Legal casino gambling age in MyanmarMyanmar is, in law, a prohibition jurisdiction with a narrow exception for casinos that only foreigners may use. The Gambling Law signed on 7 May 2019 replaced the Gambling Law of 1986, which had banned gambling outright, and allowed the Union Government to authorise casinos in which Myanmar citizens may not play. The only lawful lottery is run by the state. Online gambling is not licensed: since 30 July 2025 the military-enacted Cybersecurity Law has made operating an online gambling system without authorisation a criminal offence, without creating any route to authorisation. In practice, the largest gambling operations in the country have been in border areas outside effective central control, where casino enclaves became hubs for online gambling, scams and human trafficking. Since 2023 these have been the target of crackdowns driven largely by pressure from China and Thailand.
Key points
- The Gambling Law 2019 repealed the Gambling Law 1986 (Pyithu Hluttaw Law No. 6/1986) and defines a casino as a place authorised by the Union Government “where only foreigners may gamble” (unofficial English translation).
- Section 13 of the 2019 Law prohibits Myanmar citizens from gambling in casinos; gambling in an unlicensed gambling house is also an offence for the player, punishable on a first conviction by six months’ to one year’s imprisonment and a fine.
- The Cybersecurity Law No. 1/2025, in force since 30 July 2025, punishes operating an online gambling system without authorisation with six months’ to one year’s imprisonment, a fine of MMK 5–20 million, or both (Tilleke & Gibbins).
- No online gambling operator is licensed in Myanmar, and no published register of licensed casinos was found for this review.
- Border enclaves such as Shwe Kokko and KK Park in Myawaddy Township, and the Kokang and Wa regions of Shan State, have been centres of illegal online gambling and scam operations; the UN human rights office estimated in 2023 that at least 120,000 people in Myanmar may be held in forced scam work (OHCHR).
- The country has been ruled by the military since the coup of February 2021; its commander, Min Aung Hlaing, was elected president by a new parliament on 3 April 2026 after an election widely regarded as neither free nor fair.
Last reviewed: 7 October 2026.
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Historical development
For more than three decades gambling in Myanmar was governed by the Gambling Law of 1986, which, in the words of the law firm DFDL, “placed a blanket ban on all forms of gambling” (DFDL, 2019). The ban did not stop casinos from appearing. In 2013 the Myanmar Investment Commission allowed a few hotel casinos under Ministry of Hotels and Tourism supervision, including at Myeik and on Tha Htay and Yadana islands, but casinos then ceased to be a permitted business sector until 2019 (Asia Gaming Brief, 2020). Much larger casino towns grew up along the borders with China, Laos and Thailand, in areas controlled by ethnic armed groups or militias rather than by the central government.
By late 2017 the pressure to regulate had become explicit. In December 2017 officials from five regions and states, Mandalay, Tanintharyi, Shan, Kayin and Mon, asked Vice President Henry Van Thio for permission to allow casino operations, noting that casinos were already operating illegally, particularly in Shan State (GGRAsia, January 2018). A Gambling Bill 2018 followed. Reporting in April 2019, GGRAsia said the bill would permit casinos in hotels in Yangon and Mandalay, that only foreigners would be allowed to gamble, with passport checks, and that committee members acknowledged the authorities could “no longer ignore the illegal casinos operating” in certain areas (GGRAsia, April 2019).
The President signed the new Gambling Law on 7 May 2019 (Lincoln Legal Services, 2019). The law created the legal possibility of casinos for foreigners but left the details to be worked out by the executive. Commentators noted in October 2020 that implementing rules had still not been published (Asia Gaming Brief, 2020). The military coup of 1 February 2021 came before any functioning casino licensing regime had emerged.
Legal framework
The Gambling Law 2019
The principal statute is the Gambling Law 2019. An unofficial English translation published by Lincoln Legal Services identifies it as Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Law No. 13/2019, dated 7 May 2019; some secondary references give a different law number, and an official English text could not be located for this review (Gambling Law 2019, unofficial translation). Section 28 provides that “The Gambling Law 1986 (Pyithu Hluttaw Law No. 6/1986) is repealed by this law.”
