Legal casino gambling age in Cote d'Ivoire
Côte d’Ivoire regulates gambling through a dual regime of concession and authorisation. Lotteries, betting and all online games are conceded on an exclusive basis to a state-controlled company, the Loterie Nationale de Côte d’Ivoire (LONACI), while land-based casinos, physical slot machines and promotional or charity lotteries require a prior authorisation. The framework rests on Law No. 2020-480 of 27 May 2020 on the legal regime of games of chance, two implementing decrees of 6 December 2023 and an independent regulator, the Autorité de Régulation des Jeux de Hasard (ARJH). This guide summarises the law, the regulator, the online market, the position of players, taxation and harm prevention, and notes where official information is incomplete.
Key points
- Law No. 2020-480 of 27 May 2020 concedes lotteries, sports and horse-race betting, virtual betting, online games and electronic casino games to a majority state-owned company, LONACI; conceded games “are not subject to competition”.
- Land-based casinos and physical slot machines need a prior authorisation; Decrees No. 2023-945 and No. 2023-946 of 6 December 2023 implement the two regimes.
- There is no separate licence for private online casinos. Private sports-betting companies have operated under approvals issued by LONACI within its concession.
- The ARJH can order internet providers to block unauthorised gaming sites; organising illicit online gaming is punishable by one to five years’ imprisonment.
- The minimum age is 18, or 21 for casinos and slot-machine venues. LONACI reported 2025 turnover of FCFA 657.6 billion.
Last reviewed: 7 October 2026.
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Historical development
Organised gambling in Côte d’Ivoire has been built around a national lottery for more than half a century. According to the company’s history page, LONACI was established by Law No. 70-208 of 20 March 1970 as a société anonyme à participation financière publique majoritaire, a public limited company in which the state holds a majority stake. Its current ownership is 80% the Ivorian state, 15% the national social security fund (Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale) and 5% the company’s staff. Its legal notice states a share capital of FCFA 400 million; a February 2026 report on its results said that an increase to FCFA 5 billion had been authorised. The CFA franc (FCFA) is the currency of the eight-member West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).
LONACI describes a “double mission”: to offer credible and secure games of chance and to mobilise public savings for redistribution. Its history records successive strategic plans from 2012, the creation of the Fondation LONACI in 2019 for its social programmes, ISO 9001:2015 quality certification in 2022 and, in 2024, Level 3 responsible gaming certification from the World Lottery Association (WLA), the global body for state lotteries. In 2026 it marked its 55th anniversary and adopted a strategic plan for 2026–2030 (LONACI news).
Until 2020 the sector rested on two 1970 statutes: the law creating the national lottery and a law prohibiting lotteries. Both were repealed by Article 70 of the 2020 law (Title VIII), which replaced them with a single code for all games of chance. Article 67 kept existing concessions and authorisations in force until expiry, and Article 68 gave operators then working without authorisation twelve months to comply. The government adopted the decree on the organisation and functioning of the ARJH on 16 June 2021 (Council of Ministers communiqué), and the decrees on the two regimes followed in December 2023.
Legal framework
Law No. 2020-480 of 27 May 2020
The official text is Law No. 2020-480 of 27 May 2020 on the legal regime of games of chance in Côte d’Ivoire, published as a scanned copy on LONACI’s regulation page. Because that copy is not searchable, the article references below are taken from an unofficial article-by-article reproduction on the Ivorian legal portal LOIDICI, read against the official titles. The law has eight titles: general provisions, the operating regimes, operators’ obligations, the regulator, sanctions, prevention of excessive gambling, tax measures and transitional provisions.
Article 1 (definitions) defines a game of chance (jeu de hasard) as a game or bet in which a stake of any kind is committed, resulting either in the loss of the stake by at least one player or in a gain of any kind. An online game is a game of chance “développé et exploité par le biais de réseaux de communication électronique” (developed and operated through electronic communication networks), and a casino is an establishment one of whose activities is organising speculative games of chance open to the public. Article 3 applies the law to all games played in Côte d’Ivoire, professionally or occasionally, and to all operators whatever their legal form.
The general principles set the policy tone. Article 4 states that games of chance “ne sont ni un commerce ni un service ordinaire” (are neither an ordinary trade nor an ordinary service) and must be regulated in the interests of public order, public security and health, particularly of minors. Under Article 5 the state undertakes to limit and supervise the offer and consumption of games, and Article 6 reserves its right to organise certain games itself or to concede their exclusive organisation.
Concession and authorisation
A concession is a grant by the state of an exclusive right to run an activity it controls. Article 8 (concession regime) concedes to a private-law company with majority public shareholding, a description that fits LONACI:
- lotteries of all kinds, including the national lottery, instant games and number games;
- horse-race betting;
- sports betting on competitions in Côte d’Ivoire or abroad;
- betting on virtual sports competitions and virtual events;
- casino games and slot machines “uniquement par voie de canaux et réseaux de communication électroniques” (only through electronic channels and networks); and
- online games.
