A new bill in Uruguay has reopened a long-running political debate over how the country should regulate online gambling.
Senator Felipe Carballo has presented a proposal that aims to reshape the Uruguayan iGaming regulation system. The plan introduces a mixed model where the state operates a central platform while authorised private companies take part under strict rules. The senator argues that this change is needed to control online gambling, protect public health, and respond to the rapid growth of international platforms.
New state platform sits at the centre of the plan
The proposal gives the state full control of the online gambling structure while allowing private operators to participate under licences.
Carballo presented the project to his party caucus. It calls for the creation of a State Online Gaming Platform managed by the National Directorate of Lotteries and Quinielas. The platform would operate, regulate, and control online games of chance across the country. Carballo describes it as a “mixed model”, bringing together state operation and private involvement under technical, fiscal, and public-health standards.
Today, the only approved online sports betting operator is Supermatch, run under concession by La Banca. Carballo says this situation has created a “de facto private monopoly” because the state does not directly take part in most of the profits generated. State gambling is mostly limited to lotteries that fund health, education, sports, and social programmes.
New national regulator would unify fragmented oversight
The bill creates a single authority to replace several agencies that currently share responsibility.
A key piece of the proposal is the National Online Gambling Regulation Agency. It would be an autonomous public body that brings together duties now divided among the Casino Directorate, the National Lottery authority, and the telecommunications regulator, Ursec. The new agency would issue licences, audit platforms, check algorithms, supervise financial transactions, and manage advertising rules.
It would also run a National Digital Bettors Registry. Every online gambler would have to be registered. The database would track financial activity and allow users to set spending limits. The bill also criminalises operating an online gambling platform without proper approval.
Public-health data drives political urgency
The senator warns that rising gambling harm shows why the country needs stronger and more modern controls.
Carballo notes in his explanatory memorandum that Uruguay has kept a state monopoly on games of chance since the nineteenth century, but digital technology has changed user behaviour. He argues that international platforms, the use of cryptocurrencies, and VPNs have limited the state’s capacity to supervise and tax online gambling.
Data from the University of the Republic’s School of Medicine shows that around 35,000 Uruguayans suffer from gambling addiction. A survey by Fundación Manantiales reports that one in four adolescents places daily bets. In the senator’s words,
“THESE FIGURES HIGHLIGHT THE URGENCY OF A MODERN REGULATORY FRAMEWORK THAT ALLOWS THE STATE TO REGAIN ITS CENTRAL ROLE IN PROTECTING CITIZENS, PREVENTING GAMBLING ADDICTION, AND PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING HABITS.”
Operators face new compliance and licensing conditions
A mixed model creates space for private companies, but only under tight supervision and direct state control.
For operators, the bill outlines a market that allows participation but demands strict compliance. Companies would need to meet strong rules on marketing, technical audits, financial tracking, and responsible gambling tools. A central state platform would be the gateway for all activity, meaning private firms could not operate independently. The approach may also attract suppliers that offer compliance technology, payment checks, and risk-monitoring systems.
The political path ahead will decide whether the proposal becomes law.
If approved, it would be Uruguay’s most important shift in online gambling oversight, changing how operators engage with the market, how the state supervises risk, and how digital gambling is taxed and controlled.
What will happen if lawmakers choose not to act while online gambling continues to grow without a unified national system?
