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Online Casinos in Costa Rica

There are many criteria to keep in mind when looking for the best online casino Costa Rica punters can play at. Take for example the payment options. Not only should one carefully weigh all the pros and cons of traditional money transfer methods and e-wallets, but also take into account that in an online casino Costa Rica real money (i.e. CRC), as well as cryptocurrencies, are accepted.

Below you can find the recommendation of how to choose the best online casinos for Costa Rica players.

Costa Rican Casino Sites from SlotsUp Experts

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Online Gambling Laws and Regulations in Costa Rica

Before even starting to select a web gambling platform local residents should make it clear whether is online gambling allowed in Costa Rica? It is a fact that there are many legal online casinos Costa Rica has issued its gambling license to, but the question remains if locals are allowed to gamble at these platforms.

Are online casinos legal in Costa Rica?

It must be said that in Costa Rica online gambling is not officially allowed. However, in what concerns its local online gambling industry Costa Rica legislation is made so as to allow operators easily run casino websites in this country. It must also be said that if they want to play in an online casino for real money Costa Rica residents should not worry about being caught by police since local government is not that eager in fighting web gamblers. If, however, they want safe online gambling Costa Rica players can also pick a reputable foreign web platform by following the expert recommendations.

What are local gambling laws?

In general Costa Rican online gambling laws prohibit playing the games of chance on the internet. The question then arises how it has happened that there are so many Costa Rican online casinos? The trick is that the online gambling law in Costa Rica stipulates that the gambling is not taking place where the server is located but rather at the place where the gambler is betting.

Moreover, since the local government is interested in revenues from locally based gambling operators, it is quite reluctant to prosecute locals for playing at the reputable online casinos Costa Rica has given its gambling license to. Besides that, some of the best online gambling sites Costa Rica punters can gamble at are located in other offshore jurisdictions and locals can easily enjoy gambling there as well.

Being the local online gambling authority Costa Rica Commerce, Industry and Economy Ministry is responsible for issuing permits and collecting fees and taxes from gambling operators. But to obtain an online gambling license Costa Rica based casino operators do not have to fulfill literally any requirements since there are no regulations adopted which in this country foreseeing any special licensing procedures. From this point of view, in regards to online gambling Costa Rica legal policy is more than favorable towards locally registered casino websites.

Having adopted such liberal online gambling laws Costa Rica has faced the proliferation of low-quality operators where no respectable gambler wants to play.

That is one of the reasons why for locals it is reasonable to play at foreign legitimate online casinos Costa Rica players can gamble at. Many experts now agree that in regards to online casino Costa Rica legal should be changed and stricter rules should be adopted to regain the trust of gamblers across the world.

What is the gambling age in Costa Rica?

Since locals are not officially allowed to visit web casinos there is no such a thing as the official online gambling age Costa Rica punters can start applying from. However, in a terrestrial CRC casino house one is allowed to play from 18 year of age.

What is local policy in regards to poker, betting, horse racing and lottery?

Sport betting and lottery are legal in Costa Rica. But as in case with online gambling Costa Rica legislation seems to prohibit poker. Although some of the terrestrial gambling venues in Costa Rica do offer it among its games. What is certain is that all the operators who have received license to run poker websites in Costa Rica are prohibited to provide services to locals.

To sum up one can say, that although when gambling online Costa Rica residents have a rich choice of platforms to pick from, they should nevertheless, be careful enough not to choose a low-quality casino website. We hope that our recommendations will help you find a high quality and safe online casino Costa Rica residents can play at.

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Page Updated September 17, 2025 by Mykhailiuta Maryna

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1 Alternative Page

In this section, you can explore alternative pages in other languages or for different target countries.

  1. Casinos Online en Costa Rica 2025 (Spanish)