Article 9 provides that conceded games “ne sont pas soumis à la concurrence” (are not open to competition) and are governed by a concession agreement approved by decree. In other words, the conceded segment is a legal monopoly, a market reserved to a single operator.
Article 10 (authorisation regime) subjects three categories to prior authorisation: advertising or promotional lotteries; lotteries of movable goods held exclusively for charitable purposes or to support the arts; and games organised in casinos and slot machines “sur les supports physiques” (on physical equipment). Only the concessionaire and authorised casino operators may run physical slot machines. Under Article 11, the conditions for granting, renewing and withdrawing authorisations are set by decree, now Decree No. 2023-946 of 6 December 2023. The concession side is implemented by Decree No. 2023-945 of the same date.
Other legislation
The Penal Code (Law No. 2019-574, as consolidated on the CIVLII legal portal) contains a section headed “Jeux illicites de hasard et prêts sur gages” (illicit games of chance and pawn loans), Articles 234 to 236; their wording could not be checked for this review. Article 24 of the 2020 law also tasks the ARJH with contributing to the fight against money laundering, and its website carries guidance on combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
Regulator and licensing model
The Autorité de Régulation des Jeux de Hasard (ARJH)
Article 22 of the law (Title IV) creates the ARJH as an independent administrative authority with legal personality and financial autonomy. Article 23 lists its resources, including fees on authorisations, parafiscal levies and the proceeds of financial penalties. Under Article 24 (powers) it monitors compliance, supervises online gaming operations, takes part in the fight against illegal sites and fraud, protects users, audits financial flows, contributes to anti-money-laundering work and gives opinions on draft legislation. It may give an operator fifteen days to comply after formal notice (Article 26) and hears complaints about operators (Article 27).
The decree on its organisation and functioning fixes its seat in Abidjan, grants it a state subsidy for its first five years and requires an annual activity report by 31 March, published in the Official Journal and on its website. The ARJH website names Jules Dally as President of its Regulatory Council and Kouakou Hyacinthe Okou as Director General, and has a page listing operators. The ARJH’s annual reports and operator list could not be retrieved for this review.
LONACI as concessionaire
LONACI’s website lists a draw lottery (Loto Bonheur), scratch cards, a sports-betting brand (Sportcash), horse-race betting (PMU), a virtual lottery and an electronic casino product. It is named here as a state-controlled institution, not as a recommendation. According to a February 2026 report on its results, turnover rose 14% in 2025 to FCFA 657.6 billion, winnings paid to players were about FCFA 413.9 billion and royalties to the state rose 40% to FCFA 21 billion; the company targets FCFA 744.3 billion for 2026. (LONACI’s history page gives 2024 turnover of FCFA 561.242 billion, whereas the 2026 report gives FCFA 579.3 billion; the difference is not explained.) No regulator statistics for the whole market were found.
Within its concession, LONACI may approve partners. When Decree No. 2023-945 was adopted, its then Director General, Dramane Coulibaly, said that LONACI was authorised to issue approvals (agréments) to new operators and had already done so for three international sports-betting companies (KOACI, 11 December 2023; Abidjan.net, 15 December 2023). The terms, fees and number of such approvals are not publicly documented.
Authorised casinos
Land-based casinos and slot-machine venues require an authorisation under Decree No. 2023-946, and Article 59 of the law sets a minimum age of 21 for entry. No official list of authorised casinos, fees or licence terms was found in sources we could read.
Online gambling and enforcement
Online gambling is lawful in Côte d’Ivoire only within LONACI’s concession. Because Article 8 concedes “online games” and electronic casino games, and Article 9 excludes competition, there is no route for a private company to obtain its own online casino or betting licence. Private operators can take part only through an approval from LONACI, and the published examples concern sports betting rather than casino games. The law’s chapter on the online concessionaire requires at least one dedicated website on a top-level domain (Article 18), rules for each game approved by joint order of the economy and interior ministers after an ARJH opinion (Article 19), real-time archiving of all data exchanged with players for three years (Article 20), and immediate reporting of suspected match-fixing to the ARJH (Article 21).
Blocking means instructing internet providers or payment institutions to stop access to, or payments to, unauthorised services. Under Article 39 (administrative sanctions), the ARJH may order internet service providers to block unauthorised gaming sites on a provisional basis; the site owner may lodge an administrative appeal within fifteen days, and the ARJH must decide within the same period. We found no published list of blocked sites and no provision on payment blocking.
