Angola opens transitional licensing window for gaming operators
ISJ gives eligible operators 30 working days to apply for provisional licences after a Circular introducing the transitional regime entered into force on July 1 2026 under the country’s new Gaming Activity Law.
Angola.- Angola’s Institute of Games Supervision (ISJ) has introduced a transitional licensing regime giving eligible gaming operators 30 working days to apply for provisional licences as the country advances the implementation of its Gaming Activity Law (LAJ).
According to an ISJ statement, the regulator presented the Circular during a clarification session held on June 29 at the Michael Kennedy Auditorium. The ISJ said the Circular entered into force on July 1, introducing the transitional regime established under the Gaming Activity Law.
The ISJ said the Circular supports the implementation of the transitional regime, allowing eligible operators to continue operating while regulations under the Gaming Activity Law are finalised and future public licensing tenders are concluded.
The ISJ said: “The document aims to ensure legal compliance and safeguard the stability of the sector, allowing for the implementation of the transitional regime until the publication of the Regulation of the Gaming Activity Law and the conclusion of future public tenders.”
The transitional regime forms part of Angola’s broader overhaul of its gambling sector under the Gaming Activity Law (Law No. 17/24), which was enacted on October 28 2024 to modernise the country’s regulatory framework for gaming activities. The interim measures are intended to ensure legal compliance, safeguard the stability of the sector and support the transition while the government finalises implementing regulations and prepares future public licensing tenders.
The Circular allows eligible gaming operators whose licences expired after the new Gaming Activity Law came into force to continue operating under the transitional regime. It also applies to operators whose licences expired before the law took effect, provided they can demonstrate that they informed the ISJ of their intention to continue operating before their licences expired.
Under the new framework, eligible operators have 30 working days to submit applications for provisional licences exclusively through the Gaming Supervision System (SSJ).
The ISJ said the application process is intended to ensure a standardised transition, providing greater legal certainty, predictability and a coordinated implementation of the rules governing Angola’s gaming sector.
The ISJ said the clarification session attracted strong participation from gaming operators as the regulator outlined the practical application of the transitional regime and the obligations facing licence holders under the new framework.
