Gambling is deeply woven into Venezuelan daily life, above all through horse racing and its legendary 5y6 pool at La Rinconada, and through lottery-style ‘animalitos’ games played nationwide. The country’s formal casino scene has swung with politics: Hugo Chávez banned casinos in 2011 as harmful, then the Maduro government reopened around 30 of them in 2020-2021 to draw tourism and hard currency. Attitudes are broadly relaxed and social, but economic hardship has shaped both participation and concerns about harm.

A short history

Organised gambling in Venezuela is long-established. La Rinconada Hippodrome in Caracas opened on 5 July 1959, and thoroughbred racing quickly became a national pastime, run today under the Instituto Nacional de Hipódromos (INH). Lotteries have an even longer social footprint, later formalised under the 2000 National Lottery Law and supervised by CONALOT.

Casinos and bingo halls were regulated from 1997 under the Ley para el Control de los Casinos, Salas de Bingo y Máquinas Traganíqueles. That framework was politically upended in 2011, when President Hugo Chávez ordered casinos and bingo halls closed, describing them as socially harmful. The measure kept the sector shut for roughly a decade.

The 2020-2021 reopening

Facing a deep economic crisis, the Maduro government reversed course. Casino operations were quietly reauthorised from 2020, and in 2021 the government enabled around 30 casino licences, aiming to attract tourism and hard currency. Reported venues span Caracas (e.g. Waldorf, Tamanaco) and other states.

Horse racing and the 5y6

Horse racing remains the country’s most iconic betting tradition. The 5y6 pool at La Rinconada - picking winners across a set of selected races - is followed nationwide and is the emblematic Venezuelan bet.

Lotteries and animalitos

Lottery-style games are everyday culture. Animalitos games such as Lotto Activo let players bet on animals mapped to numbers, with frequent daily draws, all regulated within the lottery framework under CONALOT.

Attitudes today

Gambling is broadly accepted and social in Venezuela, but the politics have been ambivalent - the 2011 ban being the clearest example - and years of economic hardship have shaped how people participate and how harm is perceived.

18+ only. Gambling can be addictive - play responsibly.

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