Timor-Leste

    Gambling regulation

    • Online casino:
      Not regulated
    • Online sports betting:
      Not regulated
    • Gambling in detail:
      more details

    Coat of Arms

    Coat of arms of the country of Timor-Leste

    download SVG or PNG

    Population

    • Population: 1167242 people.
    • Official Language: Portuguese, Tetun
    • HDI: 0,566
    • Poverty rate: 94.6%
    • Main religion: Christianity (99.6%)

    Harmful habits

    • Alcohol: 0.4 litres/year
    • Smoking: 39.2%

    Internet

    • Internet users: 27%
    • Country Top Level Domain: .TL

    General information about the country

    • Country name:
      Timor-Leste
    • Code (2-digit):
      TL
    • Continent:
      Asia
    • Country level:
      N/A
    • Capital:
      Dili
    • Country area:
      14874 sq km.
    • Telephone code:
      670
    • Currency (code):
      US dollar (USD)

    Geographical features of the country

    Administrative division into regions

    District (13): Aileu, Ainaru, Baucau, Bobonaru, Viqueque, Dili, Cova Lima, Lauten, Likisa, Manatutu, Manufahi, Oecussi-Ambeno, Ermera.

    Features of the country

    The modern territory of the country was partially or completely occupied by the states: the Portuguese Empire, the Japanese Empire.

    East Timor is washed by seas: Banda Sea, Timor Sea, Savu Sea.

    East Timor owns the islands: Timor, Atauro.

    Gambling regulation

    • Online casinos:
      Not regulated
    • Online sports betting:
      Not regulated

    Online Gambling in the country

    East Timor or Timor-Leste, a state in Southeast Asia, has issued the first offshore gaming license to Golden River Universe (GRU), a company operating in the online lottery sector. The authorization was issued by the General Inspectorate of Gambling. GRU now plans to use the license to enter global markets

    What is known about GRU

    GRU is a subsidiary of GD Lotto, which has licenses in Cambodia and Nigeria and operates in more than 10 jurisdictions. By obtaining a license in Timor-Leste, the company expects to use the new jurisdiction as a starting point to expand its international presence

    The next step will be to relocate research, customer and global support from Cambodia and the Philippines to East Timor

    Country plans

    The East Timor Virtual Gaming Association (VGA) aims to turn the country into a new iGaming hub. The aim is to make Timor-Leste analogous to Malta in Asia: to create a business jurisdiction friendly to international operators and attract investment into the economy

    To achieve this, the country will have to build a regulatory system, introduce standards for operators and provide protection for players. The authorities are also considering the possibility of opening the first casino resort - a $60 million agreement has already been signed with Asia-Pacific Strategic Investments Ltd.

    Economic context

    Timor-Leste is one of the youngest and poorest countries in Asia. After gaining independence in 2002, the economy is still in its infancy. Gambling licensing is seen as an incentive to attract investment, develop infrastructure and create jobs

    • Blask data from: 06/03/2025

    • The data for this section was provided by the analytical service Blask.com. Currently, the service's database contains information on 62 countries and more than 2,500 brands. You can view all available countries with Blask statistics at this link.