Panama Casino and Card Room Gaming

The gaming industry in Panama is controlled by the Panama Gaming Control Board (Junta de Control de Juegos), established in 1947. Panama's gaming law demands that gaming establishments turn 80% of their profits over to the government. The country’s casinos were originally owned by the state but were privatized in 1997. Most of Panama’s casinos are the main attraction in large-scale casino resorts. Panama also licenses bingo halls and gaming machines outside casinos.

Casinos are allowed to open only in hotels with at least 300 rooms and a five-star rating. Slot halls do not need to meet these requirements, but are not allowed to offer table games.

Slot machines in Panama are divided into three classes: A, B and C. Class A machines allow players to use cash, don’t have a payout ceiling, and may only operate in casinos or slot halls. Type B machines can only read and pay out via player cards, and they have a max bet of USD 5 and max payout of USD 5,000. Type C machines also can only accept cards, but their max bet is limited to USD 3 and payout is capped at USD 200. Type B and C machines can be located outside casinos and slot halls.