Legal casino gambling age in TanzaniaTanzania regulates gambling through a single national statute, the Gaming Act, Cap. 41, and a single regulator, the Gaming Board of Tanzania (GBT). The Act was passed in 2003 and has been amended many times since, most often through the annual Finance Acts. It applies only to Mainland Tanzania. Tanzania is a licensing jurisdiction: online casino games and online sports betting are lawful when offered by a company holding the relevant GBT licence, and unlawful otherwise. Detailed rules for online play are contained in the Gaming (Internet Gaming) Regulations, 2022, which require licensees to be incorporated in Tanzania and to keep their primary server on the Mainland. Taxation has changed frequently, and a new 5% duty on the value of bets was announced in the June 2026 budget.
Key points
- The Gaming Act, Cap. 41 (Revised Edition 2019) came into force on 1 July 2003. Section 2 limits it to “gaming activities in Mainland Tanzania”.
- The Gaming Board of Tanzania is the sole licensing authority. Section 26 of the Act provides for separate internet casino and internet sports betting licences, and the GBT register listed 28 internet casino operators in October 2026.
- The Gaming (Internet Gaming) Regulations, 2022 (GN No. 478T) require local incorporation, a primary server in Mainland Tanzania, player registration, age checks, deposit limits and self-exclusion.
- According to the Tanzania Revenue Authority, internet casinos pay gaming tax of 25% of gross gaming revenue, and 15% is withheld from players’ net winnings.
- Advertising of gaming requires GBT approval. Since July 2024 fees for commercial gambling advertising in print media, on television and on radio have attracted a 10% excise duty.
Last reviewed: 6 October 2026.
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Historical development
According to the Gaming Board’s own account, gambling in Tanzania was regulated before 2003 by two separate statutes, the Pools and Lotteries Act of 1967 and the National Lotteries Act of 1974, with little coordination between them. The Board links the growth of the sector to economic liberalisation from 1985 and to the National Investments Promotion and Protection Act of 1992.
The Gaming Act, 2003 (Act No. 4 of 2003) was assented to on 5 April 2003 and published in the Government Gazette on 11 April 2003. It came into force on 1 July 2003. Its long title describes it as an Act “to provide for the regulation of gaming activities; to provide for establishment of the Gaming Board of Tanzania; to provide for the control and licensing by the Board of gaming activities”.
Since 2003 the Act has been amended repeatedly. The revised edition of 2019 lists amending Acts from 2003 to 2019, most of them Finance Acts. Two policy themes recur. The first is taxation: the GBT noted in January 2019 that the tax on sports betting had been changed from 6% of stakes to 25% of gross gaming revenue, and the tax on slot machines from TZS 32,000 to TZS 100,000 per machine per month (GBT notice). The second is advertising. In January 2019 the Government banned gaming advertisements on local radio and television, and amendments later that year allowed the Board to approve advertising again (see below). Gaming tax receipts collected through the sector grew from TZS 33.6 billion in 2016/17 to TZS 170.4 billion in 2022/23, according to The Citizen (March 2024).
Legal framework
The Gaming Act, Cap. 41
The principal statute is the Gaming Act, Cap. 41 (Revised Edition 2019), which is published by the Gaming Board and also available on the TanzLII legal information portal. Amendments made after 2019 are contained in later Finance Acts and are not consolidated in that edition. The provisions most relevant to online gambling are:
- Section 2 applies the Act to “all gaming activities in Mainland Tanzania”.
- Section 3 defines an “internet casino” as “a game of chance or skill played for money by using a remote device with internet connection”.
- Sections 4 to 7 establish the Gaming Board of Tanzania and set out its functions, which include licensing, setting standards, investigating gaming activities and dealing with complaints. Section 7(2)(i) also requires the Board to develop “measures for dealing with adverse social impact of gaming activities”.
- Section 13 provides that no person may carry on gaming business “unless he is the holder of a gaming licence issued under this Act”.
- Section 26 lists the licences the Board may grant, including an internet casino licence, an internet sports betting licence, a virtual games licence and a service provider licence.
- Sections 31 and 31A impose gaming tax on operators’ revenue and on players’ winnings (see Taxation).
- Section 70 prohibits allowing persons under eighteen to take part in gaming, with a fine of TZS 1 million to TZS 5 million, up to twelve months’ imprisonment or both.
- Section 77(1) makes it unlawful, among other things, to “conduct any gaming operation without a valid licence” and to “entice or induce another to go to any place where gaming is being conducted or operated in violation of” the Act.
- Section 86A requires the Board to prescribe rules and procedures governing the advertisement of gaming activities.
