Tanzania plans gaming-machine revenue-sharing deal as foreign licences suspended
The proposed agreement comes as authorities step up efforts to monitor gaming machines in rural communities and tackle illegal operations.
Key takeaways:
- Tanzania’s deputy finance minister Mshamu Munde told Parliament that the government is finalising an agreement to share gaming-machine revenue between central government and local councils.
- New gaming-machine licences for foreign operators have been suspended pending an assessment of their social and economic impact.
- Authorities seized and destroyed 1,702 gaming machines over the past three years.
- The Gaming Board of Tanzania is developing a system for real-time monitoring of gaming machines.
- The proposed agreement is expected to be signed after stakeholders submit their views, but revenue-sharing percentages have not been disclosed.
Tanzania.- Tanzania is finalising a proposed gaming-machine revenue-sharing agreement between central government and local councils, while the government has suspended the issuance of new gaming-machine licences to foreign operators. The agreement is intended to improve oversight of gaming-machine businesses, while the licensing suspension will allow authorities to assess the social and economic impact of foreign-operated gaming machines.
Tanzania’s Parliament, in its Order Paper for the Fifth Meeting, Third Sitting on October 29, 2026, listed a question from Tanga Special Seats MP Husna Juma Sekiboko under item 43. Addressed to the Minister of Finance, it asked what plans the National Lottery Board had to control gambling games described as “madugudugu ya Wachina” (Chinese gaming machines), which were alleged to be damaging moral values in the country.
Responding to the question in Parliament in Dodoma, Deputy Minister for Finance Engineer Mshamu Munde outlined the government’s measures, including the proposed agreement with local councils and the suspension of new licences for foreign gaming-machine operators, according to the Daily News.
Munde said the draft agreement would establish how gaming-machine revenue is shared between central government and local councils. It is expected to be signed after stakeholders submit their views.
Munde said the gaming sector was growing rapidly and contributing to government revenue, but gaming-machine operations had expanded into informal areas, particularly rural communities. To address this, the Gaming Board of Tanzania (GBT) intends to collaborate with the President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) at local-government level.
How is Tanzania strengthening gaming-machine monitoring and enforcement?
The Board is also developing a technological system that will enable real-time monitoring of gaming machines. Alongside these measures, the government is conducting special enforcement operations in collaboration with security and law-enforcement agencies, the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and local government authorities. The operations aim to identify illegal gaming-machine operators and take legal action against them.
Over the past three years, authorities have seized and destroyed 1,702 gaming machines. The announcement comes after an earlier GBT suspension in April 2026, when the regulator temporarily halted the issuance of new slot-machine and route-operation licences to new applicants while it worked to complete an Electronic Monitoring System for the sector.
The April notice did not identify foreign operators. The October announcement, however, refers to new licences for foreign gaming-machine operators and cites a comprehensive assessment of their social and economic impact. It remains unclear from the government’s statements whether the measure extends the April suspension or constitutes a separate restriction targeted at foreign operators.
Responding to concerns about the social effects of gaming machines, Munde said there was no research or evidence showing that the activities contributed to moral decay. However, he acknowledged that studies had identified gambling addiction as a challenge associated with the games, requiring effective control measures.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
- What is Tanzania’s proposed gaming-machine revenue-sharing agreement? It is a draft agreement intended to establish how revenue from gaming-machine businesses will be shared between central government and local councils. It is expected to be signed after stakeholders submit their views.
- Why has Tanzania suspended new gaming-machine licences for foreign operators? The government says the suspension will allow it to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the social and economic impact of gaming machines operated by foreign businesses.
- Which authority regulates gaming machines in Tanzania? The Gaming Board of Tanzania (GBT) issues licences for gaming-machine businesses and is developing a technological system to monitor machines in real time.
- How many gaming machines have been seized in Tanzania? Authorities have seized and destroyed 1,702 gaming machines over the past three years.
