In short: Guatemala’s Código Penal treats running one of the “casas de juegos de suerte, envite o azar” as a crime: one to five years’ prison and a Q1,000 to Q10,000 fine for the owners, bankers and managers (Art. 477), and a Q200 to Q2,000 fine for the players who attend (Art. 478). The regulated route is an authorisation: lotteries and similar games need a Ministerio de Gobernación licence, and raffles need the Gobernación Departamental, under the reglamento reformed by Acuerdo Gubernativo 54-2015. Foreign lotteries are prohibited by the same reform. Sports betting and online casinos are not named in any instrument we read. General information, not legal advice.
This page answers one question: what Guatemalan law actually says about gambling, and where it stops. It does not rate or recommend any venue.
The three articles of the Código Penal
Título XV of Libro Segundo of the Código Penal (Decreto 17-73) is headed “De los juegos ilícitos” and has one chapter with three articles:
| Article | Heading | Who it reaches | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 477 | Juegos ilícitos | Bankers, administrators, business owners, managers or other persons in charge, and the owners, of gaming houses | 1 to 5 years’ prison + Q1,000 to Q10,000 fine |
| 478 | Asistencia | The people who attend those houses | Q200 to Q2,000 fine |
| 479 | Loterías y rifas ilícitas | Organisers and sellers of tickets for lotteries or raffles not legally authorised | Q50 to Q1,000 fine |
The text of each, as the Code prints it:
“Los banqueros, administradores, empresarios, gerentes o demás personas encargadas y los dueños de casas de juegos de suerte, envite o azar, serán sancionados con prisión de uno a cinco años y multa de un mil a diez mil quetzales.” — Art. 477
“Las personas que concurrieren a las casas de juegos de suerte, envite o azar, serán sancionados con multa de doscientos a dos mil quetzales.” — Art. 478
“Los empresarios y expendedores de billetes de loterías o rifas, no autorizados legalmente, serán sancionados con multa de cincuenta a un mil quetzales.” — Art. 479
Two things worth noticing. Art. 478 is aimed at the player, not only the operator: attending is its own offence with its own fine. And the Code does not define “juegos de suerte, envite o azar” (games of chance and wagering) any further in those three articles.
We read these articles in two copies of the Code. The reform-annotated copy uploaded in 2024 marks reformed articles with a REFORMADO por… note; Arts. 477 to 479 carry none, and their wording matches the OAS-hosted copy.
The regulated route: the lotteries, raffles and games reglamento
Guatemala regulates lotteries and similar games through an executive regulation dated 18 May 1956, renamed and rewritten by Acuerdo Gubernativo 54-2015 of 12 February 2015 as the “Reglamento para Loterías, Rifas y Juegos Similares”. Its key provisions after the reform:
| Reformed article | What it says |
|---|---|
| Art. 1 | Lotteries, raffles and similar games are subject to the taxes in the specific laws, and their operators must ensure compliance |
| Art. 2 | “Se prohíbe el funcionamiento de loterías extranjeras en el territorio nacional”; documents for those games may not be brought in for sale |
| Art. 3 | The Ministerio de Gobernación issues the licence to operate lotteries and similar games; tickets must identify the licence. Raffles are authorised by each Gobernación Departamental. These games “podrán ser operados por medios electrónicos y/o computarizados” |
| Art. 4 | What an applicant files: procedures and mechanisms of each game, prize structure, award system, ticket design, the means and devices used, and a guarantee of prize payment, plus company or personal documents |
| Art. 5 | Applications filed at a Gobernación Departamental for lotteries and similar games (raffles excepted) are sent to the Ministerio de Gobernación to decide |
| Art. 6 | Draws take place before a notary named by the Ministerio de Gobernación, whose fees the applicant pays |
| Art. 7 | Operators keep the accounting records the law requires; any violation leads to cancellation of the licence |
| Art. 8 | Monthly report to the Ministerio de Gobernación on prizes paid, within the first ten business days of each month |
| Art. 8 Bis | Entities with their own regulation issued by governmental or legislative decree are excepted, but must still follow Art. 6 |
So is gambling legal? has a two-part answer on the text: a house of games of chance is an offence under the Code, and a licensed lottery or similar game or an authorised raffle is the channel the reglamento creates. The 2015 reform text does not use the word casino.
Slot machines: what enforcement looks like
We found no instrument that authorises tragamonedas (slot machines) by name. What official bodies have published is enforcement:
- 19 February 2025, Ministerio de Gobernación: PNC specialised units detained a 21-year-old and seized ten slot machines at the inter-institutional checkpoint at km 264 of the CA-13, Río Dulce, Livingston, Izabal, with the Army and SAT. The ministry wrote that the machines, with a customs value of about Q412,208.14, are subject to restrictions “por su vinculación con juegos ilícitos”, and that they had been reported as destined for the textile sector.
- 3 October 2017, Diario de Centro América: the PNC’s Criminal Investigation Division, with Ministerio Público prosecutors, seized 53 slot machines in San Pedro Sacatepéquez, Guatemala, after complaints from neighbours, teachers and parents, to investigate their origin and illegal possession.
Sports betting and online casinos: where the law is silent
The instruments we read — Código Penal Arts. 477 to 479 and 489, and Acuerdo Gubernativo 54-2015 — do not mention sports betting, online casinos, betting apps or bookmakers by name. What they do say:
- A licensed lottery or similar game may run electronically or by computer (Reglamento Art. 3, as reformed).
- Foreign lotteries may not operate in Guatemala (Reglamento Art. 2, as reformed).
- The Code’s offences are written around a “casa” (house) of games and around tickets for unauthorised lotteries or raffles.
How those texts apply to a website or an app based abroad is not something any of them states. We are reporting the silence, not converting it into a permission or a prohibition.
