{"id":777045880,"date":"2026-08-06T11:12:06","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777045880"},"modified":"2026-08-06T14:12:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T17:12:28","slug":"sri-lanka-blocks-access-to-24-major-illegal-betting-sites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/sri-lanka-blocks-access-to-24-major-illegal-betting-sites","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka blocks access to 24 unlicensed betting sites"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The latest enforcement action targets major international gambling brands operating without licences under Sri Lanka\u2019s 2025 gambling law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka.- Some 24 online betting websites have been subject to a blocking order in Sri Lanka after being found to be operating in the country without local licences. The Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA)<\/strong> instructed the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL)<\/strong> to direct all telecommunications providers to restrict access to the websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The blocked platforms include several well-known international operators, such as bet365, Betway, Stake, Unibet, Dafabet, Betfair, 22Bet, Parimatch, Mostbet and Megapari. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although online gambling is legal in Sri Lanka, only licensed operators are permitted to serve the market. The Gambling Regulatory Authority Act<\/strong>, No. 17 of 2025 requires online gambling operators to obtain a local licence before offering services. Providing or promoting gambling services without licences issued under Sections 15, 16 and 18 is an offence under Section 44 of the legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ministry of Digital Economy cautioned consumers against using unauthorised gambling platforms, warning that such websites operate outside the country’s regulatory framework and may expose users to financial risks. Officials said further enforcement measures would be taken in collaboration with other government agencies as Sri Lanka seeks to strengthen oversight of the online gambling market and curb illegal operators.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\t\tSee also:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSee also:<\/span> Indian police target alleged online betting operation at hotel<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The latest enforcement action targets major international gambling brands operating without licences under Sri Lanka\u2019s 2025 gambling law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2395,"featured_media":777043470,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Sri Lanka's Gambling Regulatory Authority has ordered the blocking of 24 international online betting websites, including major brands like bet365 and Betway, for operating without local licenses. This enforcement action, under the 2025 Gambling Regulatory Authority Act, aims to strengthen market oversight and curb illegal operations, despite online gambling being legal with proper licensing. The Ministry of Digital Economy cautioned consumers about financial risks associated with unauthorized platforms.","focusai_entities":"Gambling Regulatory Authority, Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, Ministry of Digital Economy, bet365, Betway, Stake, Unibet, Dafabet, Betfair, 22Bet, Parimatch, Mostbet, Megapari","focusai_location":"Sri Lanka","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (1.0), operator_casino (0.9), affiliate_publisher (0.8), tech_data (0.7), marketing_crm (0.8), payments_fraud_aml (0.7), investor_analyst (0.9), supplier_vendor (0.7), journalist_researcher (1.0)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Sri Lanka Enforcement Impact","query":"What are the projected GGR implications for the Sri Lankan market following this extensive blocking order, and how might it accelerate the B2C licensing process for compliant operators?"},{"label":"Global Regulatory Precedent","query":"How does Sri Lanka's proactive enforcement against unlicensed international operators align with or diverge from regulatory trends observed in other emerging iGaming jurisdictions, particularly regarding geo-blocking efficacy?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[154,16334],"tags":[23911,225,4138],"class_list":["post-777045880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legislation-news","category-south-asia-news","tag-gambling-regulation","tag-legislation","tag-online-gambling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777045880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2395"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777045880"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777045880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777045888,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777045880\/revisions\/777045888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777043470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777045880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777045880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777045880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}