Mozambique approves first dedicated online gambling framework
The new Regulation on the Operation and Practice of Games of Chance through Electronic or Computerised Means creates a standalone licensing regime for digital operators, distinct from physical casino concessions, after casino tax revenue fell short of budget targets for a second consecutive year.
Mozambique.- Mozambique has approved the Regulation on the Operation and Practice of Games of Chance through Electronic or Computerised Means, creating the country’s first dedicated legal framework for online gambling. The Council of Ministers passed the measure at its weekly meeting, establishing digital games of chance as an autonomous licensing category separate from land-based casino concessions.
Inocêncio Impissa, spokesperson for the Council of Ministers, said the regulation governs games of chance conducted remotely through electronic platforms, computer systems and other digital means of access, and recognises online gambling as an autonomous and independent modality separate from traditional land-based casino concessions.
The regulation establishes a standalone concession regime for online gambling, with digital operators to be licensed separately from physical casino concessionaires. Mozambique previously had no specific legal framework for online gambling, which instead fell under the country’s broader gambling legislation. See also: Mozambique, Portugal sign gambling regulation partnership.
Revenue behind reform
The Cabinet’s decision comes after the government linked the expansion of online gambling to declining casino tax revenues. According to the Ministry of Finance’s 2025 Budget Execution Report, cited by Lusa, casino tax revenue totalled MT359.5m (US$4.8m), representing only 54 per cent of the MT666.1m (US$8.8m) budgeted for the year. Revenue was also 7.3 per cent lower than the MT387.7m (US$5.1m) collected in 2024.
The Ministry of Finance said the “significant increase in online games” had contributed to fewer players visiting physical casinos, affecting revenue generated from the sector.
Mozambique has casino and slot machine concessions in Maputo, Matola, Beira, Tete, Nampula and Pemba. According to the National Directorate of Games of Chance or Fortune, concessionaires are required to have minimum share capital of approximately US$2.7m and invest at least US$5.5m during their first five years of operation.
The country’s existing casino tax regime includes a Special Tax on Gambling based on gross gaming revenue at rates ranging from 20 per cent to 35 per cent, depending on the duration of the concession. Concessionaires also pay Stamp Duty equal to 50 per cent of casino entry ticket prices, while benefiting from exemptions on certain gambling taxes and import duties for equipment used exclusively in casino operations.
