Top-rated Online gambling sites in Honduras

The gambling history of any country is tied to its culture. As a country colonized by the Spanish and turned into Catholicism, Honduras frowned on gambling for a long time. This, despite the Mayan culture dominated country earning its independence in 1821.

The state of gambling in the country remains unclear before 1977 when it was made legal. Like in any other country, however, the formulation of a regulatory structure indicates that much illegal gambling was going on.

Even after legalization, gambling did not spread across the entire country. This was primarily due to high poverty levels. Casinos remained a preserve of urban centers, with only three cities establishing a meager eight casinos in the whole country. The capital, Tegucigalpa, along with La Ceiba and San Pedro Sula, are the only cities with casinos. Even here, the casinos are only part of high-end hotels.

For this reason, casino gaming in Honduras was mainly a preserve of tourists and the few wealthy urbanites. Still, there was much gambling in other parts of the country, which was not checked by the regulatory body, the Honduran Institute of Tourism. The country also has the National Lottery, which licenses all lotteries.

Gambling nowadays in Honduras

Not much has changed in the country in terms of physical casino gaming. The three cities remain the only casino destinations. However, individual hotels have made modifications to their playing centers. Some have introduced table games which they didn't offer before. Today, it is possible to play in Honduras all casino games that you would find anywhere else. Blackjack, roulette, slots, poker, name them-all these are available in Honduras casinos.

That said, the country has not dodged the COVID-19 blow. Gaming in casinos has gone down by what is projected to be as much as 40%. Official figures are not yet released, though. At least two of the casinos have shut down completely.

On a more positive note, online gaming is on a steady rise. This has seen tremendous success in spreading casino gaming to more areas of Honduras. In a country of around 9 million people, roughly 40% (3.6 million) have access to internet facilities. Internet reliability is best in cities, where the government provides free Wi-Fi in parks and plazas under a program known as 'Internet for the People.' Still, most other parts of the country have internet access that is mainly used via mobile devices.

The popularity of sports, and football, in particular, has made online betting a craze in the country. Most online casinos in the country offer a sports book alongside other casino games.

For a country burdened by so many problems like crime, corruption, and poverty, Honduras has not had much time to concentrate on gambling regulation. The Honduran Institute of Tourism is the casino gaming regulatory authority. The National Children's Trust (PANI) regulates lottery gaming, and that's pretty much it.

There are no notable legal provisions to control gaming in Honduras. Neither are there documented efforts in progress. This would be understandable, given that, to this end, gaming has only been popular in three cities. And even there, it is restricted to a few hotels and mostly reserved for tourists.

However, moving forward, the country is likely to start looking to create laws around gambling. One, taking control of unregulated gaming is a crucial step to fighting crime. With the influx of online gaming companies in the country, the government will smell possible revenue. Expect them to get the idea of tax laws that would help them earn much-needed income. Bans on gaming do not look likely, though.

On tax laws, it is worth noting that casinos pay a 20% tax. Winnings are, however, not taxed, and that is unlikely to change even if new laws come into place.