obligados (La Gaceta 75, 23 Apr 2019)Regulator
  9. Decreto N. 01-2013, Reglamento de la Ley 822 (La Gaceta 12, 22 Jan 2013)Law
  10. DGI Disposicion Tecnica N. 012-2005, Procedimiento Especial de Pago del Impuesto de Casinos y Juegos de Azar (La Gaceta 114, 14 Jun 2005)Regulator

Also cited on this page

40 documents in all. Request the full research report for every source, answer by answer.

Looking for the player guide?
For consumer-facing information about gambling in Nicaragua (tax on winnings, where to play legally, self-exclusion options), see the Nicaragua player guide.
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Disclaimer. This page reflects the law as we understood it on 27 Oct 2026. Rules change: always check the current position with Ministerio de Hacienda y Crédito Público (MHCP), through its Oficina de Casinos y Salas de Juegos de Azar. We are not a legal adviser.