Is online gambling legal in Togo?
The Loterie Nationale Togolaise, wholly owned by the State since 1966, organizes lotteries and betting and is the authority that authorizes any private participation. As of 2026 Premier Bet, present in Togo for more than a decade through retail shops, is the only private operator authorized by LONATO for online games; it relaunched its platform on 3 September 2026 with sports betting, live betting, virtual games and online casino under LONATO's authorization. Operators pay a special tax on gambling products shared between the State and local authorities, and the finance laws introduced a 5% final withholding on player winnings, applied from 1 January 2026 to each gain above 500,000 CFA francs. LONATO has warned repeatedly about illegal online lottery and betting platforms, most recently in April 2026.
| Vertical | Status in Togo |
|---|---|
| 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 Togo?
- Loterie Nationale Togolaise (LONATO) — State-owned lottery holding the monopoly on games of chance; organizes lotto, PMU and betting products and authorizes private operators such as Premier Bet
- Office Togolais des Recettes (OTR) — Revenue authority collecting the special tax on gambling products and the withholding on winnings
Togo gambling licence: how it works
There is no open licensing process. LONATO holds the monopoly on organizing games of chance under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and any private participation takes the form of an authorization or partnership granted by LONATO. Premier Bet is the only private operator so authorized for online betting and casino, and describes LONATO as its supervisory authority. Land-based casinos in Lomé operate under separate state authorizations. No fee schedule or application procedure for new online operators is published, and the government has so far responded to unlicensed platforms with warnings and tax measures rather than a licensing round.
What an applicant needs
- Authorization or partnership agreement with LONATO; no public application process exists
- Tax registration in Togo and payment of the special tax on gambling products
- Withholding of 5% on each player gain above 500,000 CFA francs and remittance to the OTR by the 15th of the following month
- Compliance with the 18+ age limit and LONATO's responsible-gaming expectations
- Settlement through Togolese payment channels in CFA francs
Gambling taxes in Togo
- Operators: A special tax on the proceeds of games of chance is levied on operators and shared 80% to the State and 20% to local authorities, on top of ordinary corporate taxes; the rate and base are set in the General Tax Code and were not published in the sources reviewed.
- Players: 5% final withholding on winnings. The 2024 Finance Law first proposed a 5% withholding on all gains, and Article 99-bis of the tax procedures book, as amended by the 2026 Finance Law, applies a 5% withholding to each gain above 500,000 CFA francs paid from 1 January 2026, deducted by the operator and remitted to the OTR by the 15th of the following month.
- Also: In practice only operators with a tax presence in Togo (LONATO and Premier Bet) apply the withholding; unauthorized foreign platforms do not, which the government cites as a reason for enforcement.
Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments
Advertising
No dedicated gambling advertising code is published. LONATO's authorized partner emphasizes responsible-gaming messaging, and consumer groups have called for penalties against influencers promoting unauthorized betting sites.
Responsible gaming
Minimum age 18. LONATO runs a toll-free line (8600) for reporting illegal operators and encourages play only through authorized outlets; formal deposit-limit or self-exclusion rules are not published.
Identity and age verification
Authorized platforms register players with identity and phone verification and must apply the 5% withholding on qualifying gains; anti-money-laundering duties follow Togo's general framework for gaming operators.
Payments
Deposits and payouts run in CFA francs through mobile money, chiefly Flooz (Moov Africa) and T-Money and Mixx by Yas (Togocom), with cards secondary. Cryptocurrency is not used by authorized platforms.
Notable restrictions
- Only LONATO and its authorized partner may organize games of chance and online betting
- Illegal online lotteries and betting platforms are subject to prosecution
- 5% withholding on each gain above 500,000 CFA francs
- Minimum age 18
Togo iGaming market: size, players and payments
LONATO reported turnover of 96.6 billion CFA francs in 2021 (Togo First); no market-wide GGR estimate including online betting is published.
Football betting on European leagues drives demand among young adults; press and consumer groups have raised concerns about minors accessing unauthorized sites.
Mobile money wallets such as Flooz and T-Money are the standard way to fund betting accounts; Premier Bet's 2026 relaunch targets phones and tablets without an app.
LONATO operates lotto, PMU and betting across its retail network; Premier Bet, with about 85 shops in 2023, is the only authorized private brand and relaunched its online platform in September 2026. Unauthorized international brands remain accessible and are the main competitive pressure.
Timeline: how Togo got here
- 1966Loterie Nationale Togolaise created as a wholly state-owned company with the monopoly on games of chance
- 2021LONATO reports turnover of 96.6 billion CFA francs
- 2023-122024 Finance Law proposes a 5% final withholding on gambling winnings from 1 January 2024
- 2026-01Article 99-bis applies a 5% withholding to each gain above 500,000 CFA francs, remitted to the OTR monthly
- 2026-04LONATO warns against illegal online lotto platforms and asks the public to report them on 8600
- 2026-09Premier Bet relaunches premierbet.com/tg with sports betting, virtuals and online casino under LONATO authorization
Outlook
The government has signaled that it could order blocking of unauthorized platforms and tighten control of unlicensed betting shops, and LONATO's 2026 warnings suggest enforcement will intensify; no bill opening the market to additional private licences was pending as of September 2026. The 5% withholding narrows the payout gap between authorized and unauthorized sites only if enforcement follows. Watch for a formal gaming regulator or licensing framework, which consumer groups and press have called for.
Launching in Togo with GameBridge
Model decided with counsel. Togo has no open licensing route; only a LONATO authorization allows private online betting, and one brand holds it. A brand that secures such an authorization could run on GameBridge on a turnkey basis, so the starting point is a review of the structure with counsel.
Togo is excluded by GameBridge geo-controls by default and is opened only for a brand that documents a LONATO authorization. For such a brand the platform runs with French as the site language, an XOF wallet, mobile money rails such as Flooz and T-Money on request through the operator's providers, identity and 18+ verification, and a payout flow that applies the 5% withholding to each gain above 500,000 CFA francs and produces the monthly OTR remittance report. Responsible-gaming limits and exclusion follow LONATO's expectations, and the sportsbook is configured around European football and live betting.
- French site language and XOF wallet
- Geo-controls that exclude Togo until a LONATO authorization is documented
- Mobile money deposits and payouts on request
- Threshold-based 5% withholding at payout with OTR reporting
- Identity and 18+ verification with exclusion lists
- Sportsbook with football-led markets and live betting
Football betting leads, with lotto-style products from LONATO; casino and virtual games for an authorized brand are curated to what its LONATO authorization permits.
Frequently asked questions
Is online gambling legal in Togo?
Can a company get a Togo betting licence?
Is there a tax on betting winnings in Togo?
Which payment methods do Togolese players use?
Who regulates gambling in Togo?
How does GameBridge treat Togo?
Sources and review
Reviewed against the sources below on 11 September 2026. Regulation changes; confirm the current position with local counsel before launch.
- Jeux de hasard : au Togo, le gouvernement va taxer avec retenue à la source les gains des parieurs — Togo First, accessed 2026-09-11
- Taxe sur les gains de paris au Togo : 5 % depuis 2026 — LQDD, accessed 2026-09-11
- Premier Bet revient en ligne au Togo — Togo Foot, accessed 2026-09-11
- Togo : Premier Bet relance sa plateforme en ligne — Togo Breaking News, accessed 2026-09-11
- Togo : la LONATO met en garde contre la prolifération de loteries illégales en ligne — Le Visionnaire, accessed 2026-09-11
- Loterie Nationale Togolaise – official site — LONATO, 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.