Sri Lanka targets December 31 for gambling rules amid tax revenue concerns

Sri Lanka’s Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) has set a December 31 deadline to publish regulations governing casinos and online gambling , following repeated delays and concerns over tax collection and regulatory oversight. The revised timetable comes as Parliament’s Committee on Public Finance (COPF) raises concerns about uncollected gambling revenue and foreign-linked online operators functioning without adequate financial supervision. COPF Chairman Harsha de Silva has criticized delays in establishing effective regulatory oversight , warning that the absence of enforceable rules could result in substantial tax revenue losses.