Is online gambling legal in Côte d'Ivoire?
Law No. 2020-480 of 27 May 2020 splits games of chance into an exclusive concession and an authorization regime. Decree No. 2023-945 of 6 December 2023, in force since 1 January 2024, grants the Loterie Nationale de Côte d'Ivoire (LONACI) exclusive rights over lotteries, horse-race and sports betting, virtual betting, online games, and casino games and slots offered through electronic channels; any other operator offering these games is illegal. Private brands such as 1xBet, Betclic and PremierBet reach Ivorian players only through agreements granted by LONACI under its 2021 concession contract with the State. The Autorité de Régulation des Jeux de Hasard (ARJH) authorizes promotional and charitable lotteries and land-based casinos, supervises online betting, and can order internet providers to block unauthorized sites. The 2025 tax annex raised the corporate income tax on gambling companies to 30%.
| Vertical | Status in Côte d'Ivoire |
|---|---|
| Online casino | Monopoly |
| Sports betting | Monopoly |
| Online poker | Monopoly |
| Lottery | Monopoly |
| Social casino (free to play) | Unclear |
State monopoly: A state or single licensee runs online gambling; private operators cannot be licensed.
Who regulates gambling in Côte d'Ivoire?
- Autorité de Régulation des Jeux de Hasard (ARJH) — Independent administrative authority created by Law 2020-480: issues authorizations for promotional and charitable lotteries and land-based casinos, supervises online betting, imposes fines and orders blocking of illegal sites
- Loterie Nationale de Côte d'Ivoire (LONACI) — Majority state-owned concession holder with exclusive rights over lotteries, sports and horse-race betting, virtual betting, online games and online casino; grants agreements to partner brands
Côte d'Ivoire gambling licence: how it works
The State does not license private operators for betting, lottery or online casino. Those games are conceded exclusively to LONACI under a concession contract signed on 5 July 2021 and confirmed by Decree 2023-945, so the only lawful route for a private brand is a commercial agreement (agrément) with LONACI, which publicly listed 1xBet, Betclic and PremierBet as approved online sports betting brands on 8 December 2023. Terms of those agreements, including revenue shares, are negotiated with LONACI and are not published. The authorization regime administered by the ARJH covers promotional lotteries, charitable and cultural lotteries, and casino games and slot machines on physical premises; Decree 2023-946 sets the conditions for granting, renewing and withdrawing those authorizations and the fees due to the State. Online concession holders must run a dedicated website on a top-level domain, have each game's rules approved by joint ministerial order after ARJH advice, archive all player data in real time for three years, and report suspected match manipulation.
What an applicant needs
- For betting, lottery and online casino: a commercial agreement with LONACI as exclusive concession holder; no direct state licence exists
- For land-based casinos and promotional or charitable lotteries: prior authorization from the ARJH under Decree 2023-946
- Dedicated gaming website on a top-level domain, with game rules approved by joint order of the Finance and Interior ministers
- Real-time archiving of all data exchanged with players for three years, accessible to ARJH inspectors and judicial police
- Player registration with an identity document and age gate at 18 (21 for casinos and slot halls)
- Immediate reporting to the ARJH of any suspicion of sports competition manipulation
Gambling taxes in Côte d'Ivoire
- Operators: Gambling companies pay the ordinary tax regime plus the royalty on turnover fixed in the concession contract. The 2025 tax annex (Annexe fiscale 2025) raised the corporate income tax rate for gambling companies from 25% to 30%, in line with the WAEMU directive, and applies a 7% levy on their turnover, as presented by tax advisers in January 2025.
- Players: No specific tax on winnings is published; the law makes ticket sales and betting turnover taxable at the operator level.
- Also: LONACI reported a royalty to the State of about 21 billion CFA francs on its 2025 results, up 40%. The ARJH is funded in part by regulatory levies on operators and a share of authorization fees.
Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments
Advertising
Commercial communications about games of chance must not target minors and the concession holder must not send marketing to self-excluded players. Publishing gambling advertising that does not comply with the regulations is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of 1 to 10 million CFA francs under Law 2020-480.
Responsible gaming
The legal age is 18, and 21 for casinos and slot halls. The concession holder must prevent excessive and pathological gambling and operate exclusion mechanisms; LONACI states that approved sites require registration with an identity document and a verified phone number.
Identity and age verification
Registration with an identity document and phone verification is required on approved platforms; online concession holders must archive all player data for three years and make it available to the ARJH and judicial police.
Payments
Deposits and payouts run in CFA francs through mobile money (Orange Money, MTN Mobile Money, Moov Money and Wave) with cards secondary. The law does not address cryptocurrency and approved brands settle in local currency; the ARJH can block unauthorized sites and the State does not guarantee transactions on them.
Notable restrictions
- Betting, lottery, virtual betting and online casino are reserved for LONACI and its approved partners
- Unauthorized online gambling is punishable by one to five years' imprisonment and fines of 5 to 10 million CFA francs
- Unauthorized sites are subject to provisional blocking orders by the ARJH
- Minimum age 18, or 21 for casinos and slot halls
- Fines of up to 3% of turnover (5% for repeat offences) for operators that ignore ARJH formal notices
Côte d'Ivoire iGaming market: size, players and payments
LONACI reported turnover of 579.3 billion CFA francs in 2024 and 657.6 billion in 2025, with 413.9 billion paid out as winnings (KOACI, February 2026). Industry participants estimated the sports betting segment at about 50 billion CFA francs in 2025, a figure LONACI itself described as unconfirmed.
