Mozambique's Council of Ministers approved a dedicated legal framework for online gambling in mid-July. Concessions for games of chance offered through electronic platforms, computer systems and other digital channels now sit under a regime separate from the one governing land-based casinos. Online sports betting, lotteries, draws and virtual games were already licensed in the country under social and recreational gaming legislation. The new document covers online games of chance.
The trigger was falling revenue from physical casinos. Casino gaming tax collections reached MZN359.5 million ($5.6 million) in 2025, which is 54% of the MZN666.1 million ($10.4 million) budget target. A year earlier they came in at MZN387.7 million ($6.08 million), 7.3% more, against MZN1.235 billion budgeted for that year. The government blames the shortfall on the growth of online gambling: fewer people make it to land-based casinos.
Economy minister Basílio Muhate named the fight against illegal gambling, tighter supervision and transparency as priorities. The regulator is the General Inspectorate of Games (IGJ). He also called on operators to join work on the social fallout of irresponsible play, particularly among young people.
For operators the open question is licence economics, and there is nothing to price yet. The government has not published the cost of a concession, gaming tax rates, minimum capital requirements, the application procedure or technical standards. Without those parameters there is no basis for unit economics on the Mozambican market.
Danilo Mussá, president of the Mozambican Association of Online Games and Betting, said the association will press the National Institute of Information and Communication Technologies (INTIC) to block offshore sites. 'People place bets on them without credit or debit cards, and that is a loss for the state because taxes are not paid,' he said. Whether INTIC gains extra blocking powers under the new regulation is unclear. For affiliates that is a separate signal: offshore traffic into Mozambique may get riskier, though the timing and mechanics of any restrictions are undefined.
