East Timor Scraps Online Gambling Licensing Just Six Months after Launch

The government of East Timor (Timor-Leste), a small island nation in Southeast Asia, decided on October 1, 2025, to abolish its online gambling licensing regime.

The Council of Ministers passed a resolution revoking previously issued licenses, halting ongoing application procedures, and banning the issuance of new permits. The decree also tasked the responsible minister, together with law enforcement agencies, with overseeing the enforcement of these measures.

Officials explained the move as necessary to reduce risks to national security, social stability, economic integrity, and the country’s international reputation.

Authorities noted that regulating online gambling operators had proven resource-intensive and exposed the country to threats linked to transnational organized crime.

In September 2025, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report analyzing East Timor’s situation. The document highlighted signs of “criminal foreign investments” entering the country through offshore online gambling structures.

The report pointed to “striking similarities” with other hubs of illicit gambling activity in Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, and Malaysia, and warned that the problem could worsen with East Timor’s accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in October 2025.

East Timor’s online gambling licensing regime lasted less than six months: from April 2025, when the first license was granted to Golden River Universe (GRU), until October 2025, when the system was scrapped.