{"id":14240,"date":"2025-10-20T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/?post_type=gambling&#038;p=14240"},"modified":"2025-10-20T06:40:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T11:40:03","slug":"trinidad-and-tobago-declares-war-on-illegal-gambling-targets-1-3-billion-underground-market","status":"publish","type":"gambling","link":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/colombian-gambling-news\/trinidad-and-tobago-declares-war-on-illegal-gambling-targets-1-3-billion-underground-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Trinidad and Tobago declares war on illegal gambling, targets $1.3 billion underground market"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Port of Spain \u2014 Trinidad and Tobago\u2019s Minister of Finance <strong>Davendranath Tancoo<\/strong> has declared an aggressive crackdown on the nation\u2019s thriving illegal gambling sector, describing it as a \u201cparallel economy\u201d draining state revenue and undermining the integrity of the country\u2019s regulated lottery system.<\/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>In his 2025 national budget presentation on Monday, Minister Tancoo revealed that the illegal gambling industry \u2014 dominated by unlicensed lotteries known locally as <em>whe-whe<\/em> and unauthorized betting houses \u2014 is worth an estimated <strong>TTD 9 billion<\/strong> annually (around <strong>US $1.3 billion<\/strong>). That figure, he said, is nearly <strong>three times the size<\/strong> of the legal market operated by the <strong>National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB)<\/strong>, which generates approximately <strong>TTD 3 billion<\/strong> (US $442 million) per year in gross gaming revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese underground operations rob the state of income tax, corporate tax and licensing fees,\u201d Tancoo warned, adding that the government can no longer ignore the fiscal and social impact of unregulated betting networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the proposed reforms to the <strong>Gambling and Betting Act<\/strong>, the government intends to introduce <strong>stiffer penalties<\/strong> to deter operators and participants. New sanctions include fines of <strong>TTD 250,000<\/strong> and up to <strong>three years\u2019 imprisonment<\/strong> for summary offenses, and penalties of up to <strong>TTD 3 million<\/strong> (US $442,000) and <strong>seven years in prison<\/strong> for convictions on indictment.<\/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>Authorities have identified a new trend in which illegal bookmakers issue printed receipts disguised as retail purchases that correspond to results of official NLCB draws. The Ministry of Finance plans to criminalize not only the acceptance of such bets but also the issuance of fake receipts and the payment of winnings based on NLCB outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"540\" height=\"305\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/trinidad-and-tobago-declares-war-on-illegal-gambling-targets-1-3-billion-underground-market2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14241\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/trinidad-and-tobago-declares-war-on-illegal-gambling-targets-1-3-billion-underground-market2.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/trinidad-and-tobago-declares-war-on-illegal-gambling-targets-1-3-billion-underground-market2-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Alongside enforcement, Tancoo announced a modernization of the NLCB\u2019s oversight framework. The reforms require <strong>quarterly transfers of NLCB profits to the government\u2019s Consolidated Fund<\/strong>, stricter budgetary control, and independent auditing to prevent internal leakage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Industry observers note that this move follows a wider Caribbean trend toward stricter oversight of gaming operations, as governments seek to protect tax revenue while encouraging legitimate investment in the regulated sector. In Tancoo\u2019s words, the message is unambiguous: <em>\u201cWe will strengthen the law, close the loopholes, and ensure that those who choose to operate outside the system face real consequences.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Trinidad and Tobago\u2019s gaming landscape, this represents not just a fiscal policy but a redefinition of control \u2014 a bid to reclaim billions once left in the shadows and redirect them toward public trust and transparency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>That figure, he said, is nearly three times the size of the legal market operated by the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB), which generates approximately TTD 3 billion (US $442 million) per year in gross gaming revenue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14242,"menu_order":45,"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":[11,31,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-14240","1":"gambling","2":"type-gambling","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sin-categoria","8":"tag-illegal-gambling","9":"tag-lotteries","10":"tag-sports-betting","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.6 - 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