Subsidiary legislation
The Act is supplemented by the Gaming Regulations, 2003 (GN No. 385 of 2003), whose First Schedule sets application fees, and by activity-specific rules. For online gambling the key instrument is the Gaming (Internet Gaming) Regulations, 2022, published as Government Notice No. 478T on 1 July 2022. Tax is administered by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) under the Tax Administration Act.
Zanzibar
Tanzania is a union of the Mainland and the semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar, which have their own legislature. Because section 2 confines the Gaming Act to Mainland Tanzania, a GBT licence does not by its own terms extend to Zanzibar. We were unable to locate a reliable primary or professional source describing the current Zanzibar gaming legislation or regulator, so this guide does not describe the islands’ rules.
Regulator and licensing model
The Gaming Board of Tanzania licenses operators, approves gaming equipment, inspects premises, settles disputes and advises on gaming tax. Tanzania follows a licensing model. Licensing means that any qualifying company may apply, in contrast to a state monopoly in which only a designated operator may offer games. The GBT has stressed that it is the only body entitled to issue gambling licences: in 2022 it warned that business, cultural and police officers in some areas had been issuing their own permits (iGaming Business, April 2022).
Licence types
The GBT’s licence information page lists 31 licence types. They include casino, internet casino, sports betting, internet sports betting, national lottery, SMS lottery, virtual games, online virtual games, slot machine and service provider licences, as well as personal licences for key gaming employees. The Internet Gaming Regulations create four online application routes: internet casino, internet sports betting, service provider and virtual games.
Requirements for online licensees
The 2022 Regulations impose the following main conditions:
- Local incorporation. Applicants must supply a certificate of incorporation in Tanzania, details of all shareholders holding 5% or more, and proof of citizenship of every shareholder, director and key employee (regulation 4).
- Probity investigation. Applicants pay the cost of the Board’s background investigation, and a certificate of suitability costs TZS 1 million (regulation 5).
- Servers. Regulation 9(1) states that “a licensee shall have its primary server located within Mainland Tanzania”. The Board may approve temporary hosting abroad only if a replica server is kept in Tanzania, and financial control systems must remain in the country.
- Local presence. Regulation 12 requires a physical administration centre in Mainland Tanzania with at least one director present.
- Technical standards. Control systems, including random number generators, must meet standards set by the Board (regulation 26), and the Board may require a security bond in cash, by bank guarantee or by insurance (regulation 59).
Current licence fees are set in schedules to the regulations that have been amended several times. We did not verify the current amounts from an official source, so they are not reproduced here.
Licensed operators
The GBT publishes a register by category. In October 2026 its casino register listed 13 land-based and 28 internet casino operators, and its sports betting register listed 8 land-based and 33 online operators. Companies may appear in several categories. Trade publication Focus Gaming News reported in July 2026 that the GBT oversees 63 licensed gambling companies.
Online gambling: what is permitted and how it is enforced
Online casino games, online sports betting and online virtual games are lawful in Mainland Tanzania when offered by an operator holding the corresponding GBT licence. Offering them without a licence is an offence under sections 13 and 77 of the Act. Licensed sites must register each player with a name, identity document, address and nominated bank, financial institution or mobile money account (regulations 14 and 16). Payments may be made by card, bank transfer, mobile phone transfer or other methods approved by the Board.
Enforcement against unlicensed operators
The GBT’s illegal gaming page lists “unlicensed online gaming sites” among seven categories of illegal gaming, together with unlicensed premises, unregistered or unfit devices, the street card game known as karata tatu and allowing minors to play. It invites the public to report them through a whistle-blower portal or the toll-free line. Enforcement in practice relies on licensing control, inspections and operations against unlicensed activity. The 2025/26 budget, for example, planned 12 risk-based inspections and four enforcement operations (Focus Gaming News, June 2025). Neither the Act nor the 2022 Regulations, as reviewed, contains a duty on internet service providers or payment providers to block unlicensed gambling sites, and we did not find a published GBT blocklist of offshore websites.
Advertising
Advertising has been the most volatile area of policy. On 23 January 2019 the GBT announced that the Government had banned the advertising of gaming activities on all local media, including radio and television, after the President met religious leaders who were concerned about excessive promotion (GBT notice). Amendments later in 2019 empowered the Board, through section 51, to approve advertising by licensed companies, initially for six months and then annually, and revised section 86A to require advertising that protects children and vulnerable people (iGaming Business, October 2019).
