casinolicence.co.uk
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Checked against the UK Gambling Commission public register on 9 November 2026. An independent site, not the Gambling Commission. How we work.

Costa Rica appears in some casinos' small print, usually as the place where a company is based. That is not the same as a licence. As far as we could establish from searchable public sources, Costa Rica does not run a licence regime for online casinos serving players abroad. This page sets out what we could and could not find, why a company seat is different from a licence, and what a UK player should take from it. We state plainly where we are unsure.

What we could establish

We looked for a Costa Rican public body that issues online casino licences and publishes a list of holders. We did not find one. On that basis a casino that says it is licensed in Costa Rica is making a statement we cannot test against a regulator's register.

We cannot prove a negative. A regime that we did not find may exist, and the rules may change. If you meet a statement of this kind, the useful step is to ask the site which regulator issued the licence and what its number is, then look for that body's own public list. If the site cannot name one, the statement stays unverified.

A seat is not a licence

Registering a company in a country is a business registration. It tells you where the company is located. It does not tell you that a gambling regulator there has examined the company or that the games are supervised. A company can have its seat in one place and hold a gambling licence from another, or from none.

That is why a mention of Costa Rica in a site's footer or terms needs reading closely. Look for three separate things:

  • where the company is registered
  • which regulator, if any, issued a gambling licence
  • which licence number and company name the regulator's own list shows.

If the site gives only the first, it has told you nothing about the second or the third.

What it means for a UK player

A site with a Costa Rican seat and no UKGC licence for its domain gives a UK player none of the protections that come with a UK licence:

  • no GAMSTOP cover, since the site is not a UKGC licensee. The GAMSTOP page explains the scheme.
  • no UKGC complaint route and no UK approved ADR provider.
  • no UK slot stake limits, as set out under stake limits.
  • no UK cap on wagering requirements, which licensed operators must follow.
  • no UK affordability checks or customer funds disclosure.

Playing at such a site is not an offence for the player, since the Gambling Act 2005 section 33 offence is committed by the operator. The risk lies in what is missing. If a dispute arises, there may be no regulator to ask at all.

How to test a statement

  1. Note exactly what the site says about Costa Rica: a licence, a registration or an address.
  2. If it says licence, note the regulator named and the number.
  3. Look for that regulator's own public list, and match the company name and domain.
  4. If the site names a regulator elsewhere, such as the places on our licence countries hub, use the page for that place.
  5. Search the Gambling Commission's register for the domain, using the UKGC licence check guide.

If steps 2 and 3 produce nothing, you have an unverified statement. Do not fill the gap with an assumption in either direction.

Why the wording matters

Two phrases are easy to confuse: licensed in Costa Rica and based in Costa Rica. The first would mean that a regulator in that country supervises the company as a gambling operator. The second says only where the company has its office or registration. When this site cannot tell which one a casino means, it says so and does not choose the kinder reading. A reader deciding whether to share identity documents or money with a site deserves the same care.

How the offshore searches use it

Searches for non-UK casinos and casinos not on GAMSTOP can lead to sites that mention several places at once, one for the company seat and another for the licence. The non-UK casinos page treats the search as information. The point of this page is narrow: a place named in the small print is not necessarily a regulator.

Other places covered

For comparison, the regulators on the other country pages publish information of their own. See Curaçao, Malta, Anjouan and Kahnawake. They are not ranked, and none of them is a UK licence.

Limits of this page

We give no legal advice and we do not name or assess individual casinos here. We state what we could find in public sources, and we say where we could not find something. We have no link to a Costa Rican regulator because we found none to cite. The sources and method page explains how we read sources.

Gambling help

Gambling is for adults aged 18 and over. If it is causing harm, call the GamCare National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, free and open 24 hours, or go to GamCare. You can block accounts at UK licensed sites with GAMSTOP, and BeGambleAware has free advice.

Questions readers ask

Does Costa Rica issue online casino licences?

As far as we could establish from searchable public sources, not for online casinos. A company can register a business there, but that is a company registration and not a gambling licence. We cannot rule out a regime we did not find, so a statement should be tested, not assumed.

Why do some casinos mention Costa Rica?

Usually because the company behind the brand is based or registered there. A seat describes where a company is located. A licence is a permission from a gambling regulator. The two can be in different places, and a site that names one may be relying on a licence from somewhere else.

Is a Costa Rica company covered by GAMSTOP?

Not unless it holds a UKGC licence. GAMSTOP is a condition of Gambling Commission licences, and a company seated in Costa Rica has no duty to check the register on that basis. A UK player's self-exclusion does not reach such a site, and no UKGC complaint route applies.

How do I check a Costa Rica licence statement?

Ask which regulator issued the licence and its number. If the site names a body, find that body's own public list. If the only link to Costa Rica is a company address, there is no licence to check. Then search the Gambling Commission's register for the domain.

What should I do if I cannot verify a licence?

Treat the statement as unverified and decide on that basis. Unverified does not prove a site is fake, and it does not prove it is licensed. It means you have no independent evidence, and a UK player there has no UK protections to fall back on.