The criminal provisions include:
- Article 49: one to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of FCFA 5 million to 10 million for organising illicit online gaming activities;
- Article 43: two months to one year and FCFA 1 million to 10 million for fraudulent exploitation of conceded games or opening a casino or slot-machine venue without authorisation;
- Article 40: a fine of FCFA 1 million to 10 million for non-compliant commercial communications about games of chance; and
- Article 51: five to ten years and FCFA 10 million to 100 million for manipulating sports competitions or events offered for betting.
Administratively, the ARJH may confiscate equipment, suspend or withdraw authorisations and bar an offender from gaming activity for one to five years (Article 35). Financial penalties may reach 3% of the highest annual turnover of the previous three years, or 5% for a repeat offence (Article 36), and decisions can be challenged before the Council of State (Article 37).
Enforcement has so far been most visible against physical machines. On 28 August 2025 the ARJH, working with the Economic and Financial Criminal Unit and the Criminal Assets Management Agency, destroyed 110 illegal slot machines together with 84 cartons and 13 bags of electronic components at Akouédo-Attié in Bingerville, near Abidjan, after a similar operation at Bouaflé in February 2025 (allAfrica). Its President, Jules Dally, described the message as one of zero tolerance for clandestine gaming, and the Director General listed fraud, unpaid winnings, addiction, data breaches and money laundering among the risks of illegal play. The ARJH website also reports a campaign against misleading online gaming advertising.
Position of players
In the reproduction of the law we consulted, the criminal offences target organisers, sellers of prohibited tickets, fraudsters, those who misuse data or inside information, and those who manipulate competitions. None of them, as reproduced, makes it an offence simply to place a bet with an unauthorised operator, and we found no reported prosecution or fine of an individual player. That is not confirmation that such play is lawful: the offer itself is illegal, the Penal Code articles on illicit games could not be checked, and the ARJH treats the illegal offer as a priority.
In practice, players using unauthorised websites have no assurance of fair play, payment of winnings or data protection, and no effective remedy in Côte d’Ivoire. Players of LONACI’s games and its approved partners can complain to the ARJH under Article 27. Under Article 66, prizes paid by the concessionaire are excluded from taxable income. Article 59 sets the general minimum age at 18 and the casino and slot-machine minimum at 21.
Taxation
Article 64 (tax measures) makes conceded and authorised games subject to the ordinary tax regime, without prejudice to the concession agreement, under which the state receives a royalty (redevance) based on turnover. Article 65 exempts lottery tickets and promotional material from stamp duty and ticket sales and related commissions from sales tax. Article 66 excludes prizes paid by the concessionaire from the base of personal income taxes, so LONACI winnings are not taxed in the hands of players.
The royalty rate in the concession agreement has not been published. LONACI reports FCFA 21 billion of royalties for 2025 and transfers of FCFA 23.28 billion to the state for 2024, a figure that may include dividends. We found no published specific tax on gross gaming revenue (GGR, stakes minus winnings) for casinos or approved partners; operators should seek local tax advice.
Consumer protection and responsible gambling
Title VI of the law (prevention of excessive gambling) sets the main duties. Article 60 requires operators to inform players, identify at-risk players early, offer self-control and exclusion tools, train staff and evaluate their measures; Article 61 requires an annual responsible gaming report to the regulator. Under Article 62 the concessionaire must offer self-exclusion and deposit and time limits, and must tell players how to register on the gaming interdiction files kept by the interior ministry. Article 63 requires warnings in advertising, bans advertising aimed at minors and forbids contacting self-excluded or barred players. We found no public guidance on how the interior ministry files operate, so the existence of a working national self-exclusion register could not be confirmed.
LONACI’s responsible gaming policy adds operational detail:
- Self-exclusion of 24 hours to 12 months through the player account or a form, during which “aucun accès ni aucune activité de jeu ne seront possibles” (no access or gaming activity will be possible);
- limits on spending and losses on its digital platforms;
- age checks, with no winnings paid to minors;
- a player charter with budgeting guidance; and
- referral to help, including the Ivorian organisation Yodan, the French association SOS Joueurs and the Gamban blocking software, and an assistance number (143).
LONACI’s charter sets out general service principles rather than specific protection tools. Its WLA Level 3 certification is an industry standard, not a legal requirement. General guidance is available in our responsible gambling guide.
Recent and upcoming developments
- Implementing decrees (December 2023). Decrees No. 2023-945 and No. 2023-946 of 6 December 2023 put the concession and authorisation regimes into operation (LONACI).
- Slot-machine destruction (2025). The ARJH destroyed illegal machines at Bouaflé in February and at Akouédo-Attié on 28 August 2025.
- LONACI results and strategy (2026). LONACI reported 2025 turnover of FCFA 657.6 billion, launched its 2026–2030 plan and announced plans to relaunch its sports and horse-race betting and accelerate digital sales.