The key definitions in section 2 are:
- gambling: a game of chance, including taking part in games requiring skill, played for money or for property of monetary value;
- gambling house: a house, building, partitioned place, compound, yard, room or vehicle used for gambling, excluding a casino authorised by the government; and
- casino: “a place or building registered with the permission of the Union Government with specified terms where only foreigners may gamble”.
The law contains no separate definition of online or remote gambling, meaning gambling conducted over the internet or a telephone network.
Prohibitions and penalties
Chapter 5 sets out the prohibited conduct, and Chapter 6 the penalties. All penalties combine imprisonment with a fine, and money and evidence are confiscated as public property (Gambling Law 2019). The main provisions are summarised below.
| Prohibited conduct (section) | First offence | Repeat offence |
|---|---|---|
| Collecting bets or organising gambling in public places (s. 8) | 1–6 months and MMK 50,000 | 6 months–1 year and MMK 50,000–100,000 |
| Gambling, or being present, in a gambling house (s. 9) | 6 months–1 year and MMK 50,000–100,000 | 1–3 years and MMK 100,000–500,000 |
| Operating a gambling house (s. 10) | 1–3 years and MMK 100,000–500,000 | 3–5 years and MMK 500,000–1,000,000 |
| Running a lottery or casino without permission (s. 11) | 1–3 years and MMK 100,000–500,000 | 3–5 years and MMK 500,000–1,000,000 |
| Playing in an unauthorised lottery or casino (s. 12); a citizen gambling in a casino (s. 13) | 6 months–1 year and MMK 50,000–100,000 | 1–3 years and MMK 100,000–500,000 |
| Lending or giving money for gambling (s. 14) | 1–3 years and MMK 100,000–500,000 | 3–5 years and MMK 500,000–1,000,000 |
The law also gives the police wide powers to arrest without warrant and to enter and search premises suspected of being gambling houses, a point highlighted by DFDL (DFDL, 2019). Section 22 designates the Inland Revenue Department as the sole operator of the state lottery, and section 23 authorises the Union Government to permit casinos on specified terms.
The Cybersecurity Law 2025
The second relevant statute is the Cybersecurity Law No. 1/2025, enacted by the military authorities on 1 January 2025 (Tilleke & Gibbins, January 2025). It was brought into force on 30 July 2025 by notification 113/2025 (Tilleke & Gibbins, August 2025). Alongside rules on online platforms and virtual private network (VPN) providers, the law makes “operating an online gambling system without proper authorization” punishable by six months’ to one year’s imprisonment, a fine of MMK 5–20 million, or both; for companies the minimum fine is MMK 20 million and illicit proceeds are confiscated. Tilleke & Gibbins note that “the law does not address how online gambling platforms can obtain official approval”. Critics see the law as a tool for restricting dissent (Radio Free Asia, January 2025).
Constitutional and territorial context
Large parts of Myanmar, especially along the borders, are controlled by ethnic armed organisations, militias or resistance forces rather than by the central government, and before the 2019 Law was passed GGRAsia reported that it was unclear whether it would apply in self-administered zones (GGRAsia, 2019). Since the 2021 coup, laws such as the Cybersecurity Law have been issued by the military authorities; a parliament in which military-backed parties and army appointees hold a commanding majority elected Min Aung Hlaing as president on 3 April 2026 (Associated Press, April 2026).
Regulator and licensing model
Myanmar’s model is best described as prohibition with a limited licensing exception. All gambling is unlawful unless it falls within one of two exceptions: the state lottery operated by the Inland Revenue Department, and casinos authorised by the Union Government for foreigners only (Gambling Law 2019). Myanmar has no dedicated gambling regulator, meaning a body that licenses and supervises operators.
