Gambling Laws in Bhutan

Gambling in Bhutan is in general illegal unless offered by the state-run lottery. The directives in the Penal Code of the country, last amended in 2011 are taken as authoritative for the regulation of gambling in the country. According to article 394 from Bhutan’s Penal Code the offense of gambling shall be a petty misdemeanor. Although there are no specific online gambling laws in Bhutan, it is generally considered that  Bhutan’s Penal Code makes online gambling in Bhutan also prohibited in the country, unless some games are offered by the state lottery. Currently, the state lottery does not offer any games online In accordance with Bhutan gambling laws, the body responsible for supervising the respect for the prohibition is the national and the local police in the Bhutan. Frequent arrests by the police of people engaged in playing cards or dice games for money are regularly reported on the local news.

Is Online Gambling Legal in Bhutan? No, all forms of online gambling are illegal in Bhutan.

Online Casinos in Bhutan

As of April 2019, there are no online casinos in Bhutan. Online gambling in the country is prohibited under Bhutan’s Penal Code. Consequently no online casino licenses are on the offer. There is no active blockage on any online gambling content, but the illegal access to internet casino sites offered by foreign-based online casino providers is punishable by law.

Online Poker in Bhutan

Online poker sites in Bhutan are not legal, as of April 2019. Although there are no specific Bhutanese online poker laws, the general prohibition on gambling coming from the Penal Code holds for this game too. There is no active blockage on any online poker content, but the illegal access to poker sites offered by foreign licensed providers is punishable by law.

Online lottery in Bhutan

Bhutan Lottery Limited (BLL) is the national lottery of Bhutan and it is the only provider of lotto games in the country. BLL was officially launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 8th April 2016 in Phuentsholing and is currently under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance. While they do offer land-based lotto games, online lottery in Bhutan is still not an option. Foreign online lotto sites are actively blocked from accessing the market in Bhutan.

Online bingo in Bhutan

As it is the case with the other gambling sites, online bingo sites in Bhutan are not legal, as of April 2019. Although there are no specific Bhutanese online bingo laws, the general prohibition on gambling in the country, holds for this game too.

Online sports betting in Bhutan

Sports betting is also not an exception from the prohibition under Bhutan’s Penal Code. Consequently there are neither land-based nor online sportsbook sites in Bhutan, as of April 2019. There are, however, plenty of foreign internet sportsbook sites which do target players from  Bhutan. They are actively being blocked by the authorities in Bhutan, some of them being subject to severe fines.

Online daily fantasy sports in Bhutan

Online DFS sites in Bhutan do not have a legally regulated status. Considering the illegality of online sports betting in the country, it is very probable that internet Daily Fantasy Sports would not receive soon a legal status in Bhutan.