Will Cuba Legalize Gambling?

Since President Obama announced a recent thaw in US-Cuba relations, the air is rife with speculation that this could mean the return of legalized gambling to Cuba. Cuba, once a paradise of sorts with 13 legal casinos, was made into a virtual wasteland for gamblers when Fidel Castro came into power in 1959 and labeled such industry as “sin.” Once he made gambling illegal in Cuba, many casinos relocated to Nevada. 

Today, if current Cuban president Raul Castro legalizes casinos, the landscape of traditional casinos in the United States can be expected to change significantly as a result. American companies see untold potential in Cuba, which is less than 100 miles off the coast of Florida.

Nova Southeastern University professor Bob Jarvis commented, “I don’t think there’s any question every casino executive in the United States and beyond is thinking of a plan to get into Cuba. It was the play land for the United States in the 1940s and 1950s, and it could be again. It’s fabulous.”

When Will Cuban Casinos Open for Business?

While the prospect of casinos in Cuba is certainly exciting, not everyone is confident that the change will happen overnight. Michael Pollock of Spectrum Gaming cautioned that even if gambling is legalized today, it could take as long as ten years to see the first casino actually open.

Factors that can hinder or speed up the process include whether Cuba can maintain a stable administration, whether there will be a regulatory system that will encourage businesses to invest in Cuba's neglected tourism infrastructure, and how much competition Cuba will face from both the United States and other Caribbean islands.

Will Cuba legalize Online Gambling?

If Cuba legalizes land-based casinos, it may be only a matter of time before online gambling is legalized as well. It's difficult to forecast how the online gambling story will play out; in America it is still a work-in-progress, with certain states heading towards legalization and others staunchly opposed. Perhaps the direction of both American online gambling and Cuban land-based casinos will shape the island's position on internet gambling.