Ecuador’s National Assembly approved the new Organic Law of Sport, Physical Education and Recreation on 19 December 2025 with 84 affirmative votes, unifying 25 legislative bills into a single text that now heads to the Executive for sanction. The package is sizable: 282 articles, plus multiple general and transitional provisions.
For the gambling and sports-betting ecosystem, the most consequential shift is that “sports forecasts” (pronósticos deportivos) are explicitly defined and regulated in the law’s dedicated chapter, setting a licensing-style framework for operators and a tighter integrity perimeter around sport.
The centerpiece is Article 218, which requires that players be identified and verified and states that anonymous forecasting is not allowed. It also mandates full traceability of transactions across channels, so each wager, top-up, payout or prize collection is recorded and tied to a verified user within the operator’s system.
The law also introduces integrity-style prohibitions aimed at conflicts of interest: reporting on the approved text highlights restrictions preventing sports organizations, executives, players and coaches from participating—directly or indirectly—in forecasting tied to the sport where they have influence or involvement.
The reform lands in a market that regulators and journalists have long described as difficult to size. In 2024, only 13 companies reported revenues totaling US$25.2 million, while the official registry referenced 19 companies, and estimates rise to about US$27 million when additional operators are considered.
In parallel, Ecuador’s tax and registration push has expanded the formal operator universe: coverage notes 65 registered taxpayers tied to sports-forecast activity, underscoring the gap between visible brands and compliance records—one of the key issues the new law is designed to tighten.
