Trinidad and Tobago Moves Toward Licensing Offshore Online Gambling

^{Davendranath Tancoo, Minister of Finance of Trinidad and Tobago}

Trinidad and Tobago, an island nation in the Caribbean, could become a new offshore jurisdiction for gambling operators. The government is preparing to allow locally licensed companies to offer online gambling services to customers overseas, according to a decision by the country’s parliament.

On September 30, the House of Representatives unanimously approved an order introduced by Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo.

The measure must also pass the Senate before it can take effect. It is scheduled for consideration on October 2.

Current law prohibits companies based in Trinidad and Tobago from offering online gambling services to players abroad. Violations can result in fines ranging from $750,000 to $1.5 million and prison terms of seven to ten years. The new framework would allow locally licensed operators to serve customers outside the country.

The government sees the proposed regime as a potential source of additional tax revenue. Tancoo said licensing would bring operators into a regulated framework and allow the state to tax their activities.

If implemented, Trinidad and Tobago would join other Caribbean jurisdictions that license offshore gambling operators. The best known is Curaçao. Antigua and Barbuda has licensed online casinos and sportsbooks since 1994, while Nevis, part of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, introduced its own online gambling regulatory regime in 2025.

Trinidad and Tobago’s plans come amid a major data leak involving the Curaçao Gaming Authority. The breach exposed tens of thousands of documents and information on around 800 beneficial owners linked to nearly 650 gambling companies. The regulator’s licensing portal is currently offline.