For many years, gambling control relied on something as simple as asking for an identity document at the door of a casino or ticking a box declaring you were of legal age. A model designed for a face-to-face world that falls apart when the casino fits in your pocket and is available twenty-four hours a day.

Panama has just faced up to that reality with one of the most ambitious reforms in the region. Law 527, of 28 May 2026, introduces a framework to prevent and control problem gambling, recognising it for the first time as a public health issue. Casinos, slot machine arcades and online gambling platforms in Panama are now subject to new technical obligations, with the body responsible for overseeing compliance clearly defined.

What matters most about this law is not its restrictive intent, but its technological approach. The law requires operators to incorporate biometric identity verification, age control and biometric validation in digital payments, among other measures. A player’s identity thus becomes a verifiable fact.

Below, we look at the specific obligations introduced by Law 527 and the role biometrics plays in ensuring compliance.

Problem gambling as a public health issue within Panama’s new gambling framework

Until now, Panamanian gambling regulation had focused mainly on licensing, oversight and the operation of the activity itself. Law 527 shifts the focus towards protecting the player.

By recognising problem gambling as a public health issue, the law places operators in an active preventive role. It is no longer enough to enable the activity and expect users to self-regulate; the law now requires systems capable of preventing minors from gaining access, detecting excluded individuals, and ensuring that whoever is placing a bet really is who they claim to be.

This is part of the same shift in approach already seen in other jurisdictions across the region.

Biometric identity and age verification on digital platforms

One of the most significant requirements of Law 527 obliges online gambling platforms in Panama to implement biometrics to prevent minors from accessing online gambling. Operators have six months from the publication of the law to comply, that is, until November 2026.

Responsibility for confirming that the person registering is of legal age, and is not an impostor, falls directly on the operator, who must rely on technologies such as facial recognition and document verification to confirm this at the point of registration and, potentially, during subsequent access.

From a regulatory standpoint, this represents a qualitative shift in the control model:

• From one-off checks to recurring checks: it is no longer enough to validate data just once when a user signs up. Identity becomes a dynamic element, subject to checks that may be repeated throughout the user’s relationship with the platform.
• From formal compliance to auditable compliance: operators must be able to demonstrate to the Executive Secretariat of the Gaming Control Board (Junta de Control de Juegos, JCJ) that no minor has been able to bypass access controls, which requires traceable processes and verification records.

Facial recognition in casinos and Type A slot machine arcades

Law 527 is not limited to the digital environment. Casinos and Type A slot machine arcades must also incorporate facial recognition into their video surveillance systems, again within a maximum period of six months. The aim is to identify, in real time, individuals who have been excluded by a resolution of the Gaming Control Board, preventing them from physically entering these establishments.

This measure brings to the physical environment the same logic already required in the online channel: identity is no longer verified just once, but becomes an element of continuous control built into the casino’s day-to-day operations.

For physical operators, the main challenge lies in integration. This means incorporating facial recognition technology capable of running on existing security cameras, cross-checking in real time against lists of excluded persons without disrupting the experience of other visitors.

Biometrics also required in digital payments in online gambling in Panama

The law extends the biometric requirement to digital payments made on the platform.

This provision strengthens control over who carries out each transaction and adds an extra layer of security against identity theft and the use of third-party payment methods. This is a particularly relevant risk when the aim is to prevent minors or self-excluded individuals from continuing to gamble through accounts or cards belonging to someone else, one of the most common ways of bypassing traditional controls.

In practice, this requires operators to rethink the entire player journey. From registration through to deposits and withdrawals, biometrics becomes a common thread validating identity at every critical point in the process, not just during onboarding.

Exclusion lists and the ban on multiple accounts

Law 527 also reinforces obligations that already existed within Panama’s regulatory framework. Under Article 36 of Resolution No. 11, of 6 March 2020, operators must verify that a player does not appear on the exclusion list before allowing them to play, and are expressly prohibited from allowing the same person to hold more than one account.

Effective compliance with both obligations depends, once again, on reliable player identification. Without robust identity verification at registration, it is difficult to guarantee that an excluded user cannot return under another account, or that the same person is not registered multiple times on the same platform.

Facial biometrics, by linking each account to a unique face, offers a direct way of detecting duplicates and reinforcing compliance with these existing obligations.

Data protection and player consent

The law is equally clear regarding the handling of information collected during these processes. It states that a player’s data cannot be transferred without their consent in the context of online gambling in Panama.

This places operators in a twofold position. On one hand, they must implement biometric technologies capable of reliably verifying identity and age. On the other, they must ensure that the collection, storage and any sharing of this sensitive data is backed by the appropriate legal basis and corresponding consent.

This balance between security and personal data protection is common in online gambling regulation across the region, and calls for identity verification solutions designed from the outset with privacy and security principles in mind.

Panama joins the regional trend towards identity verification

With Law 527, Panama joins a trend already seen in other Latin American markets, such as Argentina and Peru, where biometric identity verification has become an explicit legal requirement.

The pattern repeats itself across the region. First, the market is legalised and put in order; then, know-your-customer requirements are strengthened; and finally, biometrics becomes established as the technical standard for confirming identity and verifying age.

The six-month deadline set out in the law requires casinos, slot machine arcades and digital platforms to move quickly to adapt their registration, video surveillance and payment systems before November 2026.

Use cases for identity verification in online gambling, betting and physical casinos in Panama

• Digital onboarding and player registration: a remote sign-up process using automated verification of the personal identity card (or passport for foreign nationals), with the option of facial matching between the photo on the document and a real-time selfie.

• Age verification in line with Law 527: an automated biometric filter during registration to meet JCJ requirements, preventing under-18s from accessing the platform or creating an account.
• Facial biometric authentication for login: secure access to gambling accounts via facial recognition from a smartphone, replacing traditional passwords and preventing third parties or minors from using a family member’s active account.
• Detection of duplicate accounts and exclusion list checks: biometric comparison linking each account to a unique face, reinforcing compliance with Article 36 of Resolution No. 11.
• Automatic document verification in physical gaming venues and casinos: via tablet or kiosk at the venue’s reception or entrance.
• Physical access control using facial biometrics: with real-time cross-checking against lists of excluded persons.

How Mobbeel can help you adapt to Law 527

We have spent years helping online gambling operators and physical casinos in various countries incorporate identity verification into their processes. Solutions such as MobbScan make it possible to automatically capture and validate identity documents such as the Panamanian ID card or passport, carry out facial matching between the photo on the document and a liveness-checked selfie, and use facial biometrics as an authentication method for subsequent access.

This is flexible technology that adapts to each platform’s registration flow and to the particularities of each regulation, allowing operators to move forward with compliance without compromising the player experience.

Contact us if your online gambling platform in Panama needs to implement biometric verification to comply with Law 527.

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