Legal casino gambling age in EthiopiaEthiopia has one of the oldest state lotteries in Africa, but its experiment with a licensed private betting market proved short-lived. Lottery operations have been a state activity since 1961 and are now run by the Ethiopian Lottery Service (ELS), the successor to the National Lottery Administration (NLA). From the late 2010s a large retail and mobile sports betting sector grew up under lottery-authority licences. In December 2025, following a security investigation into alleged money laundering and tax evasion, the ELS suspended and then revoked every sports betting licence in the country. As of October 2026 the ELS states that no sports betting operator holds a legal licence, and Ethiopian law has never provided a licence category for casinos or online casino games.
Key points
- The state lottery was created by Proclamation No. 183 of 1954 in the Ethiopian calendar (1961 in the Gregorian calendar) as a government monopoly; the lottery authority was re-established in 2007 with power to license private operators (CMS Expert Guide, 2023).
- Sports betting was treated in law as a form of lottery and regulated by directive; casinos, skill games and online gambling have no specific regulatory framework.
- On 4 December 2025 the ELS suspended the licences of 22 sports betting firms, and on 15 December 2025 it revoked all remaining sports betting licences (iGaming Business, July 2026).
- Winnings from games of chance are subject to a withholding tax, raised from 15% to 20% by Income Tax (Amendment) Proclamation No. 1395/2025, according to Big Four tax summaries.
- In September 2026 the ELS was reported to be preparing a relaunch of sports betting under stricter digital oversight, but no licensing process or date had been announced.
Last reviewed: 7 October 2026.
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Historical development
Organised, state-sanctioned gambling in Ethiopia began with the national lottery. The ELS describes itself as having been “established as the first autonomous and legal state lottery by Proclamation number 183 in 1954EC”, with the purpose of raising revenue for the government (Ethiopian Lottery Service). The Ethiopian calendar runs roughly seven to eight years behind the Gregorian calendar, so 1954 EC corresponds to 1961/62. Under that proclamation the lottery was a monopoly: a market in which only one body, here the state, may lawfully offer the product.
In 2007 the lottery authority was re-established by a new proclamation, which the ELS presents as part of Ethiopia’s shift towards a more market-oriented economy: it allowed the authority “to carry out lottery activities alongside issuing license and regulating” private participation (ELS). In 2009 Council of Ministers Regulation No. 160/2009 re-established the National Lottery Services (CMS). This dual role, as both an operator of its own lottery products and the licensing authority for private operators, shaped the market that followed.
Private sports betting expanded quickly in the second half of the 2010s. Capital reported in March 2019 that more than ten betting firms were licensed by the NLA, each with an average of over 30 branches, that the legal minimum age was 18, and that students in school uniform were nonetheless seen betting during school hours (Capital, March 2019). The same report noted that licensees were obliged to give 20% or more of net profits to sports institutions or clubs, but that none appeared to be doing so.
Public concern led to a series of restrictions. In January 2020 the NLA stopped issuing new sports betting licences “until an effective betting control mechanism” was in place; 22 betting companies were then operating (Fana Broadcasting, January 2020). By January 2021 The Reporter counted 42 active betting companies, noted that operations had resumed in August 2020 after a COVID-19 suspension, and reported that the NLA was revising its betting directive after an impact assessment carried out with the Ethiopian Management Institute (The Reporter, January 2021). Trade-press reports also state that from 2020 betting firms needed a separate betting licence rather than a lottery licence (Lottery Daily, December 2025).
The revised rules were announced on 13 September 2021, when licensing resumed. According to Capital, they raised the minimum age for betting from 18 to 21, required betting premises to be at least 500 metres from schools and religious institutions, barred betting in restaurants, grocery shops and similar venues, capped the top prize per ticket at one million birr, required a bank guarantee of 1.5 million birr, raised the licence fee to 500,000 birr and the renewal fee to 100,000 birr, and required 0.5% of sales to go to charitable work (Capital, September 2021).
The debate continued. Addis Standard reported that the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs was working to have sports betting banned, its representative Abebe Haimanot arguing that gambling “brings a social crisis” (Addis Standard). In June 2022 SBC News reported the same official citing anxiety, depression and suicide among young people, while the NLA opposed a complete prohibition and pointed to its licensing conditions and charges (SBC News, June 2022). No ban was adopted, and Addis Fortune described a “betting frenzy” in the capital during the 2022 World Cup (Addis Fortune, December 2022).
Legal framework
In Ethiopian federal law a proclamation is an act of the federal parliament. Proclamations are implemented through Council of Ministers regulations and through directives, detailed rules issued by the competent ministry or agency. Gambling law follows this pattern; there is no single gambling act covering casinos, betting and online play.
