Simon’s Guide to Gambling and Casinos in El Salvador

The legal status of casino gambling in El Salvador is controversial. Most forms of gambling were prohibited in 1882 and the ban was reinforced in 2002. The new gambling law actually allowed the operation of casinos, but they were only to provide lottery games.

Regardless, there are currently several gambling establishments operating in El Salvador, many of them offering slot machines as well. There are two noteworthy casinos in the country with table games as well, the Monte Carlo Casino in Santa Ana and the Siesta in the capital, San Salvador.

Online casino gambling is not regulated in El Salvador. There are no locally-based online casino operators, but locals are free to play on foreign online casino sites, many of which are also available in Spanish.

The regulation of bingo games in El Salvador is just as confusing as that of other forms of gambling. Bingo was not specifically outlawed by the 2002 gambling law, but may still be illegal under the 1882 ban. Whatever the case, the licences of several bingo halls were not renewed around the time of the approval of the new gambling law.

Since then, though, several new bingo halls have opened all around the country. The general consensus seems to be that mayors have the authority to give bingo halls permits in their own jurisdiction.

Online bingo is wholly unregulated in El Salvador. There are no licensed online bingo operators in the country, but there are also no laws against online gambling. As a result, locals are free to play on international online bingo sites.

As it is not specifically regulated in El Salvador, poker most likely falls into the category of gambling, despite the fact that poker is often considered a game of chance, not a game of luck. This means that the legal status of poker is as confusing as that of other forms of gambling. There is at least one casino, the Monte Carlo where live poker games are available.

Online poker is not regulated in El Salvador. There are no licensed online poker operators in the country, but there are also no laws against online gambling. As a result, locals are free to play on international online poker sites.

Sports betting is generally considered illegal in El Salvador. Currently neither of the two larger casinos offer sports betting, and there are no reports of other legal – or at least semi-legal – wagering options in the country either.

However, online sports betting is not regulated in El Salvador. While there are no licensed online sports betting operators in the country, there are also no laws against online gambling. As a result, locals are free to wager on international online sports betting sites.

Lottery is legal and a state monopoly in El Salvador. The national lottery is called Lotería Nacional de Beneficencia de El Salvador. Originally created to help fund a hospital, revenues now go towards various social programs. The lottery offers a single numeric game called Lotra as well as scratch cards.

The Salvadoran national lottery has no online version, which means no legal options for online lottery games in El Salvador. However, locals are free to participate in lottery draws and games on international online lottery sites.

Bitcoin gambling is, as all other forms of online gambling, unregulated in El Salvador. There are no Bitcoin casinos based in El Salvador, but locals are free to gamble on international Bitcoin casinos.

Bitcoin itself is not widely popular in El Salvador. There have been initiatives to promote the use of virtual currencies instead of the US Dollar (which is currently used) to achieve greater independence. However, there are currently no verified Bitcoin exchanges in El Salvador.