Trinidad and Tobago’s Senate approved the Remote Gambling Order on Friday, October 2, 2026, completing the legislative vote after unanimous House of Representatives approval days earlier. The measure removes a prohibition on operators offering remote gambling internationally from the country, creating a potential opening for domestic and international iGaming businesses. The licensing, payment and oversight framework still has to be put in place before the government’s January 2027 target.
How Trinidad and Tobago’s remote-gambling dispute is being resolved
The order removes certain provisions under Section 76 of the Gambling, Gaming and Betting Control Act that had criminalised operators based in Trinidad and Tobago offering remote gambling services internationally. The change could allow businesses to serve domestic customers and use the dual-island nation as a base for international operations, although it does not by itself set out the complete licensing system.
Government ministers have argued that prohibition did not eliminate remote gambling and that bringing activity into a regulated system could generate taxes, jobs and foreign exchange. The policy question is whether the state can capture those benefits while establishing effective oversight and addressing the risks associated with online play.
Opposition Senator Faris Al-Rawi questioned the speed of the order’s passage, the arrangements for licensing and the prospect of foreign exchange leaving the country. His questions put implementation at the centre of the debate: the legislative approval is in place, but the rules and operating systems will determine how the market works in practice. Other recent licensing decisions, including operator entry into Alberta’s regulated iGaming market, illustrate how market access depends on the licensing framework that follows a policy opening.
Government’s case for regulated remote gambling
Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo presented the reform as an opportunity to expand government revenue and economic activity. Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development Kennedy Swaratsingh argued that regulation could formalise existing activity and support employment and foreign-exchange earnings.
Swaratsingh cited a projection that the global gambling industry could reach US$700 billion in revenue by 2028; that figure was presented as part of the minister’s case for the order, rather than as an independently verified market forecast. Tancoo also pointed to the existing tax base: regulated gaming generated approximately TTD 72.66 million (US$10.74 million) in 2025. Whether remote gambling adds significantly to that total will depend on the rules and the market’s eventual scale.
Licensing and oversight are the next test
Attorney General John Jeremie said the remaining administrative provisions, including processes for licensing local and foreign operators, are expected to be fully implemented on or before January 1, 2027. The Gambling Control Commission of Trinidad and Tobago is to coordinate with the Central Bank ahead of launch.
The planned work includes digital-payment integration and licensing for electronic-money issuers, linking the market’s launch to the systems that will handle transactions. The order is intended to permit remote gambling by licence holders under rules, not to allow unrestricted activity. The details of those conditions will matter to operators assessing whether the jurisdiction offers a workable base, as well as to authorities responsible for monitoring the market. Establishing a new market is only the first step; licensing delays and regulatory capacity can shape how quickly a legal opportunity becomes an operational one.
What approval signals for the iGaming market
The country already has a measurable regulated gambling sector. Tancoo reported 1,150 registered gaming-related accounts with the Board of Inland Revenue: 926 Gaming Amusement Tax accounts and 224 Club Gaming Tax accounts. Of the approximately TTD 72.66 million collected in 2025, TTD 15.06 million came from Gaming Amusement Tax and TTD 57.60 million from Club Gaming Tax.
A coordinated enforcement exercise between October 2025 and February 2026 generated 247 payments across 240 Gaming Amusement Tax accounts, worth approximately TTD 15.58 million. Those figures provide a snapshot of existing collections and enforcement, but do not establish how much a licensed remote market would contribute.
For operators, the vote creates a potential opportunity rather than a ready-made hub. The next milestones are the licensing arrangements, payment integration and oversight systems promised for January 2027; foreign-exchange treatment and protections against harmful gambling also remain live questions. Delivery on those fronts will determine whether Trinidad and Tobago can turn legislative approval into a credible operating market.
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