The Ecuadorian tax authority, Servicio de Rentas Internas (SRI), has extended a 15% VAT on sports betting deposits, as clarified in document NAC-DGECCGC26-00000004 dated March 31, 2026.
For resident operators, the document explicitly defines player deposits as the tax base. For non-residents, the tax is withheld by financial intermediaries such as banks and card issuers. In cases where there is no intermediary, the VAT must be declared and paid by the player.
iGaming lawyer Tatiana Vasquez from Vasquez & Asociados points out that, legally speaking, a deposit is neither the operator's income nor a service rendered. She argues that imposing VAT on deposits artificially precedes the taxable event. The SRI introduced this measure through clarification rather than law or decree, which, according to the lawyer, weakens legal certainty and resembles the case in Colombia (Decreto 175, 2025).