- Surveillance unit (April 2026). On 29 April 2026 the Council of Ministers adopted a decree creating the Unité de Surveillance du Secteur des Jeux de Hasard (USSJH). According to the government spokesperson, it comprises sworn agents of the security forces and the ARJH, is charged with surveillance, control and securing of gaming sites, and has wide powers to investigate, record and repress gaming offences nationwide (Connectionivoirienne, 30 April 2026). The decree’s number was not found.
We found no bill to amend Law No. 2020-480 as of the review date. Points to watch are the USSJH’s operations, any published list of blocked sites or authorised operators, and the terms on which LONACI approves private partners.
Casino listings for players in Côte d’Ivoire
The listings below are generated automatically from our casino database and do not show that an operator is authorised in Côte d’Ivoire. Online games, including online casino games, are conceded exclusively to LONACI, private operators cannot obtain a separate online casino licence, and organising illicit online gaming is a criminal offence; the listings must not be read as an indication that playing is lawful. Readers should check the current position with the Autorité de Régulation des Jeux de Hasard.
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Sources and further reading
- Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Loi n°2020-480 du 27 mai 2020 portant régime juridique des jeux de hasard en Côte d’Ivoire (2020; scanned copy published by LONACI, accessed 7 October 2026).
- Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Décret n°2023-945 du 06 décembre 2023 portant régime juridique des jeux concédés à la Loterie Nationale de Côte d’Ivoire (2023; scanned copy published by LONACI, accessed 7 October 2026).
- Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Décret n°2023-946 du 06 décembre 2023 portant régime juridique des jeux de hasard soumis à autorisation (2023; scanned copy published by LONACI, accessed 7 October 2026).
- LONACI, Réglementation (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Le régime juridique des jeux de hasard en Côte d’Ivoire (Loi n°2020-480, unofficial article-by-article text) (2024, accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Loi n°2020-480, Titre I, Chapitre 1: Définitions, objet et champ d’application (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Loi n°2020-480, Titre I, Chapitre 2: Principes généraux (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Loi n°2020-480, Titre II, Chapitre 1: Régime de la concession (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Loi n°2020-480, Titre II, Chapitre 2: Régime de l’autorisation préalable (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Loi n°2020-480, Titre III, Chapitre 3: Obligations spécifiques au concessionnaire de jeux en ligne (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Loi n°2020-480, Titre IV, Chapitre 1: Dispositions générales (Autorité de Régulation) (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Loi n°2020-480, Titre IV, Chapitre 2: Attributions de l’Autorité de Régulation (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Loi n°2020-480, Titre V, Chapitre 1: Sanctions administratives et pécuniaires (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Loi n°2020-480, Titre V, Chapitre 2: Sanctions pénales (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Loi n°2020-480, Titre VI: Prévention du jeu excessif (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Loi n°2020-480, Titre VII: Mesures fiscales (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Loi n°2020-480, Titre VIII: Dispositions transitoires et finales (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LOIDICI, Décret portant organisation et fonctionnement de l’Autorité de Régulation des Jeux de Hasard, Chapitre 1 (2026, accessed 7 October 2026).
- Government of Côte d’Ivoire, Communiqué du Conseil des ministres du mercredi 16 juin 2021 (2021).
- CIVLII / Laws.Africa, Loi n°2019-574 portant Code pénal (consolidated to 23 June 2024) (accessed 7 October 2026).
- Autorité de Régulation des Jeux de Hasard (ARJH), Official website (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LONACI, Histoire (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LONACI, Official website (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LONACI, Mentions légales (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LONACI, Politique de jeu responsable (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LONACI, Charte LONACI (accessed 7 October 2026).
- LONACI, Nos actualités (accessed 7 October 2026).
- allAfrica / Fraternité Matin, Côte d’Ivoire: Jeux illégaux – Plus de 110 machines à sous consumées par les flammes à Akouedo-Attié (28 August 2025).
- allAfrica, Côte d’Ivoire: Perspectives 2026 – La LONACI affiche ses ambitions et fixe le cap de la croissance responsable (3 February 2026).
- KOACI, Côte d’Ivoire: nouveau décret sur les jeux de hasard, le DG de la LONACI salue une décision qui ouvre la voie à des actions plus efficaces contre les jeux illégaux (11 December 2023).
- Abidjan.net, Lutte contre la concurrence déloyale: la LONACI bénéficie d’un décret relatif au régime juridique des jeux (15 December 2023).
- Connectionivoirienne, Secteur des jeux de hasard en Côte d’Ivoire: une unité de surveillance, de contrôle et de sécurisation créée en appui à l’action de l’Autorité de régulation (30 April 2026).