Lottery legislation
The CMS Expert Guide to gambling laws in Africa, written by the Addis Ababa firm Mesfin Tafesse & Associates, identifies the main instruments as the National Lottery Administration Re-establishment Proclamation No. 535/2007 and the National Lottery Services Re-establishment Council of Ministers Regulation No. 160/2009 (CMS, September 2023). The ELS website instead cites the 2007 proclamation as No. 510/2007 (ELS). We could not consult the Federal Negarit Gazeta to resolve the discrepancy; this guide follows the number given by CMS and by Abyssinia Law, an Ethiopian legal information service.
According to Abyssinia Law, Article 2 of Proclamation No. 535/2007 defines “lottery” to include sport betting, and defines sport betting as “a lottery for betting arranged on the basis of in-door or out-door sport competitions and in which the prize is distributed in money or in kind”; Articles 12(3) and 13 set the licensing requirements (Abyssinia Law, August 2020). This is why sports betting in Ethiopia was licensed by the lottery authority rather than under a separate betting statute.
Allocation of regulatory powers
Proclamation No. 1263/2021, which defines the powers and duties of federal executive organs, transferred regulatory authority over lottery activities to the Ministry of Revenues. The lottery operator was separated from regulation and placed under Ethiopian Investment Holdings, the state’s sovereign wealth fund. Capital reported in July 2023, however, that the ministry had “yet to exercise its power”, so the lottery body continued to issue licences in practice (Capital, July 2023).
Directives on betting and bingo
CMS lists the Sports Betting Lottery Directive No. 172/2021, issued by the Ministry of Revenues and effective from 1 September 2021, as the operative betting directive (CMS). Abyssinia Law refers to an earlier Directive No. 83/2005 EC on licensing documentation. The ELS website lists directive categories for sport betting, conventional bingo and regulation, but when checked on 7 October 2026 those pages displayed no text (ELS, Directives). We could not read Directive No. 172/2021 itself; the September 2021 conditions described above are taken from press reporting of the NLA’s announcement.
The Criminal Code
The general criminal law is the Criminal Code of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Proclamation No. 414/2004, in force since 9 May 2005 (Refworld). The copies we could open did not allow us to verify any article on unauthorised lotteries or games of chance, so no article numbers or penalties are given here. Readers needing the exact provisions should consult the official Amharic and English text in the Federal Negarit Gazeta.
Regulator and licensing model
The Ethiopian Lottery Service is both the state lottery operator and, in practice, the licensing body for private lottery-type activities. We did not find the official instrument or date by which the National Lottery Services adopted the ELS name; it was in use by 2025. The ELS runs paper draws, including the holiday lottery for Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year, and the Admas digital lottery launched with Ethio Telecom on the telebirr platform (Capital, 2023). Its Telegram channel, with around 472,000 followers in October 2026, advertised a digital lottery sold through SMS to the short code 605 or through the telebirr mobile-money service at 20 birr per ticket, with a holiday top prize of 20 million birr in September 2026 (ELS Telegram channel). A consumer platform describing itself as the Ethiopian Lottery Service sells lottery and instant games online with an 18+ notice (EthioLottery).
Until December 2025 betting followed a licensing model: private companies could obtain a licence to offer sports betting, including through mobile channels, alongside the state lottery. CMS records that betting, card games and lotteries were regulated, whereas casinos, skill games and arcades were not (CMS). The ELS has not published a register of licensees. Reported numbers of operators were 22 in January 2020, 42 in 2021, and 22 at the time of the December 2025 suspension.
Since 15 December 2025 the model for sports betting has in practice become one of prohibition: no licences are in force and no application process is open. The state lottery remains lawful and continues to operate.
Online gambling
CMS states that there is no specific regulation of online gambling in Ethiopia (CMS). Before December 2025, licensed betting companies took bets through shops, mobile apps and domestic payment services. iGaming Business, citing local estimates, reports daily betting transactions of ETB 800 million to ETB 1 billion before the shutdown (iGaming Business). The current position is:
- Online sports betting. No operator is licensed. The ELS stated in July 2026 that “there are currently no sports betting companies legally licensed to operate in Ethiopia” (Focus Gaming News, July 2026).
- Online casino games. No directive, licence category or official statement has ever authorised online slots, roulette or blackjack, and casinos are outside the regulated categories. No operator should be assumed to hold such authorisation.
- State lottery. The ELS’s own digital lottery and instant games, sold via SMS, telebirr and its platforms, are the only clearly lawful online gambling products identified.
