Tanzania’s major new ban targets foreigners operating slot machines
Foreign-owned slot machines barred as part of broader effort to protect local businesses.
Tanzania.- Tanzania has cracked down on foreign-operated gambling outlets and slot machines in a landmark business reform, signalling a major shift in the country’s gambling landscape. These informal gambling operations are now banned, as the government’s sweeping new directive reasserts local control over small-scale businesses reserved exclusively for Tanzanian citizens.
The wider policy covers 15 sectors, including general retail, mobile money services, domestic parcel delivery and tour guiding. The government’s goal is to support Tanzanian business owners, ensure fair competition and preserve opportunities for small-scale businesses to remain in the hands of local people.
The decision was formalised through Government Notice No. 487A, published on July 28, under the Business Licensing Act (Cap 101).
“This Order may be cited as the Business Licensing (Prohibition of Business Activities for Non-Citizens) Order, 2025. In this Order, unless the context otherwise requires, ‘non-citizen’ has the meaning ascribed to it under the Tanzania Citizenship Act. The business activities specified in the Schedule to this Order shall not be carried out by non-citizens,” part of the order states, according to the Daily News.
The order further states: “The ban applies to foreigners operating gambling machines outside casinos and owning or running micro and small industries.”
Notably, the ban does not affect the country’s larger, fully licensed and locally owned regulated casinos, which remain protected and continue to operate without restriction under the new rules.
Crackdown with heavy fines
This move effectively shuts down a growing number of Tanzania’s informal gambling setups, typically small slot machine outlets placed in bars, shops and salons, that have been linked to foreigners.
Minister for Industry and Trade Dr. Selemani Jafo has since launched a national enforcement blitz. Over 100 business premises were inspected, and 183 individuals have already been flagged, with some being deported. The minister warned that “heavy fines will be imposed on those breaking these laws”.
Violations carry heavy penalties, including a minimum fine of TSh10 million ($3,800), six months’ imprisonment and visa or residence permit revocation for foreigners. Tanzanians who assist non-citizens in the banned sectors could face fines of up to TSh5 million ($1,900) or three months in jail.
The crackdown follows rising concern in Tanzania’s largest city, Dar es Salaam, where foreign traders, particularly from China, were found dominating business sectors. An investigative team uncovered widespread misuse of business licences.
As Tanzania redraws the lines of its gaming industry, the message is clear: regulated casino gambling is here to stay, but the informal foreign-operated slot machine economy is being pushed firmly into the past.