The 2019 Law does not itself set licence types, fees, tax rates or the number of casinos. Lincoln Legal Services observed at the time that the details would “have to be hammered out by the ministry in charge, presumably the Ministry of Home Affairs or the Ministry of the Office of the Union Government” (Lincoln Legal Services, 2019). The law also does not clarify whether Myanmar citizens may own or invest in a casino, as opposed to playing in one (DFDL, 2019). For this review we could not find a published set of casino rules, an official register of licensed casinos, or an official count of licences issued under the 2019 Law.
Border casinos and special zones
The best-known casinos in Myanmar have not been creatures of the 2019 Law. Casino towns developed in the Golden Triangle area where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, mostly in self-administered zones with limited central control (GGRAsia, 2019). In the Kokang Self-Administered Zone of northern Shan State, the town of Laukkai hosted compounds controlled by local families. In the Wa region, controlled by the United Wa State Army, fraud operations were documented at Pangkham, Mong Pauk and other locations (Radio Free Asia, 2023).
On the Thai border in Kayin State, Myawaddy Township became the site of two of the most notorious developments, Shwe Kokko and KK Park. Shwe Kokko was developed by She Zhijiang, a Chinese national whose company maintained that its gambling activities were conducted “under a legally obtained license in their operating jurisdiction”. Thailand extradited him to China in November 2025 on suspicion of running more than 200 illegal online gambling operations (Khaosod English, November 2025). The local militia, the Karen National Army led by Saw Chit Thu, is headquartered at Shwe Kokko. The United States sanctioned it and its leader Saw Chit Thu on 5 May 2025, stating that it profited by leasing land to criminal syndicates and providing security and utilities to scam compounds operating from “retrofitted hotels and casinos” (US Treasury, 2025).
Online gambling and enforcement
No form of online gambling is licensed in Myanmar. The Gambling Law 2019 provides no online licence, and the Cybersecurity Law 2025 criminalises operating an online gambling system without authorisation while setting out no procedure for obtaining it. Foreign online casinos therefore have no lawful basis for offering services to people in Myanmar.
Scam compounds and online gambling
Myanmar’s significance in online gambling comes mainly from its role as a base for illegal operators targeting players abroad, especially in China. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported on 29 August 2023 that COVID-19 closures had pushed casino operators to move activities to “less regulated spaces including conflict-affected border areas and Special Economic Zones, as well as to the increasingly lucrative online space”, and that “at least 120,000 people across Myanmar may be held in situations where they are forced to carry out online scams” (OHCHR, 2023). UN High Commissioner Volker Türk said of those forced into the work: “They are victims. They are not criminals” (UN News, 2023).
Crackdowns, 2023–2026
Enforcement has been driven largely by neighbouring states. In September 2023 the United Wa State Army transferred more than 1,000 suspected Chinese fraudsters to China; China’s Ministry of Public Security reported 1,207 suspects transferred (Radio Free Asia, September 2023). In Kokang, the military authorities arrested members of the Ming family in November 2023 under Chinese pressure; Laukkai was seized by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army in 2024 during Operation 1027. In September 2025 a court in Wenzhou, China, sentenced 39 members of the Ming family, 11 of them to death and five to death with a two-year reprieve, on charges including fraud, intentional killing and intentional injury; the network’s activities included gambling, drug trafficking and organised prostitution (The Irrawaddy, September 2025). OCCRP reported on 29 January 2026 that the 11 had been executed (OCCRP, 2026).
On the Thai border, the military raided KK Park on 19 October 2025, reporting 2,198 arrests and the seizure of 30 Starlink satellite terminals; a military spokesman said that leaders of the Karen National Union had been involved (Al Jazeera, October 2025). The Centre for Information Resilience reported that SpaceX then disabled more than 2,500 Starlink devices in Myanmar (Centre for Information Resilience, 2025). According to official figures reported by OCCRP, 12,468 foreign nationals were arrested in scam and gambling operations between January and late November 2025, of whom 9,978 were deported (OCCRP, November 2025); later figures reported by Asia Gaming Brief put the totals at 12,915 and 10,029 (Asia Gaming Brief, November 2025).
