Access to 24 online gambling and betting websites operating in Sri Lanka without valid licences has been blocked with immediate effect, in the first enforcement action to name specific platforms since the country’s gambling regulator was established.
The list includes several of the world’s largest betting brands: bet365.com, stake.com, betway.com/en-lk, 1xbet.com, 22bet.com, melbet.com, unibet.com, betfair.com, dafabet.com, 1win.com, spinbetter.com, 10cric.com, bc.game, megapari.com, pin-up.bet, mostbet.com, parimatch.com, betwinner.com, linebet.com, 4rabet.com, rajabets.com, dbbet.com, coldbet.com and WinWin.
How the order was made
The Daily Mirror reported that the block followed a notification issued by the Gambling Regulatory Authority to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka under the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act, No. 17 of 2025. The TRCSL in turn directed all telecommunications service providers to restrict access to the identified sites from within Sri Lanka.
The Daily Mirror attributed the announcement to the Finance, Planning and Economic Development Ministry, under which the Gambling Regulatory Authority sits. Ada Derana, in a report carrying AFP inputs, attributed it to the Digital Economy Ministry.
“All telecom service providers have been ordered to implement the ban with immediate effect,” the ministry said in a statement quoted by Ada Derana.
Online gambling is not illegal in Sri Lanka, but operators must register with the authorities and pay licence fees. The Gambling Regulatory Authority has identified operating or promoting online gambling services without a valid licence under Sections 15, 16 and 18 of the Act as an offence under Section 44.
The ministry urged the public to refrain from participating or investing in illegal online gambling, warning of financial risk, and said further measures would be taken with other regulators to curb unlicensed operations.
Putting numbers to Tuesday’s order
The action gives concrete shape to a broader instruction issued a day earlier, when the TRCSL told telecom operators to block all unlicensed online gambling websites on the Gambling Regulatory Authority’s instructions. That announcement did not identify the sites covered, state how many were affected, or say when operators had to comply — all three questions Wednesday’s list answers.
The move follows sustained pressure in Parliament. In June, Committee on Public Finance chair MP Dr. Harsha de Silva demanded a regulator for online betting and casino platforms, describing the absence of oversight as a “massive legal blind spot” costing the state billions in uncollected revenue and noting that operators were advertising during cricket telecasts.
Network-level blocking is the most direct tool available to regulators but an imperfect one: access can often be restored through mirror domains or virtual private networks, and enforcement requires the authority to maintain an updated blocklist.
Sources: Ada Derana, Daily Mirror.