Regulation 56 of the 2022 Internet Gaming Regulations now provides that “a person shall not cause to advertise a gaming activity unless approved by the Board”. Licensees must submit an advertising code of practice, and advertising that is offensive, misleading, indecent or deceptive is prohibited. In November 2021 the GBT published a draft advertising code that would bar gambling advertisements on television and radio between 6 am and 9 pm, except on dedicated sports channels, require a safer gambling message with the Board’s helpline, ban the use of minors and prohibit suggestions that gambling improves a person’s finances (iGaming Business, November 2021). The report said the draft still needed approval by the Board’s directors, and we could not confirm whether the code was adopted in that form.
Advertising is also taxed. From 1 July 2024 fees for commercial advertising of betting, gaming or lotteries in print media, on television or on radio have been subject to excise duty of 10% (Clyde & Co). From 1 July 2025 a 10% withholding tax applies to commissions earned from gaming advertising or promotion (EY).
Position of players
The Act’s offences are aimed mainly at operators and those who facilitate unlawful gaming. Section 13 prohibits carrying on gaming business without a licence, and section 77(1)(i) prohibits conducting a gaming operation without one. Section 77(1)(d) also makes it unlawful to entice or induce another person to go to a place where gaming is conducted in breach of the Act. Other player-facing offences concern cheating and fraud, such as placing a bet after learning the outcome or manipulating a gaming device. We found no provision making it an offence for an adult simply to play with an unlicensed online operator, and no record of an adult player being prosecuted for doing so.
Playing with an unlicensed site nonetheless carries practical risks. Such an operator is outside the GBT’s complaints procedure, under which licensees must deal with player complaints within 14 days and disputes may be referred to the Board (regulations 61 and 62). It is also outside the self-exclusion and deposit-limit duties described below, and tax is not withheld from winnings under Tanzanian rules. Minors may not participate in gaming at all, and operators who allow them to do so commit an offence under section 70.
Taxation
Gaming tax is imposed by sections 31 and 31A of the Gaming Act and collected by the Tanzania Revenue Authority. Section 31 taxes operators on gross gaming revenue (GGR), meaning the total amount staked less winnings paid out. Section 31A taxes players’ winnings, with the operator withholding the tax at source. The TRA’s gaming tax page gave the following rates at the time of review. Its explanatory text states that land-based and internet casinos file returns weekly and other operators monthly, although its rate table shows monthly filing for internet casinos.
| Activity | Tax on GGR | Tax on net winnings |
|---|---|---|
| Land-based casino | 18% | 13% |
| Internet casino | 25% | 15% |
| Sports betting | 25% | 12% |
| SMS lottery | 25% | 15% |
| National lottery | 20% | 15% |
| Virtual games | 10% | 15% |
| Slot machines (route operations) | TZS 100,000 per machine per month | Not stated |
The rates on winnings were last changed by the Finance Act, 2025. With effect from 1 July 2025 it raised the rate on land-based casino winnings from 12% to 13% and on sports betting winnings from 10% to 12% (Clyde & Co). The same Act introduced electronic filing, requiring withheld tax on winnings to be remitted by the seventh day of the following month, and earmarked part of the revenue from land-based casinos and sports betting for the AIDS Trust Fund and the Universal Health Insurance Fund (EY). The Finance Act, 2026, assented to on 30 June 2026, adjusted those allocations to 7% of land-based casino revenue and 13% of sports betting revenue, split 70% to the AIDS Trust Fund and 30% to the health insurance fund (EY, July 2026). Section 34 of the Act also requires the Board to allocate half of the money collected to the promotion of sports through the National Sports Council.
In his budget speech of 11 June 2026, the Minister of Finance announced a new 5% duty on “the value of bets” in land-based and online sports betting, land-based and online casino gaming, forty-machine slot sites and virtual games (Clyde & Co). iGaming Business reported that the measure was to apply from 1 July 2026 and was expected to raise TZS 74.5 billion a year, that 10% of the proceeds would go to the GBT, and that the Minister linked it to concern that gambling was diverting young people from “productive economic pursuits”. The professional summaries of the enacted Finance Act, 2026 that we reviewed do not mention this duty, so we could not confirm whether, or in what form, it has been legislated.
Consumer protection and responsible gambling
Responsible gambling duties for online licensees are set out in the player protection provisions of the 2022 Internet Gaming Regulations:
- Age. Licensees must have systems to stop persons under eighteen from playing and must display a notice that no player below that age is permitted (regulations 39, 40 and 47(5)).
- Information. Websites must carry warnings about the possibility of addiction, a responsible gaming policy, information on problem gambling and a link to a simple self-assessment test (regulation 47).
- Self-exclusion. At a player’s request, a licensee must exclude the player from gaming. Reinstatement is not possible for six months without the Board’s approval, and excluded players may not be sent promotional material (regulations 48 and 49).
