Top Gambling Sites in El Salvador - December 2024

Gambling Laws in El Salvador

Gambling in El Salvador is still underdeveloped in many respects, as of May 2019. Currently, there is no general law regulating the land-based nor the online gambling sector beyond several documents issued by the General Tax Authorities of the Republic (Fiscalia General de la Republica). Due to this reason, there are only three legal casinos operating in the country in accordance with the current Salvadoran gambling laws, with very limited offer, and there are no betting possibilities. As it is the case with most of the Central and South American countries the lottery is the most developed gambling institution in El Salvador making the lotto games one of the favorite pastimes of the Salvadorans. A special entertaining attraction in the country is the bingo halls which offer a variety of games for a very broad audience. However, as no specific online gambling laws were issued, it is generally considered that most forms of online gambling in El Salvador are not regulated.  The body responsible for the regulation of legal gambling in the country is an office within the General Tax Authority of El Salvador. This body is responsible for supervising the work of the lottery and also for the granting of licenses of prospective operators. According to El Salvadoran gambling laws, minors, under 18 years of age are prohibited to participate in any gambling activities.

Is Online Gambling Legal in El Salvador? All forms of online gambling are not regulated in El Salvador.

Online Casinos in El Salvador

As of 2019, there are three Salvadoran casinos one based in the Siesta Hotel and Casino in Guadalupe and the other is the Monte Carlo Casino in Santa Ana and the Colonial Casino based in the capital. The casino in the Siesta Hotel is the largest in the country with more than 100 slot machines. The land-based casinos do not comprise the whole of the casino games offer in the country as there are cruise ships and riverboats casinos that can frequently be found in the country, offering mainly table games to their customers. Besides these land-based casino establishments, there are no online casinos in El Salvador. Online gambling in the country is not regulated under the current gambling laws. This is the reason why no El Salvadoran online casino licenses have not been on the offer so far. Foreign internet casino sites are not blocked from accessing the gambling market of El Salvador by the respective authorities.

Online Poker in El Salvador

Poker in El Salvador can only be played legally in the frames of the operating casino. Outside of the casino poker for prizes is considered to be illegal. As of May 2019, there are no online poker sites in El Salvador. As there are no specific El Salvadoran online poker laws, no El Salvadoran online poker licenses have been on the offer. Foreign online poker sites are also blocked from accessing the gambling market in El Salvador.

Online Lottery in El Salvador

Loteria Nacional de Beneficiencia de El Salvador is the offical Salvadoran lottery provider operating under Salvadoran gambling laws. Unlike the other types of gambling, the lottery games have a huge tradition in this country. The national lottery for instance was formed in 1870 under the name Loteria del Hospital and organized the first draw in 1871. Another important year in the history of the Salvadoran lottery is 1989 when the instant lottery, Lotin, which had a separate development, became integrated within the national lottery. La Millonaria is by far the most popular game in the country together with Super Goolazo which was launched in 2010. However, as of May 2019, they still haven’t introduced any online lottery in El Salvador. Foreign online lotto sites are actively blocked from accessing the El Salvadoran market.

Online Bingo in El Salvador

Similar as in cases with the other gambling sites, there are also no online bingo sites in El Salvador. Since there are no specific El Salvadoran online bingo laws, there have been no offers for licenses regarding online bingo by the respective gambling authorities, as of April 2019. Foreign online bingo sites are not blocked from accessing the market of El Salvador.

Online Sports Betting in El Salvador

Several forms of sports betting in El Salvador are legal under the current gambling and betting legislation. However, most of the operators provide sports betting opportunities only through land-based shops. Among these, the national lottery is the most popular, which introduced in 2010 the Super Goolazo betting game. Online sportsbook sites in El Salvador are still not an option. This lack of online providers is filled by foreign internet sportsbook sites that are actively targeting players from El Salvador.

Online Daily Fantasy Sports in El Salvador

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