Online Casinos in Peru 2024

After a long waiting time and great expectations, the Peruvian legislature approved the law that regulates games and bets throughout the national territory online. The current head of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur), Roberto Sánchez, was pleased with this approval and noted that the new law is the result of joint collaboration because it was understood that no economic activity can work without paying taxes to the state.

In addition, the official pointed out that it is very important that online games and bets are carried out in an integral and transparent manner so that vulnerable groups are protected and this activity is prevented from being used as a springboard for computer crimes, fraud or other violations.

Mincetur will be the entity that regulates and authorizes the granting of licenses to operate, responsible for the authorization of technological platforms for games and sports betting, as well as in charge of supervising physical premises. Companies that intend to operate in the Peruvian market must be registered in the Single Registry of Taxpayers.

The bill guarantees the exclusion of vulnerable groups from remote gaming and sports betting, such as minors and people diagnosed with pathological gambling problems. It should be noted that, in the case of people affected by gambling, they are registered in the Registry of people with prohibited access to casinos and slot machines.

In the same way, Mincetur will be in charge of blocking the activity of the Web page or IP address of any operator that offers games of chance and distance betting and is not registered in the Registry. Nor will the dissemination or advertising of any platform that is not authorized by the regulatory entity be allowed. In addition, the remote sports betting game rooms must be located more than 150 meters from religious temples, schools or other basic education centers.

Failure to comply with the established rules by authorized companies will have penalties depending on the offense committed, which will range from a reprimand, fines with values ​​ranging from 1 to 200 UIT, cancellation of the license and disqualification that may range from ten years to permanent

The constitution of guarantees in favor of the State is instituted to cover the payment of fines and prizes and a direct tax of 12 percent is established on Net Income, which is the same rate that is applied to casino activities and slot machines.

The current Peruvian online gaming market is worth approximately 1,000 million dollars annually, which would generate around 160 million soles of tax revenue (around 41 million dollars) in that same period of time. The project establishes that, of the total income collected, 40 percent will go to the National Treasury, another 40 percent to the Mincetur and the remaining 20 percent to the Peruvian Sports Institute.

The law will enter into force 60 days from the date of publication of the supreme decree that approves its regulations in the Peruvian Official Gazette and Mincetur must regulate the law within a period not exceeding 120 business days from its publication.

Do I have to pay taxes on the profits obtained? In 2007, the Peruvian government decided to increase controls on gambling activity, which resulted in higher tax collection, of which 30% is allocated to the municipalities where the casinos and slot rooms are located. The tax is 12% of the net profit if we refer to physical casinos. It is estimated that in the case of online operators that have a license in the country, this percentage would be between 15% and 20%, although the figures in this regard are not very clear.

The situation is not very different from that of other Latin American countries, although in Peru the tax burden seems to be lower. In this sense, the government authorities continue to strive to control the rooms that offer games of chance and apply the current regulations on taxes, closing down many unlicensed gambling halls.