Mozambique has approved a dedicated legal framework for online gambling. The move creates a separate concession regime for games of chance offered through electronic platforms, computer systems and other digital means.
The Council of Ministers approved the regulation in mid-July, separating online casino-style games from the concession system governing land-based casinos.
Mozambique already licenses online sports betting and other products, such as lotteries, raffles, and virtual games, under its social and entertainment-games framework. The new regulation specifically covers online games of chance or fortune.
The move comes as tax revenue from physical casinos has declined, with the government attributing part of the shortfall to the growth of online gambling.
Casino gaming-tax collections fell to MZN359.5 million ($5.6 million) in 2025, 54% of the government’s budget target of MZN666.1 million ($10.4 million), according to Ministry of Finance budget execution data reported by Portuguese news agency Lusa.
Collections were 7.3% lower than the MZN387.7 million ($6.08 million) collected in 2024. The government had budgeted MZN1.235 billion in casino gaming tax for that year.
The government said the increase in online gambling had reduced visits to physical casinos.
Economy Minister Basílio Muhate said the government would focus on tackling illegal gambling while strengthening oversight and transparency. The General Inspectorate of Games (IGJ) is responsible for supervising the sector.
“We continue to defend the fight against illegal gambling,” Muhate told O País. “We affirm and reaffirm our commitment to tackling it. We also reaffirm the need for greater inspection and greater transparency. That is why we have a General Inspectorate of Games with that responsibility.”
Muhate also called on operators to help address the social effects of irresponsible gambling, particularly among young people.
The new framework could also give authorities a clearer legal basis to tackle offshore gambling sites serving Mozambican consumers without generating local tax revenue.
Danilo Mussá, president of the Mozambican Association of Online Games and Betting, said the association would push the National Institute of Information and Communication Technologies (INTIC) to block offshore sites.
“This approval is important because it gives us a legal instrument that will also enable us to combat foreign betting sites that enter our cyberspace,” Mussá told O País. “People bet on them without using credit or debit cards, which represents a loss to the Mozambican state because taxes are not paid.”
It remains unclear whether the new regulation gives INTIC specific additional powers to block offshore sites.
The government has also yet to publish several key details needed to establish the new market, including concession costs, gaming-tax rates, minimum capital requirements, application procedures and technical standards.