Is online gambling legal in Benin?
Law No. 2002-28 of 29 March 2004 gives the State a monopoly over games of chance, money games and betting, exercised directly by the Loterie Nationale du Bénin (LNB) and indirectly through Beninese companies that obtain an agrément by decree of the Council of Ministers. Decree 2023-358 of 12 July 2023 reset the terms: a five-year agrément costing 150 million CFA francs, a royalty of 25% of net gaming product with a floor of 20 million CFA francs, and a maximum player return of 85% of stakes. The Cellule de Supervision du Secteur des Jeux (CSJ) at the Ministry of Economy and Finance supervises licensed operators through a real-time control platform and publishes the list of legal operators. The 2025 Finance Law taxes online gross gaming revenue at 25% and land-based operations at 10%. LNB reported in 2026 that online games now make up 68% of its revenue but that unlicensed sites are eroding its results.
| Vertical | Status in Benin |
|---|---|
| Online casino | Regulated |
| Sports betting | Regulated |
| Online poker | Regulated |
| Lottery | Monopoly |
| Social casino (free to play) | Unclear |
Partially regulated: Some verticals are licensed (usually betting); others are prohibited or unaddressed.
Who regulates gambling in Benin?
- Cellule de Supervision du Secteur des Jeux (CSJ) — Supervisory unit of the Ministry of Economy and Finance created by Decree 2023-357: advises on agréments, monitors licensed operators' betting and money flows through a control platform, and publishes the list of legal operators
- Loterie Nationale du Bénin (LNB) — State lottery holding the direct monopoly; runs Loto 5/90, sports betting and online games and signs partnership contracts with licensed private operators
Benin gambling licence: how it works
A private operator needs an agrément granted by decree of the Council of Ministers on the advice of the CSJ, followed by an operating contract with the LNB, as set out in Decree 2011-324 and reformed by Decree 2023-358 of 12 July 2023. The 2023 reform extended the agrément from two to five years, fixed its cost at 150 million CFA francs, moved the royalty base for online games to net gaming product (stakes less winnings) at a single rate of 25% with a 20 million CFA franc floor, and capped the player return rate at 85% of stakes. Licensed operators must connect to the CSJ's online supervision platform, whose operating rules are set by Order 2844 of 10 October 2023, so that the regulator sees betting and money flows in real time. Agréments are individual decrees; for example Decree 2024-1412 of 11 December 2024 renewed Choplife Gaming Limited's online gambling agrément for five years. Only a handful of private brands are licensed, and the official list is published on the CSJ website.
What an applicant needs
- Company incorporated under Beninese law with a registered office in Benin
- Agrément application to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, reviewed by the CSJ and granted by decree of the Council of Ministers
- Operating contract with the Loterie Nationale du Bénin after the agrément decree
- Connection to the CSJ control and supervision platform for real-time monitoring of bets and money flows
- Player return rate capped at 85% of stakes; game rules and product characteristics as approved
- Compliance with commercial, tax and employment law, and payment of the royalty to the Treasury
Gambling taxes in Benin
- Operators: The 2025 Finance Law (Law 2024-34), in force since 1 January 2025, taxes online gambling at 25% of gross gaming revenue and traditional land-based games at 10%, as announced by the Director General of Taxes on 27 December 2024. This tax is separate from the 25% royalty on net gaming product payable to the Treasury under the agrément, so licensed online operators face both levies plus ordinary corporate taxes.
- Players: No specific tax on player winnings is published.
- Also: The CSJ page states that the 2023 reform aimed to harmonize the royalty base with the gambling tax base and to lighten charges that were pushing operators toward losses; check the current Finance Law each year because rates were changed for 2025.
Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments
Advertising
No dedicated gambling advertising code is published. The CSJ's July 2025 press release warns that promoting illegal gambling is itself punishable, and licensed operators are expected to state that gambling is prohibited under 18 and carries addiction risk.
Responsible gaming
Minimum age 18. The 85% cap on player return and the ban on unlicensed offers are framed as player-protection measures; formal deposit-limit and self-exclusion requirements are not published.
Identity and age verification
Licensed operators identify players and report betting and payment flows to the CSJ supervision platform in real time; anti-money-laundering duties follow Benin's general AML framework.
Payments
Deposits and payouts run in CFA francs through mobile money (MTN Mobile Money, Moov Money and Celtiis Cash) and bank transfer; LNB said in 2026 it would integrate mobile payments across a unified online platform. Cryptocurrency is not an accepted method on licensed platforms.
Notable restrictions
- Only the LNB and holders of a state agrément may offer games of chance, money games or betting
- Lottery products remain reserved for the LNB
- Player return rate capped at 85% of stakes
- Minimum age 18
- Organizing or promoting unlicensed gambling exposes operators to legal sanctions
Benin iGaming market: size, players and payments
LNB, listed on the BRVM, reported 2025 revenue of 98.6 billion CFA francs (about US$176 million), down 4%, with online games at 68% of revenue and growing 18% (allAfrica, May 2026). No market-wide GGR figure including private operators is published.
