Maputo, July 15, 2026 (Lusa) - Mozambique is set to introduce a specific legal framework for online games of chance, aiming to regulate such activity on digital platforms and distinguish it from land-based casinos amid falling tax revenues from the sector.
The cabinet approved the measure on Tuesday, with the new Regulation on the Operation and Practice of Games of Chance via electronic or computerised media, as explained by the cabinet spokesman, Inocêncio Impissa, following the weekly meeting.
The legislation establishes the legal framework for the operation and practice of online games of chance, a form of gambling conducted remotely via electronic platforms, computer systems, or other digital means of remote access.
The regulation also sets out the licensing framework applicable to the operation of this activity, recognising online gambling as a separate, independent sector subject to its own specific requirements, distinct from the licences granted to land-based casinos.
The decision comes at a time when the government itself has linked the expansion of online gambling to a reduction in tax revenue from casinos.
Data on the 2025 budget implementation from the Ministry of Finance, previously reported by Lusa, indicate that the state collected 359.5 million meticais (€4.8 million) in taxes paid by casinos, a figure corresponding to just 54% of the 666.1 million meticais (€8.8 million) forecast for that year.
This figure also represented a 7.3% reduction compared with the 387.7 million meticais (€5.1 million) collected in 2024, a year in which the government had set a target of 1,235 million meticais (€16.4 million) in the Budget, but collected only 34% of that amount.
In the 2025 budget implementation report, the Ministry of Finance attributed the poor performance of this tax to the “significant increase in online gambling”, a phenomenon which, according to the document, reduced the number of players visiting casinos.
Mozambique currently has concessions for casinos and slot machine halls in cities such as Maputo, Matola, Beira, Tete, Nampula and Pemba – ventures which, according to data previously released by the government, involved private investment of around $36 million (€31.2 million).
According to the National Directorate for Games of Chance, the awarding of casino licences requires a minimum share capital of $2.7 million (€2.3 million) and investments of at least $5.5 million (€4.7 million) during the first five years of operation.
Concessionaires are liable to pay the Special Tax on Gambling, calculated on gross operating revenue, at rates ranging from 20% to 35%, depending on the duration of the concession.
In addition, they must pay Stamp Duty amounting to 50% of the price of casino entry tickets; however, they benefit from exemptions from other taxes levied on profits from gambling operations and from import duties on equipment intended exclusively for this activity.
PVJ/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
