{"id":14232,"date":"2025-10-20T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/?post_type=asia&#038;p=14232"},"modified":"2025-10-20T06:29:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T11:29:35","slug":"sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting","status":"publish","type":"asia","link":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka sets June 2026 deadline to launch Gambling Regulatory Authority amid surge in online betting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Colombo \u2014 Sri Lanka has officially set <strong>30 June 2026<\/strong> as the deadline to establish its new <strong>Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA)<\/strong>, a unified body tasked with overseeing both land-based and online gambling operations. The timeline was confirmed during a meeting of the <strong>Committee on Public Finance (COPF)<\/strong> between the <strong>Ministry of Finance<\/strong> and the <strong>Department of Inland Revenue<\/strong>, according to reports .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/landing\/multigame-link\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/multigame-diamod-III-700-eng.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9622\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/multigame-diamod-III-700-eng.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/multigame-diamod-III-700-eng-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/multigame-diamod-III-700-eng-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The announcement comes as lawmakers express growing concern over the rapid expansion of online gambling in the island nation. According to government data presented before COPF, <strong>between 60 % and 70 %<\/strong> of Sri Lankan gamblers now participate online, while only <strong>30 %\u201340 %<\/strong> continue to frequent physical casinos. The shift toward digital platforms has created a regulatory vacuum, leaving authorities struggling to monitor offshore operators and capture lost tax revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GRA is expected to consolidate responsibilities currently divided under the <strong>Casino Business (Regulation) Act No. 17 of 2010<\/strong> and the <strong>Betting and Gaming Levy Act<\/strong>, both considered outdated for the digital age. Once enacted, the new Authority will oversee licensing, compliance, taxation, and responsible gaming standards across all verticals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/from-chaos-to-control-sri-lanka-drafts-law-to-regulate-gambling-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">From chaos to control: Sri Lanka drafts law to regulate gambling industry<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finance officials estimate that Sri Lankans wager more than <strong>LKR 60 billion<\/strong> (approximately <strong>US $197 million<\/strong>) annually through unregulated offshore websites, resulting in substantial losses to the Treasury. Ministerial sources indicated that the GRA will prioritize the registration of online gaming providers and implement digital transaction monitoring to ensure transparent revenue collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/landing\/multigame-link\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/multigame-diamod-III-700-eng.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9622\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/multigame-diamod-III-700-eng.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/multigame-diamod-III-700-eng-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/multigame-diamod-III-700-eng-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<em>This is not simply about regulation \u2014 it\u2019s about modernization,\u201d one COPF member stated during the session. \u201cThe gaming economy must contribute fairly to national development, especially as the country rebuilds fiscal stability.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting2.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting2-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting2-768x461.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The creation of the GRA also aligns Sri Lanka with other emerging Asian jurisdictions seeking to balance tourism, taxation, and social responsibility within the gaming sector. Industry analysts expect the framework to attract international investors once the rules are clarified, particularly in Colombo\u2019s evolving casino and integrated-resort market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the June 2026 target provides a clear timeline, several lawmakers have urged the Ministry to advance preparatory work by early 2025 to avoid bureaucratic delays. The coming months will be decisive in shaping whether Sri Lanka\u2019s gaming reform becomes a regional benchmark \u2014 or another missed opportunity in the island\u2019s pursuit of economic renewal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The announcement comes as lawmakers express growing concern over the rapid expansion of online gambling in the island nation. According to government data presented before COPF, between 60 % and 70 % of Sri Lankan gamblers now participate online, while only 30 %\u201340 % continue to frequent physical casinos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14234,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2323,2802,102,2595],"class_list":["post-14232","asia","type-asia","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sin-categoria","tag-asia","tag-india","tag-online-betting","tag-sri-lanka","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Sri Lanka sets June 2026 deadline to launch Gambling Regulatory Authority amid surge in online betting - Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The announcement comes as lawmakers express growing concern over the rapid expansion of online gambling in the island nation. According to government data presented before COPF, between 60 % and 70 % of Sri Lankan gamblers now participate online, while only 30 %\u201340 % continue to frequent physical casinos\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sri Lanka sets June 2026 deadline to launch Gambling Regulatory Authority amid surge in online betting - Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The announcement comes as lawmakers express growing concern over the rapid expansion of online gambling in the island nation. According to government data presented before COPF, between 60 % and 70 % of Sri Lankan gamblers now participate online, while only 30 %\u201340 % continue to frequent physical casinos\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/\",\"name\":\"Sri Lanka sets June 2026 deadline to launch Gambling Regulatory Authority amid surge in online betting - Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-20T13:30:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"The announcement comes as lawmakers express growing concern over the rapid expansion of online gambling in the island nation. According to government data presented before COPF, between 60 % and 70 % of Sri Lankan gamblers now participate online, while only 30 %\u201340 % continue to frequent physical casinos\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":500},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Portada\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Asia News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Sri Lanka sets June 2026 deadline to launch Gambling Regulatory Authority amid surge in online betting\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World\",\"description\":\"Gambling news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sri Lanka sets June 2026 deadline to launch Gambling Regulatory Authority amid surge in online betting - Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World","description":"The announcement comes as lawmakers express growing concern over the rapid expansion of online gambling in the island nation. According to government data presented before COPF, between 60 % and 70 % of Sri Lankan gamblers now participate online, while only 30 %\u201340 % continue to frequent physical casinos","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sri Lanka sets June 2026 deadline to launch Gambling Regulatory Authority amid surge in online betting - Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World","og_description":"The announcement comes as lawmakers express growing concern over the rapid expansion of online gambling in the island nation. According to government data presented before COPF, between 60 % and 70 % of Sri Lankan gamblers now participate online, while only 30 %\u201340 % continue to frequent physical casinos","og_url":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/","og_site_name":"Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/","name":"Sri Lanka sets June 2026 deadline to launch Gambling Regulatory Authority amid surge in online betting - Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting.jpg","datePublished":"2025-10-20T13:30:00+00:00","description":"The announcement comes as lawmakers express growing concern over the rapid expansion of online gambling in the island nation. According to government data presented before COPF, between 60 % and 70 % of Sri Lankan gamblers now participate online, while only 30 %\u201340 % continue to frequent physical casinos","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting.jpg","width":800,"height":500},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/sri-lanka-sets-june-2026-deadline-to-launch-gambling-regulatory-authority-amid-surge-in-online-betting\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Portada","item":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Asia News","item":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/asia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Sri Lanka sets June 2026 deadline to launch Gambling Regulatory Authority amid surge in online betting"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/","name":"Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World","description":"Gambling news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/asia\/14232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/asia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/asia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14232"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/asia\/14232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14235,"href":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/asia\/14232\/revisions\/14235"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}