Honduras casinos are legal but few, and all are tied to hotels and tourism. They are licensed under a 1977 casino law by the Instituto Hondureño de Turismo, and online gambling has no licensing system at all. This guide covers the law, who can play and what is changing.
Honduras gambling at a glance
| Casino gambling | Legal in licensed casinos linked to hotels and tourism |
|---|---|
| Main law | Ley de Casinos, Juegos de Envite o Azar (Decree 488 of 1977) |
| Casino licensing | Instituto Hondureño de Turismo (IHT) |
| Minimum age | 18 for casino entry |
| Online gambling | Not regulated; no Honduran online licenses exist |
| Pending reform | Online gambling bill filed in 2024; 2026 self-exclusion bill under study |
| Last checked | November 2026 |
The law
Honduras broke from Spain along with the rest of Central America. Its casino rules date from 1977, when the Ley de Casinos, Juegos de Envite o Azar (Decree 488) set up the system still in use.
- Licensing. The Instituto Hondureño de Turismo, the national tourism institute, licenses and inspects casinos. The Secretaría de Gobernación y Justicia has a supervisory role over players, and the tax authority can audit casino finances.
- Tourism link. The law ties casinos to tourism, which is why Honduran casinos operate in or alongside hotels.
- Who can hold a license. Licenses go only to Hondurans by birth or companies incorporated in Honduras. Fees run from 300,000 to 700,000 lempiras, or 20% of gross gaming income after prizes, whichever is higher, and licenses must be renewed.
- Who can play. People under 18 may not enter. The law also bars Hondurans who cannot show sufficient economic means, a rule that local reporting says is loosely enforced.
Where the casinos are
Honduras publishes no official list of licensed casinos, and no reliable current count exists. Because the law ties casinos to tourism, they operate in or alongside hotels. Opening hours and games are not published centrally, so check with the hotel before you plan a night around one.
If you want to read up before you play, our guides cover the main casino games: slot machines, roulette, blackjack, Caribbean Stud poker, baccarat and craps.
Online gambling
Honduras has no law that licenses or regulates online casinos or betting sites, and no Honduran-licensed sites exist. Players use foreign sites licensed in places such as Malta or Curaçao, which operate without any Honduran oversight. US readers can compare offshore brands in our online gambling reviews, which note that those sites are not licensed by US state regulators.
In October 2024 deputy Dunia Jiménez filed a bill to regulate online gambling, with oversight by the Secretaría de Gobernación y Justicia, a tax on operators and 10% of revenue set aside for public health. As of April 2025, local reporting said it had not become law and Honduras still had no online gambling rules. In September 2026 Congress began studying a separate bill from deputy Carlos Umaña that would let gamblers exclude themselves from casinos and slot venues, or let a court order an exclusion at a family’s request, to protect household property from gambling debts.
Gambling in neighboring countries
For comparison, see our guides to Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Belize.
Honduras casinos FAQ
Is gambling legal in Honduras?
Yes, in licensed casinos. The 1977 casino law allows casinos tied to tourism and licensed by the Instituto Hondureño de Turismo.
How many casinos are there in Honduras?
There is no official public count or list. Casinos are licensed only in connection with hotels and tourism.
What is the gambling age in Honduras?
People under 18 may not enter casinos.
Is online gambling legal in Honduras?
It is not regulated. No Honduran licenses exist, and a 2024 bill to create them had not become law as of April 2025.
Gamble responsibly. If gambling stops being fun, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET.