Casino and online-gambling businesses in Sri Lanka may have to wait until the end of 2026 to see the detailed rules for the country's new supervisory system. The Gambling Regulatory Authority now aims to issue the framework by December 31 after two earlier milestones passed without publication.
The text is back with the regulator after external drafting and a separate review. W.M.K.G.A. Wickramasinghe, the authority's director general, told The Sunday Morning that an international advisory group prepared the proposals before a committee assessed them. The GRA is completing the final version.
Parliament created the authority through the 2025 Gambling Regulatory Authority Act, which came into operation on December 1 last year. That statute consolidated oversight of betting, casinos and internet gambling, but practical licensing and enforcement requirements depend on the supporting regulations that remain outstanding.
The unfinished framework matters because officials are also examining unregistered online activity and gaps in tax collection. Inside Asian Gaming says June and November were the previous targets. The new date is another administrative commitment, not confirmation that the operative rules have already been adopted.