Loto 5/90, playable for 100 CFA francs, remains the mass-market product through some 3,000 LNB points of sale; football betting drives the online segment.
Online games reached 68% of LNB revenue in 2025 and LNB plans a unified mobile-first platform for casino, sports betting and virtuals in 2026 (allAfrica, May 2026).
The LNB competes with a small group of licensed private brands; industry listings in early 2026 named 1xBet, Betmomo and betPawa as agrément holders alongside Choplife Gaming, whose agrément was renewed in December 2024. LNB identified more than ten illegal sites in a single quarter of 2025.
Timeline: how Benin got here
- 2004-03Law No. 2002-28 of 29 March 2004 establishes the state monopoly on games of chance, money games and betting
- 2011-04Decree 2011-324 sets the conditions for private companies to operate games under agrément and LNB partnership
- 2023-07Decrees 2023-357 and 2023-358 create the CSJ and reset licensing: five-year agrément at 150 million CFA francs, 25% royalty on net gaming product, 85% return cap
- 2023-10Order 2844 fixes the operating rules of the CSJ online supervision platform
- 2024-12Decree 2024-1412 renews Choplife Gaming's online agrément for five years; Finance Law 2025 sets a 25% tax on online GGR and 10% on land-based games
- 2025-07CSJ press release restates that only the LNB and state-licensed operators may offer games and publishes the legal list
- 2026-05LNB reports 2025 revenue down 4% to 98.6 billion CFA francs, blaming unlicensed sites and slot machines
Outlook
Enforcement against unlicensed sites is the live issue: LNB has publicly blamed illegal competitors for its 2025 results and the CSJ has focused its actions on shutting down unlicensed platforms, so expect more blocking and payment-side measures in 2026–2027. LNB's unified online platform and mobile payment integration, planned for 2026, will make the state operator a stronger digital competitor. The agrément route remains open but narrow, and the combined 25% royalty and 25% GGR tax is the main economic constraint for any new applicant as of September 2026.
Launching in Benin with GameBridge
Turnkey (your licence, our platform). The agrément is granted by decree to a Beninese company that the operator controls and is paired with an LNB contract, so the operator holds the licence and runs on GameBridge technology; GameBridge holds no Beninese agrément and cannot guarantee that the Council of Ministers will grant one.
Benin is excluded by GameBridge geo-controls until a brand documents its agrément decree and LNB contract. For a licensed brand the platform runs with French as the site language, an XOF wallet, mobile money rails such as MTN Mobile Money, Moov Money and Celtiis Cash on request through the operator's payment providers, and 18+ identity gating. The reporting layer is configured to feed betting and payment flows to the CSJ supervision platform in the format the operator's integration requires, the game configuration enforces the 85% player-return cap, and finance reports separate the 25% royalty on net gaming product from the 25% GGR tax. GameBridge Studios and Originals ship with certification documents if the CSJ or LNB requests them.
- French site language and XOF wallet
- Geo-controls opened only for a documented agrément holder
- Mobile money deposits and payouts on request
- Real-time bet and payment data feed for the CSJ supervision platform
- Player-return cap enforcement at game level
- Royalty and GGR tax reporting for the Treasury
Football betting, virtual sports and online casino games lead the licensed online offer; the sportsbook and aggregated casino catalog are configured within the 85% return cap, with GameBridge Studios builds available for exclusive local themes.
Frequently asked questions
Is online gambling legal in Benin?
How much does a Benin gambling licence cost?
What is the gambling tax rate in Benin?
Can a foreign company get a Benin betting licence?
Which payment methods do Beninese players use?
How does GameBridge help operators launch in Benin?
Sources and review
Reviewed against the sources below on 11 September 2026. Regulation changes; confirm the current position with local counsel before launch.
- Cellule de Supervision du Secteur des Jeux – missions, decrees 2023-357 and 2023-358 — Ministère de l'Économie et des Finances du Bénin, accessed 2026-09-11
- Décret n° 2011-324 du 2 avril 2011 portant conditions et modalités d'exploitation des jeux de hasard par des personnes morales privées — Secrétariat général du Gouvernement du Bénin, accessed 2026-09-11
- Décret n° 2024-1412 du 11 décembre 2024 portant renouvellement de l'agrément de la société Choplife Gaming Limited — Secrétariat général du Gouvernement du Bénin, accessed 2026-09-11
- Communiqué de presse : seuls les jeux organisés par la LNB et les opérateurs agréés sont autorisés — Cellule de Supervision du Secteur des Jeux via Le Matinal, accessed 2026-09-11
- Le Bénin introduit de nouvelles taxes sur les jeux de hasard pour 2025 — Gambling Talk, accessed 2026-09-11
- Bénin : les joueurs illégaux battent la loterie nationale du pays à son propre jeu — allAfrica, accessed 2026-09-11
- Liste des opérateurs agréés — Cellule de Supervision du Secteur des Jeux, accessed 2026-09-11
Regulatory summaries are provided for orientation only and are not legal advice. Licensing requirements change; we validate them with you during scoping.