Enforcement
Enforcement has focused on operators, payment channels and public warnings rather than published website blocklists. When the licences were revoked, banks and payment operators were instructed to stop facilitating betting transactions (Shega, December 2025). The ELS has asked the public to report illegal operators, including through the short code 9695 (iGaming Business), and warned against sharing personal data with unauthorised platforms promoted on social media (Focus Gaming News). On 30 August 2026 the Government Communication Service announced action against 38 betting enterprises accused of concealing customer data to evade tax; owners were detained and bank accounts frozen, within a wider crackdown in which more than 7,000 businesses and warehouses were sealed and seven cryptocurrency applications were blocked (Focus Gaming News, August 2026). We found no official list of blocked betting websites and no published rules on ISP blocking, meaning orders requiring internet providers to prevent access to particular sites. Capital reported that unlicensed betting nonetheless handled around 20 billion birr in September 2026 (Capital, September 2026).
Position of players
The ELS’s published position is a warning rather than a statement of criminal liability: “We strongly caution citizens not to engage in betting or deposit money through illegally operating sports betting services” (iGaming Business, quoting the ELS). We found no official source stating that a player who bets with an unlicensed operator commits a specific offence, and no reports of players being prosecuted or fined.
Reported criminal action has targeted operators. In November 2025 the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) announced the arrest of 24 people described as owners of betting companies and their accomplices. Addis Insight reported on 29 January 2026 that all 24 had been released and that no statement explained whether charges had been dropped or investigations continued (Addis Insight, January 2026).
In practice, players using unlicensed services have no regulator to complain to if winnings are withheld, and domestic payment channels have been told to stop processing betting transactions. Under the 2021 rules the minimum age for betting was 21; the state lottery is restricted to those aged 18 and over.
Taxation
Operators
Licensed betting operators owed the lottery authority a share of their turnover, described in reporting as commission, together with fees and social contributions. Abyssinia Law (2020) refers to an obligation to give 20% of profits to social development projects; the 2021 rules replaced this with 0.5% of sales for charitable work (Capital). SBC News reported in 2022 a 15% charge on monthly winnings and a 0.5% social welfare contribution, without stating the legal basis. We could not verify a single statutory rate for operator charges.
Revenue was central to the 2025 crackdown. An independent audit of July 2023 to December 2025, reported by Capital in September 2026, found that operators had transacted 199 billion birr, should have paid about 30 billion birr in commission, but had paid only 3.6 billion birr, leaving 27.5 billion birr in unpaid commissions, penalties and fees (Capital). Earlier official allegations, reported by iGaming Business and Addis Insight, were that about ETB 100 billion had been concealed through cryptocurrency systems, international money-transfer networks and payment aggregators, and that diverted funds were used to “launder illicit money, finance terrorism, and support anti-government activities”. No court judgment was reported.
Players’ winnings
Under the Federal Income Tax Proclamation No. 979/2016, income from winning games of chance held in Ethiopia is taxed on the gross amount, with the operator withholding the tax; the rate was 15%. The 15% withholding duty on winners is also described by Abyssinia Law. The Income Tax (Amendment) Proclamation No. 1395/2025 raised the rate to 20%, according to KPMG, which gives 8 July 2025 as the general effective date, and PwC, which records approval by parliament on 17 July 2025 (KPMG; PwC). One Ethiopian tax adviser instead reports a rise to 25% from 7 July 2025 (HST). Readers should confirm the gazetted rate with the Ministry of Revenues. With betting licences revoked, the tax now applies mainly to state lottery prizes.
Consumer protection and responsible gambling
The ELS restricts its lottery products to adults, and its online platform displays an 18+ notice (EthioLottery); the text of its Telegram channel, checked in October 2026, did not show a comparable age warning. The 2021 betting rules raised the betting age to 21 and kept betting shops away from schools and places of worship.
We found no national self-exclusion register, no statutory responsible gambling programme and no dedicated gambling helpline in Ethiopia. Research suggests real need. A 2023 Addis Ababa University psychiatry thesis based on interviews with 13 bettors found patterns of preoccupation, chasing losses and failed attempts to stop, with financial losses, guilt, depression and damaged relationships, and identified the fast-draw game keno as especially prone to problem play (Teshome, 2023). People concerned about their own or another person’s gambling may need to seek help through general health or mental-health services. General guidance on recognising and limiting gambling harm is available in our responsible gambling guide.