- Limits. Licensees must allow players to set limits on deposits or wagers. Changes take effect only after seven days’ notice (regulation 50).
Self-exclusion in Tanzania therefore operates operator by operator. We did not find a national, cross-operator self-exclusion register comparable to those in some European countries. In July 2026 the GBT said that it monitors players and can “temporarily stop” those who gamble excessively, and that players may ask to be excluded. It also ran a youth awareness campaign under the slogan “Makinika Kijana, Kubeti Sio Ajira” (“Be smart, young person; betting is not employment”) (Focus Gaming News; The Citizen). The reports did not describe the legal basis or procedure.
The GBT’s responsible gaming page advises treating gaming as entertainment, gambling only with disposable money and never playing under the age of eighteen. The Board operates a toll-free line, 0800 110 051, for enquiries, complaints and reports of illegal gaming, and its responsible gaming page states that free counselling is available through this helpline. We did not find a separate, dedicated gambling-treatment service in the sources reviewed. See also our responsible gambling guide.
Recent and upcoming developments
- Budget 2026/27 and Finance Act, 2026. The June 2026 budget speech announced a 5% duty on the value of bets from 1 July 2026. The Finance Act, 2026 revised the health fund allocations. As of 6 October 2026 we had not confirmed the legal basis of the 5% duty, and its status should be rechecked.
- Responsible gambling and local enforcement (2026). In July 2026 the GBT announced temporary restrictions on compulsive gamblers and on 22 July 2026 signed a memorandum of understanding with the Prime Minister’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (TAMISEMI) covering awareness, capacity building and joint compliance monitoring, according to a GBT news release. In September 2026 The Citizen reported concern about illegal betting machines as the sector targeted TZS 300 billion in revenue.
Casino listings for players in Tanzania
The listings below are generated automatically from our casino database. They do not show that an operator holds a licence from the Gaming Board of Tanzania. Online casino games may lawfully be offered in Mainland Tanzania only by operators licensed under the Gaming Act, Cap. 41, so readers should check an operator’s status in the GBT register before relying on its claims.
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Sources and further reading
- United Republic of Tanzania (published by the Gaming Board of Tanzania), The Gaming Act, Cap. 41, Revised Edition 2019 (2019).
- United Republic of Tanzania (TanzLII), Gaming Act, 2003 (Act No. 4 of 2003), legislation as at 30 November 2019 (accessed 6 October 2026).
- United Republic of Tanzania (TanzLII), Gaming Regulations, 2003, Government Notice No. 385 of 2003 (2003).
- United Republic of Tanzania, The Gaming (Internet Gaming) Regulations, 2022, Government Notice No. 478T (2022).
- Gaming Board of Tanzania, About Us and Home page (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Gaming Board of Tanzania, Licence Types (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Gaming Board of Tanzania, Licensed Operators: Casino and Licensed Operators: Sports Betting (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Gaming Board of Tanzania, Illegal Gaming (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Gaming Board of Tanzania, Responsible Gaming (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Gaming Board of Tanzania, Restriction on Advertisement of Gaming Activities in Tanzania (2019).
- Tanzania Revenue Authority, Gaming Tax (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Clyde & Co, Tanzania Tax Update: Highlights of the Finance Act 2024 (2024).
- Clyde & Co, Tanzania Tax Update: Finance Act 2025 Highlights (2025).
- Clyde & Co, Tanzania’s National Budget Speech 2026 (2026).
- EY, Tanzanian Finance Act, 2025 analysis (2025).
- EY, Tanzanian Finance Act, 2026 analysis (2026).
- Ndikimi, S. and Justor, I. (Dentons EALC East African Law Chambers), Gambling law and regulation in Tanzania, CMS Expert Guide to Gambling Laws in Africa (2023).
- iGaming Business, Tanzania Gaming Act amendments hint at advertising reprieve (2019).
- iGaming Business, Tanzania regulator proposes gambling ad watershed in new code of conduct (2021).
- iGaming Business, Tanzanian regulator clarifies rules as other bodies issue own licences (2022).
- iGaming Business, Tanzania set to implement 5% excise duty on betting stakes (2026).
- Focus Gaming News, Tanzania launches major gambling reforms to curb illegal betting and boost revenue (2025).
- Focus Gaming News, Tanzania strengthens responsible gambling with temporary betting restrictions (2026).
- The Citizen, Gaming Board tax revenues jump 400 percent in six years (2024).
- The Citizen, Gaming board intervenes to block compulsive gamblers temporarily (2026).
- Christopher, J. (The Citizen), Illegal betting machines raise risk as gaming targets Sh300 billion (2026).
