Online gambling begins in Puerto Rico

The commissioners that make up the board of the CJPR gave the go-ahead to the internal controls and protections for the players that Casino del Mar, located in La Concha, presented. These rules will govern the Casino's sports betting offerings in partnership with one of the largest sportsbooks in the United States, BetMGM.

"From the approval issued by the Commission, players will already be able to place bets through the BetMGM mobile application (app) at the local level," said Jaime Rivera Emmanuelli, executive director of the Gaming Commission.

“By supervising and auditing these games, the Commission ensures that companies follow the strictest regulations in their digital offerings, and the security of bets and payments is guaranteed. These cutting-edge options will promote the growth of the regulated gaming industry, and with this, the creation of new jobs and the economic development of Puerto Rico will be promoted,” added Rivera Emmanuelli.

By law, those interested in placing sports bets online must register in person at the facilities of the operators authorized to offer this modality. Once registered, they can then place their bets electronically within Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico joins Nevada and Washington as the jurisdictions within the United States that require registered players to place mobile bets.

Casino Metro already operates the face-to-face betting modality and the Commission hopes that it will soon be able to offer the mobile platform of the Caesars company as well.

"We continue working on the evaluation processes of other applications in order to approve additional mobile and face-to-face operators, which will contribute to greater growth and solidity of this new industry on the Island," the director of the commission pointed out.

For his part, Sigfrido De Jesús, general manager of Casino del Mar, emphasized that, in addition to favoring the sports betting industry, the platform will contribute significantly to the economy. The government will receive 12% of online bets and 7% of casino bets, as established by the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission.

He also maintained that due to the popularity of sports betting and the success of the license's debut at Casino del Mar in February 2022, he anticipated a large number of subscriptions to the platform, which will ensure substantial revenue. Last year it generated approximately $37 million in bets with a return of 7%. “With a virtual application, betting will be much easier,” he said.

De Jesús added that they negotiated with more than ten providers that are licensed and comply with the strict rules that govern the internal controls of the Gaming Commission and the government of Puerto Rico for the management of gambling funds. The registration process includes the information of the banking platform selected by the user (WorldPay, debit or credit cards) and guarantees safe and reliable transactions.

In Puerto Rico, betting is allowed on all sporting events, except those that are professional, collegiate, Olympic, international, and even on electronic or eSports events. The BetMGM sports betting mobile app is available for download on both iOS and Android.