{"id":19372,"date":"2026-03-04T08:11:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T11:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=19372"},"modified":"2026-04-19T08:14:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T11:14:54","slug":"drc-lottery-modernisation-gains-momentum-with-planned-sonal-relaunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/drc-lottery-modernisation-gains-momentum-with-planned-sonal-relaunch","title":{"rendered":"DRC Lottery modernisation gains momentum with planned SONAL relaunch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Planned 2026 SONAL relaunch and parliamentary oversight measures signal continued reform in the Democratic Republic of the Congo\u2019s gambling and lottery sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

DRC.- The Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/strong> (DRC) is moving swiftly to modernise its gambling and lottery sector<\/strong>. Officials say the reforms aim to increase transparency, strengthen revenue collection<\/strong> and make the industry more competitive<\/strong>. Central to these plans is the state\u2011owned National Lottery Company (SONAL), which is preparing for a planned relaunch <\/strong>in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reform initiative gained momentum in December 2025, when Finance Minister Doudou Li\u2011Botayi<\/strong> convened a high\u2011level meeting in Kinshasa with sector stakeholders, including SONAL leadership. Officials discussed governance reform<\/strong>, financial transparency and strategies to position the national lottery as a more structured and competitive state operator<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Li\u2011Botayi said in a government communiqu\u00e9, according to ACP: \u201cThe reform aims to improve<\/strong> the organisation of the sector, to strengthen the mobilisation <\/strong>of domestic revenue and to ensure better oversight<\/strong> of activities related to games of chance and gambling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials say preparations for SONAL\u2019s relaunch are ongoing<\/strong>, with a focus on aligning operations with international standards<\/strong>, increasing revenue collection and strengthening regulatory oversight. Preparatory work continued into January 2026, as authorities advanced operational improvements<\/strong> to bolster competitiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reforms drive growth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In February 2026, lawmakers tabled a parliamentary initiative <\/strong>aimed at clarifying government levies, enhancing sector oversight and integrating anti\u2011money\u2011laundering<\/strong> and counter\u2011terrorism measures. The proposal reflects the government\u2019s continued focus on modernising the gambling and lottery sector. These steps build on the April 2025 draft law<\/strong>, which laid the foundation <\/strong>for reform. While the bill\u2019s current legislative status has not been formally confirmed in 2026, the proposal underscores sustained policy attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials note that these reforms, together with SONAL\u2019s planned relaunch, could bring greater regulatory clarity<\/strong>, boost investor confidence<\/strong> and foster a more robust commercial environment for lottery and gambling operations across the DRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As March 2026 begins, the government\u2019s coordinated strategy <\/strong>is gaining momentum, aiming for clearer rules, stronger revenue and a more competitive, transparent<\/strong> sector with SONAL preparing for its planned relaunch.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\t\tSee also:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSee also:<\/span> Cameroon\u2019s new 3% foreign digital tax brings offshore gambling platforms under the spotlight<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Planned 2026 SONAL relaunch and parliamentary oversight measures signal continued reform in the Democratic Republic of the Congo\u2019s gambling and lottery sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2809,"featured_media":19377,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"The Democratic Republic of the Congo is implementing significant reforms in its gambling and lottery sector, targeting increased transparency, enhanced revenue collection, and improved competitiveness. Central to this initiative is the planned 2026 relaunch of the state-owned National Lottery Company (SONAL), supported by parliamentary oversight measures and a focus on international standards and AML\/CTF integration. These reforms are anticipated to foster greater regulatory clarity and boost investor confidence within the DRC's gaming landscape.","focusai_entities":"SONAL, Doudou Li-Botayi, ACP","focusai_location":"Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, Kinshasa","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.9), operator_casino (0.9), affiliate_publisher (0.7), marketing_crm (0.7), payments_fraud_aml (0.9), investor_analyst (1.0), supplier_vendor (0.8), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"SONAL Relaunch Strategy","query":"What specific B2B technology and operational partnerships is SONAL pursuing to achieve its 2026 relaunch objectives and align with international gaming standards?"},{"label":"Regulatory Framework Impact","query":"How will the proposed parliamentary initiative and the April 2025 draft law specifically alter the B2C licensing framework, taxation structure, and responsible gambling mandates for private operators in the DRC?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60014,60020],"tags":[226],"class_list":["post-19372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-central-africa","category-legislation-news","tag-anti-money-laundering"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2809"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19372"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19406,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19372\/revisions\/19406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}