Mozambique has promulgated a unique framework for online gambling, as the country bids to provide oversight on electronic gaming activities and differentiate them from the framework overseeing land-based casinos.
The rule comes into effect after gaining approval from the Council of Ministers on the new Regulation for the Operation and Practice of Games of Chance or Fortune with the use of electronic gadgets or computer media, spokesperson of the board Inocêncio Impissa revealed.
As such, the new decree aims to distinguish the operation and practice of online games of chance through the use of electronic platforms and computer systems as a vertical practiced remotely from traditional casinos.
The move comes at a time when the government has revealed that the proliferation of online gambling sites was diminishing the volume of taxes generated from physical casinos.
The Ministry’s 2025 budget execution had reported that casino tax revenues reached €4.8m ($5.5m) during the year, representing 54% of the €8.8m originally forecast.
Thus, the data suggests a 7.3% decline from the €5.1m collected in 2024, as market dynamics shifted and strongly show bettors now prefer to bet online rather than frequent the casino shops.
Mozambique currently has casino and slot machine concessions in cities like Maputo, Matola, Beira, Tete, Nampula, and Pemba.
According to the National Directorate of Games of Chance or Fortune, the granting of casino licences is subject to certain minimum capital and investment requirements, while gaming taxes range from 20% to 35% of GGR, depending on the length of the licence obtained.
Casino licensees are also required to pay stamp duty charges in tune of 50% of the price of casino entry tickets, though there are exemptions for them on other taxes levied on profits from gambling operations.
The new framework is expected to create a solid level of regulatory clarity for any forms of online gambling as existing frameworks majorly center around land-based casino offerings, which have clearly become outpaced by technology and the country’s expanding digital market.
Several African jurisdictions have stepped up oversight rules in recent months, abolishing old frameworks that were either unclear or threw up compliance challenges.
Botswana last week, ushered in a new era with the appointment of Moruntshi Kemorwale as the substantive Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Gambling Authority to lead its evolving market.
Angola is also undergoing a transitional regime dictated by the regulations of its Gaming Activity Law while Kenya’s new regime headed by its new regulator Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) has rolled out a new licensing landscape aimed at strengthening the country’s industry.
