Speed Read
- Sri Lanka blocked access to 24 unlicensed offshore gambling websites under the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act.
- The blocked websites include several brands identified in a recent investigation that documented Facebook-based promotion of offshore betting operators targeting Sri Lankan users.
- Authorities urged the public not to use or invest money in unauthorized online gambling platforms operating outside Sri Lanka’s legal framework.
- Experts say regulators must also target payment networks, affiliates, social media promotions and encrypted messaging channels to effectively curb illegal online gambling.
COLOMB—Sri Lanka, on August 5, blocked access to 24 online gambling and betting websites operating without valid licenses, marking the country’s first major enforcement action against offshore betting operators since the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act took effect in December 2025.
The move comes just days after an unprecedented investigation into Facebook’s gambling ecosystem found that offshore betting operators continued to openly target Sri Lankan users months after the law came into force by using lifestyle content, cricket promotions, WhatsApp networks and local payment agents to bypass enforcement.
The report, Betting on Facebook: Online Gambling Promotion, Offshore Operators, and the Limits of Regulation in Sri Lanka, by digital rights researcher and disinformation analyst Sanjana Hattotuwa, analyzed 10,813 public records from Meta’s Content Library and documented an extensive network linking Facebook pages, influencers, WhatsApp groups, cash agents and offshore betting platforms, including 1xBet and Melbet.
The Ministry of Digital Economy said the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) directed all telecommunications service providers to immediately block access to the websites following a request from the Gambling Regulatory Authority, which operates under the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
According to the ministry, operating or promoting online gambling services without valid licenses issued under Sections 15, 16 and 18 of the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act No. 17 of 2025 is an offense under Section 44 of the law.
The blocked websites are 1xBet, Betway, 22Bet, Melbet, Unibet, Betfair, Dafabet, Bet365, 1Win, SpinBetter, 10Cric, BC.Game, Megapari, Pin-Up Bet, Stake, Mostbet, Parimatch, BetWinner, Linebet, 4rabet, Rajabets, DBBet, Coldbet and WinWin.
The Ministry of Digital Economy and the TRCSL also urged the public not to use or invest money in unauthorized online gambling platforms operating outside Sri Lanka’s legal framework.
Much larger market
While welcoming the government’s decision, Hattotuwa cautioned that blocking websites should not be viewed as a comprehensive solution to Sri Lanka’s rapidly evolving online betting ecosystem.
“The blocking order is significant because it marks the first clear enforcement action under the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act,” he said. “It shows that the State has finally recognized that offshore betting operators have been openly targeting Sri Lankan users. But it also risks creating the impression that blocking a list of websites is enough to disrupt this market. My research suggests it is not.”
Hattotuwa said his analysis of 10,813 public records from Facebook and four offshore betting websites found substantial overlap with the operators identified by the government. The research documented extensive promotion of brands including 1xBet, Melbet, Linebet, Coldbet, Megapari, Mostbet and WinWin, all of which appear on the government’s blocking list.
“That overlap validates one of the central findings of the research — that many of the major offshore brands were operating openly in Sri Lanka through Facebook and associated promotional networks,” he said.
However, the study also identified repeated promotion of other betting services, including BetSS, LS.Bet and 888starz, which do not appear on the current blocking list.
“The list should therefore not be interpreted as representing the full extent of the market,” Hattotuwa said. “It captures part of the ecosystem, but certainly not all of it.”
Website blocking has limits
He said one of the greatest weaknesses of website blocking is that offshore betting operators rarely rely on a single domain.
“My research documented how these operators constantly rotate domains, create mirror websites, use referral gateways and affiliate links, and redirect users through localized websites,” he said.
The study found that the Facebook account “1X BET SRI LANKA” promoted 1xlanka.live in 194 posts before switching to 1x-gift-lankafb.com in another 277 posts. Researchers also identified referral links redirecting users to 1xbet.lk, Bitly links leading to melbet-srilanka.com, and affiliate gateways routing users to Linebet registration pages.
“Interestingly, the domain 1xbet.com — the hostname included in the government’s announcement — appeared only five times in the entire dataset,” Hattotuwa noted. “If enforcement targets only specific hostnames, operators can simply migrate users to alternative domains or launch new mirror sites.”
He argued that websites represent only the final destination in a much broader customer acquisition network.
“The website sits near the end of the recruitment chain, not the beginning,” he said.
The study identified 1,483 Facebook group posts inviting users to WhatsApp groups, 1,893 posts containing contact information or external links, and 1,138 posts advertising deposit and withdrawal services.
“People are not discovering betting sites by typing domain names into browsers,” Hattotuwa said. “They are being recruited through lifestyle videos, cricket content, influencers, affiliate marketing, WhatsApp groups and local cash agents. Those pathways remain untouched by website blocking.”
He also claimed technical restrictions would prove durable, noting that users can bypass ISP-level blocking through widely available virtual private networks, while promoters can quickly shift activity to encrypted messaging platforms.
“If anything, enforcement that focuses only on websites may push these networks further underground, making them harder, not easier, for regulators, journalists and researchers to observe,” he stated.
Call for broader enforcement
Hattotuwa said meaningful enforcement must instead target the commercial infrastructure supporting offshore betting.
“The Gambling Regulatory Authority should maintain a public register linking every licensed operator to its brands, domains, mirror sites, apps, affiliates, social media accounts, promotional codes and approved payment intermediaries,” he said.
He added that the Central Bank and the Financial Intelligence Unit should investigate recurring payment agents and settlement patterns, while Meta should be required to investigate betting promotions and preserve evidence showing how users are funneled from Facebook into private WhatsApp groups.
“If enforcement stops at a static list of 24 names, the market will almost certainly change its links faster than the State updates its list,” he said.
Banner Image: Expert cautioned blocking websites should not be viewed as a comprehensive solution to Sri Lanka’s rapidly evolving online betting ecosystem. Image courtesy of top10-casinosites via Pixabay.
This story was written and edited by Gagani Weerakoon. She leads the editorial at the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR).
