Sri Lanka’s recently created Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) has set itself a 31 December deadline to publish its casino and online gambling regulations following a series of delays that have seen it miss its original June target and unable to meet another deadline set for 30 November.

The update was provided by local media outlet The Sunday Morning, which cited comments from GRA Director General Dr. W.M.K.G.A. Wickramasinghe confirming the new December timeline and explaining that the regulations have been undergoing a review process

He also revealed that the regulations had been initially drafted by an “international advisory team.” They have since been sent to a review committee and are now back with the GHRA for finalization.

The delay comes amid growing concerns over the proliferation of illegal gambling across the country. Information provided to parliament recently revealed that there are six licensed casino operators in Sri Lanka of which five are currently operational, as well as 37 licensed sports betting and horse-racing operators. However, none of the online operators had been registered with the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) according to information passed on to a parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (COPF) at the time.

Improving tax collection across the industry is seen as a key reason for establishment of the GRA and introduction of the guidelines, with the IRD’s 2024 Annual Performance Report showing that the Government collected Rs 9.81 billion (US$29.5 million) through the Betting and Gaming Levy and Rs 5.1 billion (US$15.3 million) in casino license fees. As such, total collections from the two categories came to Rs 14.91 billion (US$44.9 million), or 0.57% of the department’s total reported revenue, in 2024, according to The Sunday Morning’s report.

The Government has since increased taxes on gambling businesses, with the gross collection levy rising from 15% to 18% from 1 January 2026 for operators whose monthly gross collections exceed Rs 1 million. It has also doubled the casino entrance levy charged on Sri Lankan citizens from US$50 to US$100 per person.

Sri Lanka’s Gambling Regulatory Authority was established under the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act No. 17 of 2025, which came into effect on 1 December 2025 to create a unified framework for regulating casinos, betting and online gambling.