Costa Rican lawmakers are coming under heightened pressure to tighten the nation’s gambling laws by passing Bill 25.057, a long-awaited reform of the existing regulations.
The body that oversees the Costa Rican lottery system, the Social Protection Board, has urged legislators to prioritize passage of the bill, arguing that the existing framework, which has not been updated for over 50 years, has allowed illegal gambling to flourish.
The board has argued that illegal gambling, which has been linked to money laundering by criminal gangs, competes with the official gambling channels set up under Law 8718 and undermines revenue for public health and social programs.
