Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) has launched a public consultation on a proposal to restore casino and slot machine operators as official tourism service providers after they lost that classification under the country's new tourism law.
Through a ministerial resolution, Mincetur opened a consultation on a draft decree that would bring casinos and slot machine venues back into Peru's tourism framework.
The ministry argues that excluding the sector from the tourism law has created regulatory challenges, limiting coordination between tourism authorities and an industry that remains fully regulated and supervised by the state.
Mincetur estimates that casino and slot machine activities will generate more than PEN220m ($62m) in tax revenue in 2025. Of that amount, PEN33m is allocated to the ministry to support regulatory oversight, tourism promotion and infrastructure projects.
Mincetur also points to the sector's integration with inbound tourism, noting that gaming venues operate in hotels and high-traffic tourist zones across Lima, Arequipa, Cusco, Trujillo, Tacna and Piura. The ministry states that visitors from Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina frequently seek entertainment options that complement their travel experience.
The draft decree emphasizes that the proposed change would not create new tax benefits or alter the regulatory regime applicable to casino and slot machine operators, who would continue to be governed by existing sector-specific rules and oversight mechanisms.
The sector currently operates under the Unified Real-Time Control System (SUCTR), which allows Mincetur and tax authority Sunat to monitor economic and tax activity online.
The gaming sector held tourism service provider status under Peru's previous tourism law until it was excluded under the new framework introduced in 2025. The proposed amendment would restore that classification.
Peru's regulated gambling market includes 60 licensed operators and 280 registered service providers
