Costa Rica Will Tax The Online Casino Industry

Costa Rica was once known as the wild west of online casino gambling,
where operators could set-up their operations with little investment,
and little oversight by the local government. Unfortunately, that
is about to change, as Costa Rica plans to tax the online casino industry.



The finance ministry of Costa Rica is preparing a plan to regulate the
online casino industry within the country, and it will be presented
to the national legislature in the near future. Estimates are that
this bill would generate up to $100 million a year in tax revenue.



Some industry experts are concerned that the heavy taxation of the
online casino industry will force many providers out of the country,
and it will leave many Costa Ricans without a source of income.
Costa Rica is one of the largest bases for online gambling operations
in the world but it generates very little tax revenue from the
online casinos. The government needs to tax the industry, but
a low tax to pay for government services, and not a tax plan
like the UK, where online casinos pay almost 15% on taxes.



The details regarding this legislation are vague, and the Costa Rican
government may decide to regulate the online casino industry, but it
certainly looks like it will be business as usual in Costa Rica
for months if not years to come, as they iron out all of the details.