Gambling in Benin is a mainstream, football-driven pastime built around the state monopoly operator, the Loterie Nationale du Bénin (LNB). The national lottery has existed since 1967, but the defining feature of modern Beninese gambling is the rise of mobile sports betting among young people, centred on football. Enthusiasm is genuine and widespread, yet it sits alongside rising, well-documented concern about addiction and financial harm.

A short history

State-organised gambling in Benin goes back to 1967, when the national lottery was created (then in the Republic of Dahomey). Over time this consolidated into the Loterie Nationale du Bénin (LNB), which became a joint-stock company holding the legal monopoly on games of chance under the 2004 gaming law (Law No. 2002-28 of 29 March 2004). LNB operates a wide physical network of points of sale as well as an online platform, and is supervised by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. For most of its history the legal framework focused on land-based lotteries, casinos and betting, leaving online play in a grey area until the 2025 tax reform.

Football dominates. Major European leagues are widely followed, and betting on match results is the country’s signature gambling activity. A peer-reviewed study in Parakou (December 2021–November 2022) found that sports betting — described locally as ‘sports lotto’ or through apps such as 1xBet — was overwhelmingly the most common activity among problem gamblers, at about 84%. Beyond football, the popular menu includes:

  • National Loto lottery draws
  • Virtual sports and virtual games
  • Horse racing (parimutuel-style) betting
  • Online casino games via LNB’s platform

Attitudes and social context

Beninese gambling culture is enthusiastic but increasingly scrutinised. Betting is legal and hugely popular among young people, especially around football, but the same Parakou research points to a real public-health concern: pathological gambling concentrated among young bettors, with an average age around 23. That tension — genuine mass enthusiasm alongside documented harm — defines the current mood.

Operators and the market today

The market runs on a delegated-monopoly model. LNB itself operates lotteries, sports betting, virtual games and online casino play, and private operators can only operate legally by signing a convention with LNB. A small number of private brands (reported to include 1xBet, Betpawa and Betmomo) operate under such conventions; any other site operates outside the legal framework. The 2025 Finance Law reshaped the economics by taxing operators on gross gaming revenue, and at least one major licensed brand, Betclic, exited Benin in January 2025, citing the new tax. LNB’s own 2025 results reflected the pressure from untaxed offshore competition, with online play now the largest share of its revenue.

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