Senegal plans gambling monitoring platform after US$108m tax shortfall
Senegal is moving to strengthen gambling oversight and tax collection after gambling taxes missed their first-half 2026 target by FCFA61.5bn.
Senegal.- Senegal is moving to put a new platform in place to improve monitoring of gambling operators after authorities attributed the tax underperformance to difficulties supervising the sector.
Senegal’s Economic and Social Recovery Plan (PRES), launched in August 2025 to strengthen the country’s economy and increase domestic revenue, generated FCFA140.7bn (US$247.5m) in revenue in the first six months of 2026 against a target of FCFA221.1bn (US$389m). This represented a 63.6 per cent execution rate and an overall shortfall of FCFA80.4bn (US$141m), according to Seneweb’s report on the second-quarter budget execution figures.
Gambling taxation recorded a shortfall of FCFA61.5bn (US$108m) against its target. Of this amount, FCFA56.4bn (US$99.2m) was attributable to the levy on gambling winnings.
The Senegalese authorities attributed the underperformance to difficulties supervising the sector and announced the implementation of a platform to improve monitoring of gambling operators’ activities and revenue collection.
The levy on gambling winnings reached 49.7 per cent of its target, while taxation of operators’ revenue reached 81.7 per cent, according to Jotaay’s reporting on budget execution at the end of June 2026.
The gambling-tax shortfall came alongside a FCFA13.3bn (US$23.4m) shortfall from mineral-export taxation, with the relevant measure not yet operationalised.
The PRES forms part of Senegal’s broader effort to strengthen domestic revenue and address economic and fiscal imbalances. The plan was presented by then-Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko in August 2025 and includes measures targeting additional revenue from areas including online gambling.