Demolitions continued into 2026. Official figures reported in June 2026 stated that 63 of 77 buildings identified for demolition in Shwe Kokko and KK Park had been destroyed (The Star / ANN, June 2026). An open-source investigation by Myanmar Witness, published on 1 September 2026, found that 77 of 322 identified illegal buildings in Shwe Kokko were targeted between 25 May and 26 July 2026 and concluded that “the state’s official narrative and its visuals of the crackdown are not consistently supported by the available evidence” (Myanmar Witness, 2026). Raids also extended beyond the Thai border: on 7 August 2026 security forces arrested 156 people, at least 140 of them Chinese nationals, at an online gambling operation in Kengtung Township, Shan State (The Star / ANN, August 2026).
Blocking, payments and advertising
Myanmar does not publish a blocklist of gambling websites, and no specific rules on gambling advertising were found for this review. Payment monitoring is developing at regional level. In August 2026 Yangon Region’s security minister told the regional legislature that a ten-member Online Fraud and Online Gambling Prevention Committee had been formed and that the authorities were tracking accounts on the KPay and Wave Money mobile wallets and linked bank accounts (The Star / ANN, August 2026).
Position of players
The 2019 Law treats players, not only operators, as offenders. Gambling in, or even being present in, a gambling house is an offence under section 9, and playing in an unauthorised lottery or casino is an offence under section 12. A Myanmar citizen who gambles in an authorised casino commits an offence under section 13. Each carries six months’ to one year’s imprisonment and a fine on a first conviction (see the table above). Foreigners may lawfully gamble only in a casino authorised by the Union Government.
The position of a person who gambles online with an offshore operator is less clear. The 2019 Law has no online provisions, and the offence in the Cybersecurity Law is directed at whoever operates an online gambling system, not at users. Whether a private home or a phone used for online play could be treated as a “gambling house” has not been tested in any decision found for this review. Prosecutions are, however, recorded. Yangon Region officials reported 9 online gambling cases involving 27 people in 2025, and 11 cases involving 29 people between January and July 2026, alongside several hundred cases of other gambling each year (The Star / ANN, August 2026). The reports do not say whether those charged were players or organisers.
Workers found in scam and gambling compounds have frequently been detained and deported as illegal entrants, even though the UN has urged that people trafficked into such work be treated as victims rather than criminals (OHCHR, 2023).
Taxation
The Gambling Law 2019 does not set any casino tax, licence fee or levy, and no published tax regime for casinos licensed under it was found for this review. No official casino revenue figures have been published. The state lottery is operated directly by the Inland Revenue Department under section 22, so its proceeds accrue to the state. We could not verify whether lottery prizes or other winnings are subject to income tax, and readers should consult the Inland Revenue Department or a local adviser on any specific case.
Consumer protection and responsible gambling
Myanmar’s approach to gambling harm relies on prohibition rather than regulation. The main protective features in the law are structural: citizens are barred from casinos, all unlicensed gambling is criminalised, and section 14 makes lending or giving money for gambling an offence carrying up to three years’ imprisonment on a first conviction (Gambling Law 2019). For this review we found no national self-exclusion scheme, meaning a register through which a person can bar themselves from gambling venues, no statutory duty on operators to identify problem gamblers, and no national gambling helpline.
The most serious documented harms associated with gambling in Myanmar have been those suffered by people trafficked into compounds and forced to work in online gambling and fraud (OHCHR, 2023). General guidance on recognising and limiting gambling harm is available in our responsible gambling guide.
Recent and upcoming developments
- Cybersecurity Law in force (30 July 2025). The online gambling offence took effect; no authorisation procedure has been published (Tilleke & Gibbins).
- Border crackdowns (2025–2026). The KK Park raid, mass deportations and demolitions continue; independent researchers question their effect (Myanmar Witness).
