Burundi sets licence suspension rule for unpaid gambling fees
Burundi’s 2026/27 gambling framework includes licence suspension for payment delays exceeding one month, alongside tighter operator monitoring and fee collection rules.
Burundi.- Burundi has set out collection and compliance procedures for the 2026/27 financial year, including a 50 per cent penalty for late payment and licence suspension when fees remain unpaid for more than one month, alongside tighter monitoring of gambling operators.
Joint Ministerial Order No. 760/540/319 was signed on August 12 and applies to all forms of games of chance and gambling, including tombolas (prize draws) organised throughout Burundi. The order implements Article 156 of the 2026/27 Finance Law.
Under the order, a 50 per cent penalty is imposed on the total invoice amount for late payment of fees and contributions. If payment is delayed by more than one month, the operator’s licence is suspended until the outstanding amounts are fully paid.
Translated from French, the order states that gambling companies, lotteries and prediction contests must give LONA “full access” to their information systems, strengthening oversight of operators.
The measure also requires operators of slot machines and other gaming machines that are not connected to the internet to integrate a mechanism allowing the equipment to connect to the electronic financial-monitoring system established by the state. Violations are classified as a serious fault under the order and are subject to sanctions under the Penal Code.
Article 3 provides for a 10 per cent fee on player deposits, a 10 per cent fee on withdrawals and a 10 per cent contribution on gambling companies’ gross profit. Promotional or occasional games, including tombolas, are subject to a 10 per cent fee on the total value of prizes put into play.
The 10 per cent structure predates the August order. LONA publicly outlined the deposit, withdrawal and profit contributions in June, while the August measure establishes the collection framework for the new financial year.
Gambling fee collection framework
The order defines gross profit as the difference between a gambling company’s net turnover and the winnings achieved by players during a given period. Net turnover is defined as the total stakes made with the gambling company, less the fee on stakes.
The fees and contributions are to be collected and paid monthly. Once LONA notifies gambling companies, lotteries and prediction contests of the amount due, they have 10 days from receipt of the invoice to pay.
The charges are to be paid into a segregated account at the Bank of the Republic of Burundi held in the name of B&N Partners and LONA. Fees generated by games that have not yet been channelled through B&N Partners are instead collected monthly by LONA into an account held in its name at the central bank.
The order ties the collection and monitoring framework to a 2024 public-private partnership between the Government of Burundi, represented by LONA, and B&N Partners, aimed at optimising state revenues from games of chance and monitoring the sector.
Of the amounts accruing to LONA, 40 per cent is transferred to the Public Treasury, while the remaining 60 per cent is transferred to an account held by LONA at a commercial bank.
The order further provides that winnings left unclaimed for three months without account activity are transferred by gambling companies, lotteries and prediction contests to the Public Treasury.
