Senator Roxanna Soto Aguilú has submitted Senate Bill 960 (PS 960) to the Legislative Assembly which would expand the types of games permitted in Puerto Rico.
The bill proposes a broad expansion of Puerto Rico’s gambling landscape by amending current laws to authorize new forms of gaming beyond traditional casinos, including poker rooms, interactive electronic lotteries, and regulated sports and e-sports betting.
Citing New Jersey and Nevada, the senator argues that expanded gambling could significantly raise revenue. The senator estimates Puerto Rico could add $50–$100 million per year, driven by sports betting, which yielded roughly $2.18 million in the previous fiscal year.
According to the senator sports betting, e-sports, and independent poker rooms offer strong tourist appeal while an e-sports scene could draw gamers from abroad.
The bill would define poker rooms as venues outside traditional casinos with at least 10 tables, taxed at 15% gross revenue. Betting on e-sports would be taxed at 12% of net profits, while interactive electronic lotteries would contribute 20% of income to social programs and gambling-addiction prevention, with prizes regulated by the state.
“Part of the problem we currently have is that, to the extent that the Fiscal Control Board (FCB) tells us that the budget is committed, anything new proposed to expand health, education, and social welfare services, including care for the elderly and housekeeper programs, cannot compromise the finances. Therefore, we must look for new sources of income if we want to improve the quality of life of citizens,” Soto Aguilú emphasized.
The Gaming Commission indicated through written statements that they are “conducting a thorough analysis of the measure.”
However, the bill is already meeting opposition from the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association (PRHTA). A PRHTA spokesperson said that the measure threatens Puerto Rico’s casino industry, saying it would open new physical and online casinos, bypass investment and protection requirements, weaken AML safeguards, and create unfair competition with the island’s 20 casinos.
The post Senator puts forward gambling expansion bill in Puerto Rico appeared first on G3 Newswire.
Senator Roxanna Soto Aguilú has submitted Senate Bill 960 (PS 960) to the Legislative Assembly which would expand the types of games permitted in Puerto Rico. The bill proposes a broad expansion of Puerto Rico’s gambling landscape by amending current laws to authorize new forms of gaming beyond traditional casinos, including poker rooms, interactive electronic…
The post Senator puts forward gambling expansion bill in Puerto Rico appeared first on G3 Newswire.