Guyana’s gambling culture is anchored in the national lottery and a strong love of horse racing, with a flagship casino in the capital and a growing appetite for online sports betting. It is a modest, community-flavoured scene rather than a Vegas-style industry: lottery tickets bought at local agents, race-day wagers, and casino nights at the Ramada Georgetown Princess. Attitudes are divided, with the lottery and racing broadly accepted while there has been public pushback against the recent rise of gambling apps - a tension that is now reshaping the law.

A short history

Guyana’s regulated gambling grew from two roots: lotteries and horse racing. The Guyana Lottery Company Limited, owned by Canadian Bank Note, runs the official national games, giving the country a formal, revenue-generating lottery with agents across the coast and interior. Its main draw game, Lotto Supa 6, launched in 2011. Horse racing has an even longer heritage, with turf clubs hosting meetings that remain major social occasions.

The national lottery

The lottery is the most accessible form of gambling in Guyana. Games such as Lotto Supa 6 and Daily Millions are sold through agents nationwide, and results are widely followed. Because it is licensed and locally operated, the lottery is a clearly legal, supervised option, unlike offshore online sites.

Horse racing

Horse racing is a cultural fixture, with turf clubs such as Rising Sun hosting flagship meetings. The Guyana Cup is the marquee event: its 2025 edition, held in August, offered record-breaking prize money reported as the largest purse in Caribbean horse racing history, underscoring the sport’s growing profile and investment.

Casinos

Casino gaming in Guyana is small and hotel-based. The Guyana Princess Casino at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel is the main - and widely reported as the only - land-based casino, offering slot machines and electronic terminals alongside table games such as blackjack, roulette, punto banco and Caribbean poker. Under the Gambling Prevention Act, casino gaming is restricted to approved hotels.

Online and app-based betting

The fastest-growing segment is online and app-based betting, most of it via offshore operators that hold no Guyanese licence. This surge is what drew official attention: in October 2025 the government said it would tighten regulation and raise taxes on online gambling, citing social harm from households losing income to gambling apps.

Social attitudes

Attitudes toward gambling in Guyana are mixed. The lottery and horse racing are broadly accepted as traditional pastimes, while the rapid spread of online betting has prompted public and community concern about problem gambling and its impact on families. That concern is now a driving force behind the country’s move toward stricter rules.

Gambling is for adults aged 18 and over only. If gambling stops being fun, please seek support.

Sources