One of the most established gambling jurisdictions in the world, Costa Rica may be very close to introducing taxation on the industry. Some say the changes would start to take place within a week. The Finance Ministry said that it has plans to introduce a bill that would see gambling operators residing in Costa Rica paying taxes on their business for the first time.

This week, the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly is set to meet to discuss the issue. 

Costa Rican based operators have enjoyed untaxed and unregulated online gambling business for many years, with some of the biggest names in the industry choosing the country as the headquarters for the operations.  It is believed that up to 10,000 people are employed directly or indirectly by the Costa Rican gambling industry. “The industry pays above average salaries and contributes substantially to household incomes,” said Mickey Richardson, of BetCRIS, one of the largest gambling operations in Costa Rica.