Raffles: the permit a fundraiser needs
If you are organising a raffle (a school, church, committee or company fundraiser), the authority is the Gobernación Departamental of the department where it runs. The Zacapa and San Marcos departmental governments list the filing in the national catalogue at Q0, with published response times of 5 days (Zacapa, service 2762) and 30 days (San Marcos, service 2753). The Zacapa listing adds a 10% single bond and the 10% ISR and 3% stamp tax payment (by the organiser or the winner) among its requirements, and Art. 6 of the reglamento puts the draw before a notary named by the Ministerio de Gobernación, paid by the applicant. Full walkthrough: raffle and drawing authorisation.
Running one without that authorisation is what Art. 479 fines: Q50 to Q1,000 for the organisers and ticket sellers.
Minors
Art. 489 of the Código Penal, a falta (misdemeanour) in its chapter against good customs, sets 10 to 50 days’ arrest for “Quien incitare a un menor de edad al juego”, or who gives a minor entry to garitos, brothels or similar places. The Code sets no separate gambling age in the articles we read.
Sources
- Código Penal, Decreto 17-73, Título XV (Arts. 477 to 479) and Art. 489 — OAS-hosted copy
https://www.oas.org/dil/esp/Codigo_Penal_Guatemala.pdfand reform-annotated copyhttps://bergerpemueller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Ley-CODIGO-PENAL-DECRETO-17-73-30-08_1973.pdf, both retrieved 2026-09-25. - Acuerdo Gubernativo 54-2015 (12 February 2015), reforms to the Acuerdo Gubernativo of 18 May 1956 — text as hosted at
https://www.guateleyes.com/Nuevas/2015/6286.pdf, retrieved 2026-09-25. - Catálogo de Trámites, services 2762 (Gobernación Departamental de Zacapa) and 2753 (Gobernación Departamental de San Marcos) —
https://tramites.gob.gt/servicio/2762/,https://tramites.gob.gt/servicio/2753/, retrieved 2026-09-25. - Ministerio de Gobernación, “Operativo interinstitucional permite captura de un hombre y decomiso de máquinas tragamonedas”, 19 February 2025 —
https://mingob.gob.gt/operativo-interinstitucional-permite-captura-de-un-hombre-y-decomiso-de-maquinas-tragamonedas/, retrieved 2026-09-25. - Diario de Centro América, “Decomisan 53 máquinas tragamonedas”, 3 October 2017 —
https://dca.gob.gt/noticias-guatemala-diario-centro-america/decomisan-53-maquinas-tragamonedas/, retrieved 2026-09-25.
General information about published Guatemalan instruments, read on 2026-09-25. Not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is gambling legal in Guatemala?
The Código Penal (Decreto 17-73) has a whole title on juegos ilícitos. Art. 477 punishes the bankers, administrators, business owners, managers or other persons in charge, and the owners, of ‘casas de juegos de suerte, envite o azar’ with one to five years’ prison and a fine of one thousand to ten thousand quetzales. Art. 478 fines the people who attend those houses two hundred to two thousand quetzales. Separately, the Reglamento para Loterías, Rifas y Juegos Similares, as reformed by Acuerdo Gubernativo 54-2015, lets the Ministerio de Gobernación license lotteries and similar games, and lets departmental governments authorise raffles. A game run under one of those authorisations is the regulated route; the Code does not define ‘juegos de suerte, envite o azar’ further.
Can I play at a casino in Guatemala as a tourist?
The Código Penal does not distinguish tourists from residents. Art. 478 reads: ‘Las personas que concurrieren a las casas de juegos de suerte, envite o azar, serán sancionados con multa de doscientos a dos mil quetzales.’ Whether a particular venue operates under a Ministerio de Gobernación licence is a fact about that venue; the 2015 reform (Art. 3 of the Reglamento) says the tickets an operator issues for lottery-type games must identify the licence granted.
Are slot machines (maquinitas) legal in Guatemala?
The Ministerio de Gobernación reported on 19 February 2025 that the PNC seized ten slot machines at a checkpoint on the CA-13 in Río Dulce, Izabal, stating the machines are subject to restrictions because of their link to juegos ilícitos, and that a man was detained. The state newspaper Diario de Centro América reported in October 2017 that the PNC, with Ministerio Público prosecutors, seized 53 machines in San Pedro Sacatepéquez after complaints from neighbours, teachers and parents. No Guatemalan instrument we read authorises slot machines by name.
Is online or sports betting legal in Guatemala?
None of the instruments we read names sports betting, online casinos or betting apps: the Código Penal title on juegos ilícitos (Arts. 477 to 479) and Acuerdo Gubernativo 54-2015. Two things they do say are relevant. The 2015 reform lets licensed lottery and similar games be operated ‘por medios electrónicos y/o computarizados’, under a Ministerio de Gobernación licence. And it prohibits foreign lotteries from operating in Guatemala. We are not turning that silence into a yes or a no.
Do I need a permit to run a raffle in Guatemala?
Yes. Under Art. 3 of the Reglamento para Loterías, Rifas y Juegos Similares, as reformed by Acuerdo Gubernativo 54-2015, raffle authorisation is granted by the Gobernación Departamental of the jurisdiction, and the tickets are issued by the organisers under that Gobernación’s supervision. Art. 479 of the Código Penal fines the organisers and sellers of tickets for lotteries or raffles not legally authorised fifty to one thousand quetzales. Our step-by-step for the filing is the raffle authorisation guide.
Can a minor gamble in Guatemala?
Art. 489 of the Código Penal, a misdemeanour (falta) against good customs, punishes with ten to fifty days’ arrest ‘Quien incitare a un menor de edad al juego’, or who gives a minor entry to garitos (gambling dens) and similar places. It does not set a separate gambling age.