- Political transition (2026). Min Aung Hlaing became president on 3 April 2026; no reform of the Gambling Law has been announced (AP).
- Regional enforcement (2026). Yangon officials cite an Online Fraud Prevention Law; we could not verify its text or date (The Star / ANN).
Casino listings for players in Myanmar
The listings below are generated automatically from our casino database. They do not show that an operator is licensed in Myanmar. No online gambling operator is licensed there, the Cybersecurity Law 2025 makes operating an online gambling system without authorisation a criminal offence, and the Gambling Law 2019 penalises players in unlicensed gambling. Myanmar publishes no register of licensed operators. The listings must not be read as an indication that playing is lawful.
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Sources and further reading
- Lincoln Legal Services (Myanmar), Gambling Law 2019 (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Law No. 13/2019), unofficial English translation (2019; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Lincoln Legal Services (Myanmar), Newsletter No. 61: Gambling Law 2019 (May 2019; accessed 7 October 2026).
- DFDL, Myanmar Legal Alert: New Gambling Law Permits Casinos to Operate in Myanmar (2019; accessed 7 October 2026).
- W. D. Greenlee Jr. and R. Bishayee, Asia Gaming Brief, Myanmar presents opportunity if the details are right – Opinion (21 October 2020; accessed 7 October 2026).
- GGRAsia, Five Myanmar regions ask central govt for casino ops: report (8 January 2018; accessed 7 October 2026).
- GGRAsia, Myanmar parliament to pass gambling bill in May: report (1 April 2019; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Tilleke & Gibbins, Myanmar Issues Cybersecurity Law (9 January 2025; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Tilleke & Gibbins, Myanmar Cybersecurity Law Takes Effect (1 August 2025; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Radio Free Asia, Myanmar enacts cybersecurity law that aims to restrict use of VPNs (2 January 2025; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Hundreds of thousands trafficked to work as online scammers in SE Asia, says UN report (29 August 2023; accessed 7 October 2026).
- UN News, Hundreds of thousands trafficked into online criminality across SE Asia (August 2023; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Radio Free Asia, Myanmar’s United Wa State Army deports alleged Chinese scammers (8 September 2023; accessed 7 October 2026).
- The Irrawaddy, China sentences 16 Kokang crime syndicate members to death (30 September 2025; accessed 7 October 2026).
- OCCRP, China Executes 11 in Myanmar-Linked Telecom Fraud Gang (29 January 2026; accessed 7 October 2026).
- US Department of the Treasury, Treasury sanctions Burma-based militia and its leader for cyber scams (press release sb0129) (5 May 2025; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Khaosod English, Thailand Extradites a Suspect in Illegal Gambling Operations to China (12 November 2025; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Al Jazeera, Myanmar military arrests more than 2,000 people at infamous scam centre (21 October 2025; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Centre for Information Resilience, Reported explosions, shutdowns and the raid at KK Park (29 October 2025; accessed 7 October 2026).
- OCCRP, Myanmar Junta Arrests Over 1,600 in Latest Scam Center Raid (November 2025; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Asia Gaming Brief, Myanmar authorities intensify crackdown on illegal online gambling complexes and telecom fraud (30 November 2025; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Myanmar Witness, Centre for Information Resilience, Shwe Kokko Scam Compound: A Crackdown Under Scrutiny (1 September 2026; accessed 7 October 2026).
- The Star / Asia News Network, Over 60 illegal buildings demolished in Myanmar crackdown on online scam operations (25 June 2026; accessed 7 October 2026).
- The Star / Asia News Network, 156 people involved in online gambling fraud arrested in Myanmar’s Kengtung Township (9 August 2026; accessed 7 October 2026).
- The Star / Asia News Network, Yangon region government says measures underway to crack down on online gambling (26 August 2026; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Associated Press, Myanmar’s parliament elects ruling general as president, keeping the army in charge (3 April 2026; accessed 7 October 2026).
