Trinidad and Tobago approves higher gambling age limit, with online licensing due by January 1, 2027

Trinidad and Tobago’s Senate has approved a bill that raises the minimum age for gambling from 18 to 25, part of a wider change covering alcohol, tobacco and cannabis. For PSPs and operators, the more consequential piece is that the country is still building the online gambling framework at the same time, with digital payments and electronic money issuer licensing now in scope.

1. The legislation raises the legal age for participation in gambling activities from 18 to 25. It also increases the age for purchasing and consuming alcohol and tobacco from 18 to 21, while cannabis use is brought into the same 25-year threshold.
2. The Senate passed the measure with the backing of all 15 government senators. Twelve senators voted against it, including all six opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) senators and six independent senators, while three independent senators abstained.
3. Opposition Senator Vishnu Dhanpaul argued during the debate that the change could push young people to offshore gambling sites and add pressure to law enforcement. He also raised the issue of whether hookah use would fall within the new restrictions.
4. The new age-limit law is set to take effect in early 2027, but it still needs to be signed into law by President Christine Kangaloo. The timing matters because the online gambling regime is moving on a similar schedule.
5. Earlier this month, Trinidad and Tobago passed a new legal framework for online gambling that removes certain provisions under Section 76 of the Gambling, Gaming and Betting Control Act, which had criminalised operators offering remote gambling services internationally from within the country. According to Attorney General John Jeremie, online gaming licences for local and foreign operators are expected to be fully implemented on or before January 1, 2027.

Between now and the January launch, the Gambling Control Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (GCC) will work with the Central Bank to finalise the operational framework, including digital payment integration and electronic money issuer licensing. For any high-risk operator looking at Trinidad and Tobago, the key point is simple: the market is being opened, but the payments and licensing rails are still being built.