SlotAs of 2026, gambling in Ethiopia is restricted and in flux: licensed sports betting was legal from 2012 under the National Lottery Administration, but on 15 December 2025 the Ethiopian Lottery Service revoked every private sports-betting licence nationwide, citing licensing breaches, illegal financial transfers and national-security concerns. The state National Lottery (Lotto, tombola, scratch cards) remains legal, online casino gaming has never been regulated, and cryptocurrency payments are illegal. Treat all private and offshore online betting as high-risk until a new licensing framework is announced.
Who regulates gambling in Ethiopia?
Gambling is overseen by the National Lottery Administration (NLA) / Ethiopian Lottery Service, which sits under the Ministry of Finance. It was established on 8 September 1961 and is the sole body empowered to license and supervise gaming in the country. Historically it issued licences for sports betting and lottery products; casinos and online slots were never brought under a licensing scheme.
What is legal and what is not
| Activity | Status (2026) |
|---|---|
| State national lottery, tombola, scratch cards | Legal (state-run) |
| Private sports betting | Previously licensed; all licences revoked 15 Dec 2025 |
| Online casino / slots | No regulation, no licensing scheme (grey/unlicensed) |
| Crypto betting | Not permitted (crypto payments illegal) |
| Offshore online sites | Unlicensed; used at own risk |
When private licensing was open, the market was tightly capped at roughly two dozen operators. Reported entry requirements included a licence fee of about ETB 500,000 and a bank guarantee of about ETB 1.5 million, and foreign companies generally needed a local Ethiopian partner.
The 2023-2025 crackdown
Ethiopia’s betting market grew fast on the back of a young, increasingly mobile population, but regulators pushed back hard. In the 2023/24 fiscal year the Addis Ababa city administration reported closing 4,118 betting houses, citing harm to young people, theft and family breakdown. In November 2025 a multi-agency investigation suspended the licences of 22 betting companies and alleged that firms, working with fintech and aggregator platforms, had concealed revenue exceeding 100 billion birr. On 15 December 2025 the Ethiopian Lottery Service revoked all private sports-betting licences nationwide, ordering operators to stop taking wagers, instructing banks and payment institutions to block their transactions, and requiring firms to remain liable for unsettled bets and customer balances.
Licensed vs offshore
With private licences revoked, there is currently no lawful private online betting operator to recommend. The only clearly legal products are the state Ethiopian National Lottery games. Offshore sites accessible from Ethiopia are not NLA-licensed, provide no local consumer protection, and may breach foreign-exchange controls.
Payments and crypto
Local betting historically ran on birr via bank transfer, mobile money (such as telebirr) and cards. Cryptocurrency is not a legal payment method: the National Bank of Ethiopia declared crypto transactions illegal in 2022 with the birr as the only legal tender, and in February 2026 it issued a further notice explicitly prohibiting birr-paired peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto trading. Crypto mining has been permitted with registration since 2022, but no licensed exchanges or regulated crypto gambling exist.
Tax on winnings
Under Proclamation No. 1395/2025 (in force from mid-July 2025), withholding tax on lottery, prize and sports-betting winnings rose from roughly 15% to between 20% and 25%, typically deducted at source. Licensed operators separately paid a turnover tax of about 15% on stakes or sales.
Safer gambling
Gambling is for adults 18+ only. Ethiopia has no single national problem-gambling helpline; if betting stops being fun, set deposit and time limits, use self-exclusion where offered, and seek support from family or community health services. Given the current licence freeze and the illegality of crypto payments, avoid unlicensed and offshore platforms entirely.
Sources
- CMS Expert Guide - Gambling law and regulation in Ethiopia
- World Casino Directory - Ethiopia revokes all sports betting licences nationwide (Dec 2025)
- SiGMA - Ethiopia increases gambling taxes to generate state revenue
- 2Merkato - Addis Ababa bans sports betting houses
- National Bank of Ethiopia - Notice on illegal birr-paired P2P crypto transactions
- National Lottery Administration of Ethiopia (official)
18+. Gamble responsibly. If gambling is causing harm, seek support.