A 2024 Abidjan study cited by local press found roughly one young person in three had bet at least once; digital channels made up about 12% of LONACI turnover in 2025 with a target of 40–45% by 2030.
Smartphone access above 50% and mobile money wallets have moved betting from LONACI retail points to phones; LONACI called the phone the new point of sale in 2025.
LONACI runs Sportcash, PMU and lotto products and is the only concession holder; 1xBet, Betclic and PremierBet operate online sports betting under LONACI agreements, and LONACI's approved list is the reference for legality.
Timeline: how Côte d'Ivoire got here
- 2020-05Law No. 2020-480 on the legal regime of games of chance creates the concession and authorization regimes and the ARJH
- 2021-07State and LONACI sign the concession contract of 5 July 2021
- 2023-06ARJH council sworn in before the Abidjan Court of Appeal on 9 June 2023
- 2023-12Decrees 2023-945 and 2023-946 grant LONACI exclusive rights and give the ARJH the authorization power; LONACI lists 1xBet, Betclic and PremierBet as approved brands
- 2024-01Decrees enter into force; betting outside LONACI and its partners becomes illegal nationwide
- 2025-01Annexe fiscale 2025 raises corporate income tax on gambling companies to 30% and applies a 7% turnover levy
- 2026-02LONACI reports record 2025 turnover of 657.6 billion CFA francs and a 2026–2030 strategic plan focused on digital
Outlook
LONACI's 2026–2030 strategic plan targets 744 billion CFA francs of turnover in 2026 and a much larger digital share, so expect the concession holder to expand its own online products while keeping a short list of partner brands. The government has signaled tighter enforcement against unauthorized sites and mandatory agreements, and the ARJH's blocking powers are the main enforcement tool. No liberalization bill was pending as of September 2026; the 2025 tax increases and the WAEMU 30% rate suggest fiscal pressure will continue rather than ease.
Launching in Côte d'Ivoire with GameBridge
Model decided with counsel. Private operators cannot obtain a state licence; the only lawful route is a commercial agreement with LONACI, which is a negotiation GameBridge cannot guarantee. Brands that hold such an agreement can run on GameBridge on a turnkey basis, so the starting point is a consultation on structure and counsel's view.
Côte d'Ivoire is excluded by GameBridge geo-controls by default and is opened only for a brand that documents a LONACI agreement or ARJH authorization. For such a brand the platform is configured with French as the site language, an XOF wallet, mobile money rails such as Orange Money, MTN Mobile Money, Moov Money and Wave on request through the operator's providers, an identity-document registration step with 18+ gating, and the three-year real-time data archive and match-manipulation reporting that Law 2020-480 requires of online concession holders. Responsible-gaming limits and exclusion lists follow LONACI's rules, and the sportsbook is configured around football, PMU-style horse racing and live betting.
- French site language and XOF wallet
- Geo-controls that exclude Côte d'Ivoire until an agreement is documented
- Mobile money deposits and payouts on request
- Identity-document registration and 18+ gating
- Three-year real-time data archiving for regulator access
- Sportsbook with football, horse racing and live betting
Sports betting and lottery-style games dominate; for an approved partner brand the sportsbook leads and any casino content must sit within the concession holder's approved game rules, so the catalog is curated case by case.
Frequently asked questions
Is online gambling legal in Côte d'Ivoire?
Can a private company get a Côte d'Ivoire betting licence?
What is the gambling tax in Côte d'Ivoire?
Which payment methods do Ivorian players use?
Who regulates gambling in Côte d'Ivoire?
How does GameBridge treat Côte d'Ivoire?
Sources and review
Reviewed against the sources below on 11 September 2026. Regulation changes; confirm the current position with local counsel before launch.
- Loi portant régime juridique des jeux de hasard en Côte d'Ivoire — Assemblée nationale de Côte d'Ivoire, accessed 2026-09-11
- Règlementation – Loi 2020-480 and Decrees 2023-945 and 2023-946 — LONACI, accessed 2026-09-11
- Jeux de hasard en ligne : La Côte d'Ivoire interdit les paris à tout opérateur autre que la LONACI — Digital Mag Côte d'Ivoire, accessed 2026-09-11
- Paris en ligne : 1XBet, PremierBet et BetClic autorisés en Côte d'Ivoire — Digital Mag Côte d'Ivoire, accessed 2026-09-11
- Côte d'Ivoire : 30% d'impôts sur le bénéfice et 7% sur le chiffre d'affaires des entreprises de jeux de hasard — Digital Mag Côte d'Ivoire, accessed 2026-09-11
- Paris sportifs, un marché de 50 milliards FCFA, entre opportunités numériques et défis sociétaux — KOACI, accessed 2026-09-11
- LONACI, avec un chiffre d'affaires record réalisé en 2025, la Direction générale veut faire plus en 2026 — KOACI, accessed 2026-09-11
Regulatory summaries are provided for orientation only and are not legal advice. Licensing requirements change; we validate them with you during scoping.