Can You Gamble In Africa?

Africa is considered to be the second-largest continent in the world, home to a population of 1.261 billion people.

Within this population, there are 54 official sovereign states, all of which have their own governmental systems.

While these facts about Africa assure the diverse status it has become known for around the world, it also makes understanding legislation difficult. 

With so many independent rule makers, there aren’t many—if any—shared legislations between all 54 sovereign states.

This means that the official answer to the question of whether you can gamble in Africa is sometimes. 

It largely depends on the governmental attitudes towards gambling where you are in Africa, and what pieces of legislation have been laid out regarding this.

In this article, we will be exploring these pieces of legislation, telling you where gambling is allowed within Africa and to what degree, and where it isn’t.

Where Gambling Is Legal In Africa

Despite the fact that Africa is generally being considered very conservative-minded, there are a few places where gambling is legal.

One such place is Kenya, where gambling has established itself not only as a legal industry but also a thriving one.

Currently, they have 12 land-based casinos, which is the second-highest amount for any country throughout Africa.

Things don’t stop there for the country, however, with legislators recently making the brave decision to legalize online gambling.

This was well received by the Kenyan population, who took advantage of said legislation to the point where mobile betting now claims much of Kenya’s gambling turnover.

Not all government officials are on board with this, with key spokesperson mentioning plans to restrict the online gambling legislation in the near future in a 2019 statement.

With this being said, such plans have not been implemented and those visiting or residing in Kenya are free to engage with online gambling websites in any way they desire.

South Africa is another country where gambling has been legalized and is currently home to 40 in-land casino’s, making it the only place to outdo Kenya.

With that being said, South Africa does have more stringent legislation regarding gambling, and not all kinds are legal.

In fact, the only two kinds of gambling that South Africans are allowed to engage in are sports betting and in-land casinos.

Attempts to legalize online gambling within the country have been unsuccessful, however, with casinos seen to be facilitating this at risk of significant penalties.

This can include a fine of up to 10 million Rand, 10 years in prison or both for significant breaches of this legislation. That said, online gambling MAY be less restricted. For example, Weekly Slots News reports that Slots of Vegas accepts players from South Africa. 

Anyone who is found to be making a profit from said illegal activity is also forced to transfer said money to a treasury trust account, which currently holds over 3.5 million Rand.

One country where gambling is legal within Africa that might surprise you is Morocco.

A largely Muslim nation, they are considered to have a relatively progressive view on gambling, with 7 in-land casinos available for use within the country.

They also have a national lottery for residents that includes sports wagering.

Unfortunately, Moroccan laws do not currently address online gambling and it is therefore not considered legal. With that being said, most foreign online casino websites will accept Moroccan players. If you’re trying to figure out where you can and cannot gamble online if you live in Africa, check out the list of casinos over at OnlineCasinoGems which curates online casino deals and offers based on a player’s location. 

Other countries where gambling is accepted and even popular include Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Namibia, Ghana, and Cameroon.

Where Gambling Is Illegal In Africa

As Africa is a continent with a high population of Islamic countries, there are a significant number of countries that don’t allow gambling as it isn’t allowed according to the Qur’an.

Although countries like Morocco have adjusted their perspective after evaluating the benefits of allowing gambling, many countries refuse to budge.

One such country where gambling is mostly still illegal in Egypt. This tends to surprise those who have visited the country because there are almost thirty licensed casinos operating within the country.

The clear distinction here is that these are illegal for citizens of the country to use, and only those who present a passport to prove they are tourists are allowed to enter, provided they are over 18.

Many casinos will also only accept American currency in an attempt to further protect themselves should authorities choose to investigate.

The only exception within Kenya is state-run lotteries, which is considered legal.

In fact, the illegality of gambling spreads across North Africa, with almost all countries outlawing it due to a high Islamic presence.

Other places where gambling remains illegal in Africa include Sudan, Djibouti and most of Central and Eastern Africa.

Unregulated Gambling In Africa

Despite many people feeling like there is a clear split between African countries when it comes to the acceptance or disapproval of gambling, there are some places where gambling is completely unregulated.

One such place is Togo, which has just one hotel and casino resort in the capital of Lomé and is otherwise completely unregulated.

Sierra Leone is another place where regulation and legislation in the gambling world is lacking due to wars and other natural disasters.

They do have a national lottery program that has been in place for a while, but calls to establish a gambling regulator have been ignored.

This means that gambling in the only casino within the country could be potentially dangerous, and it’s advised that people exercise caution if they decide to do so.

Summary

When it comes to the state of gambling legislation in Africa, it’s clear to see that things aren’t straight forward.

There are many factors that affect this, with two of the main ones being the large amount of culture adoption following invasions and the high prevalence of Islamic citizens within the state.

Even in countries where gambling is still considered to be legal, there can be moral restrictions placed on gambling by locals that could have you penalized when visiting the country.

With that being said, attitudes towards gambling in some African countries are changing, which could increase the amount of legalized gambling within the continent in years to come, especially as the online gambling industry is experiencing tremendous growth across the world.