Recent and upcoming developments
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| July 2025 | Income Tax (Amendment) Proclamation No. 1395/2025 raises the tax on winnings from games of chance. | KPMG |
| November 2025 | NISS announces the arrest of 24 betting company owners and accomplices. | iGaming Business |
| 4 December 2025 | ELS suspends the licences of 22 sports betting firms pending investigation. | Focus Gaming News |
| 15 December 2025 | ELS revokes all sports betting licences; payment providers told to halt betting transactions. | Shega |
| Late January 2026 | All 24 detained suspects released; status of charges not explained. | Addis Insight |
| February 2026 | Parliamentary hearing on a draft sports proclamation discusses betting. | iGaming Business |
| July 2026 | ELS public notice: no sports betting company is legally licensed. | Focus Gaming News |
| 30 August 2026 | Government announces action against 38 betting enterprises. | Focus Gaming News |
| September 2026 | Audit findings published; ELS reported to be preparing a relaunch. | Capital |
Several points remain open. First, iGaming Business reports that the Federal High Court had overturned an earlier NLA suspension of one operator’s licence, with a stay of execution granted; the outcome could not be verified. Second, at the February 2026 hearing State Minister of Culture and Sports Mekiyu Mohammed said that permanently blocking betting was “impossible given current global conditions”, and ELS chief executive Beza Girma said divided ministerial oversight had hindered control. Third, in September 2026 Capital reported that the ELS was preparing a relaunch of sports betting and digital lotteries in collaboration with the NISS, the Financial Security Service and the Federal Police (Capital, September 2026), and Focus Gaming News reported that it was developing a unified digital monitoring system to track operators’ transactions and financial obligations (Focus Gaming News, September 2026). As of 7 October 2026 no new directive, licensing round or timetable had been published, and the ban on licensed sports betting remained in force.
Casino listings for players in Ethiopia
The listings below are generated automatically from our casino database. They do not show that any operator is licensed in Ethiopia. No sports betting operator currently holds an Ethiopian licence, and Ethiopian law provides no licence under which online casino games may be offered to residents, so the listings must not be read as an indication that playing is lawful. Check the position with the Ethiopian Lottery Service before relying on any operator’s claims.
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Sources and further reading
- Ethiopian Lottery Service, Official website (accessed 7 October 2026).
- Ethiopian Lottery Service, Directives (sport betting, conventional bingo, regulation) (accessed 7 October 2026).
- Ethiopian Lottery Service, Official Telegram channel (accessed 7 October 2026).
- EthioLottery, Ethiopian Lottery Service online platform (accessed 7 October 2026).
- Mesfin Tafesse and Haymanot Belay (Mesfin Tafesse & Associates), CMS Expert Guide to Gambling Laws in Africa: Ethiopia (14 September 2023).
- Abyssinia Law, The legality of sport betting in Ethiopia (11 August 2020).
- UNHCR Refworld, Ethiopia: Criminal Code, Proclamation No. 414/2004 (2004; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Capital, Risky business: sports betting drawing minors, fostering addiction (11 March 2019).
- Fana Broadcasting Corporate, Ethiopia quits new sports betting licences (13 January 2020).
- The Reporter, Lottery Administration to amend betting directive (23 January 2021).
- Capital, Stringent directive drawn as relicensing resumes in betting industry (20 September 2021).
- Addis Standard, #ASDailyScoop: Ministry working to get sports betting in Ethiopia banned (accessed 7 October 2026).
- SBC News, Ethiopia Youth Ministry seeks to ban sports betting (22 June 2022).
- Addis Fortune, Betting Frenzy Sweeps Addis Abeba (10 December 2022).
- Capital, Lottery services prepare to usher a new dawn (31 July 2023).
- Mesay Teshome, Exploring the Experiences of Individuals Involved in Sports Betting, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a Qualitative Study, Addis Ababa University thesis (2023).
- KPMG, Income Tax (Amendment) Proclamation No. 1395/2025 (2025).
- PwC, Ethiopia: Individual – Significant developments (reviewed 15 July 2026).
- HST Consulting, Income tax update (2025; accessed 7 October 2026).
- Shega, Ethiopia shuts down entire betting industry, revokes all licenses (15 December 2025).
- Lottery Daily, Ethiopian lottery regulator cancels multiple betting licences pending investigation (19 December 2025).
- Addis Insight, 24 betting fraud suspects released as authorities remain silent on case status (29 January 2026).
- Focus Gaming News, Ethiopian Lottery Service issues public notice warning of illegal betting promotions (July 2026).
- iGaming Business, Ethiopia reaffirms betting ban as scammers exploit regulatory vacuum (30 July 2026).
- Focus Gaming News, Ethiopia strengthens betting oversight, acts on 38 firms (30 August 2026).
- Capital, Ethiopia prepares strict relaunch for sports betting, digital lotteries (20 September 2026).
- Focus Gaming News, Ethiopia prepares betting relaunch after major crackdown (22 September 2026).
