Gambling is a mainstream, legal pastime in Suriname, woven into everyday life through the lottery and sports betting and concentrated in Paramaribo’s hotel casinos. The modern industry traces to a mid-1990s legalisation and casino boom, later formalised by the 2009 supervision law and a sweeping 2023 legislative overhaul. Today the leading local name is Suribet, attitudes are broadly relaxed across Suriname’s multicultural society, and the Gaming Control Board Suriname (GCBS) oversees a sector increasingly shaped by responsible-gambling and anti-money-laundering rules.

A short history

Suriname’s casino era began in earnest in the mid-1990s, when the Wijdenbosch government legalised and licensed casino gambling (around 1996) and welcomed foreign investors. Within a few years the small country hosted close to a dozen casinos, mostly in the capital, Paramaribo. Rapid growth outpaced oversight, and the state gradually tightened the rules.

The pivotal modern statute was the Wet Toezicht en Controle Kansspelen (Supervision and Control of Games of Chance Act, S.B. 2009 no. 78), which designated a gaming supervisory body. The framework was then comprehensively modernised in September 2023, when the National Assembly passed updated casino, lottery and supervision laws (including S.B. 2023 no. 134), partly to satisfy Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) commitments on money-laundering controls.

Everyday gambling in Suriname revolves around the lottery and sports betting. Lotto games and scratch cards have deep roots, and sports betting is hugely popular, with Suribet operating live and virtual betting alongside its lottery products. In the casinos, the mainstays are slot machines, roulette, blackjack, poker, baccarat / Punto Banco and bingo. Suribet has also popularised local-flavoured products such as virtual and live Tjekre Tjekre and scratch games.

Attitudes

Suriname is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse nations, and social acceptance of gambling appears generally moderate to high. Buying a lottery ticket or placing a bet is an ordinary leisure activity rather than a taboo. That said, the state’s recent posture emphasises responsible gambling, an 18-plus age limit, and tighter oversight, reflecting both consumer-protection and financial-integrity concerns rather than moral objection. Honesty note: as in any market, easy access to betting carries real addiction risk, and the country’s harm-reduction infrastructure appears to still be developing.

Notable laws and reforms

  • Wet Casinobelasting 2002 - taxes casinos monthly per slot machine and per gaming table.
  • Wet Toezicht en Controle Kansspelen (S.B. 2009 no. 78) - the core supervision and control framework for games of chance.
  • 2023 overhaul (incl. S.B. 2023 no. 134) - updated casino, lottery and supervision laws passed by the National Assembly, tightening licensing and anti-money-laundering rules in line with CFATF commitments.

18+. Gamble responsibly. Gambling can be addictive; only stake what you can afford to lose.

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