News Americas, NY, NY, Mon. Oct. 5, 2026: Sports betting is not new to the Caribbean by any means. Cricket has long been popular in the Anglo-Caribbean, representing the globally successful West Indies cricket team, and baseball has been popular on the Spanish-speaking islands – both of which have a culture of sports betting internationally. However, in 2026, increasing mobile access and online sportsbooks are changing the way populations in the region bet on sports.
Primarily it’s important to note the region is not one unified market. The largest population centre of Haiti is lacking in infrastructure of all kinds, and is so is hardly a priority market for sports betting. In contrast, for example, the Dominican Republic has a fully formalized and regulated local online gambling market, while Jamaica has plenty of bettors but no central regulation.
New Markets and Domestic Growth
In gambling terms, for many people interested in the business around the world, the Caribbean will mostly bring to mind one tiny nation. Curacao. Over the past decades the country has provided licenses for international online casinos and sportsbooks all over the globe – but that has had little impact on domestic markets in the region.
However, as internet access and sporting infrastructure improve, opportunities for sports bettors and operators are opening up.
For example, placing a football bet online in 2026 is not difficult. A top sportsbook streamlines the onboarding process, whether on mobile or desktop, and offers various promotions and bonuses to get players started – often customized for markets like the Caribbean.
According to research by Jamaica’s Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission, for example, the 2026 World Cup was a record event for Jamaican-facing sportsbooks. The same report said Jamaicans wager around US$1 billion annually, although this includes lotteries and online casinos as well as betting.
Interestingly, the Dominican Republic has a smaller betting market than Jamaica – but in 2024 it’s government decided to regulate, license and tax operators anyway. Dirección de Casinos y Juegos de Azar (DCJA) (Directorate of Casinos and Games of Chance) is the regulator, operating under the Ministry of Finance.
There are currently some 3000 licensed betting shops in the country, as well as online bookmakers and casinos.
What Sports are Popular for Bettors and Why?
Football betting is popular in Jamaica and local operators saw massive increased interest during the World Cup. One operator reported a million wagers in the first week alone. Another told local news that over the three-week tournament they received the same betting volume they would expect in half a year.
Baseball and betting also have a long history, and in the Dominican Republic the two are closely linked as well. In the DC public figures from musicians to athletes regularly post and promote their personal baseball bets, and it’s basically part of the game for many at this point.
Baseball is popular for bettors because it has long games and lots of stats for each game and historically. As well as local leagues the MLB is a huge draw, and locals also closely follow hometown heroes playing in the US like Juan Soto of the New York Mets or Vladimir Guerrero Jr of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Outside of those two islands, cricket is popular in places like Barbados, Guyana, Antigua and Grenada, where the West Indies cricket federation is big business. The Caribbean Premier League of Cricket is also growing. It reportedly doubled its viewing hours in 2025 and reaches hundreds of millions of people yearly – partly thanks to its large audience in India.
Where Could the Market go From Here?
For one thing more countries could look to regulate and license sports betting locally like the Dominican Republic does. Jamaica has been exploring this possibility for years – as far back as 2017 at least and possibly longer. As one of the region’s larger betting markets it could stand to benefit from tens if not hundreds of millions of USD in taxes if it could get a grip on the offshore market.
For the moment though, the Jamaican government appears to be content with trying to build large casino resorts. This is a plan that has also been in the works for almost a decade, although recent events look like things may be moving rapidly towards opening.
The Casino Gaming Act passed in 2010 but it only allowed gambling at large casino resort properties with other amenities. This requirement stalled the process, although in 2026 the main project – a casino hotel at the Princess Grand Jamaica Resort in Green Island may now finally open in 2027.
Other developments could include a Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in St. James. If the US-based Hard Rock brand establish a casino in Jamaica, they will almost certainly eventually want a slice of the island’s sports betting pie too.
Other countries in the Caribbean have shown little interest in regulating online gambling in recent years, mostly allowing residents to access international operators as they wish. However, some, like the Bahamas and Grenada have regulated and licensed physical casino resorts to attract tourists. The Atlantis Casino in Paradise Island actually has one of the biggest and most high-end poker rooms in the world outside of Las Vegas.