Online gambling in Morocco is a split picture: state-run online sports betting (MDJS, operated by Sisal Jeux Maroc) and horse-race betting (SOREC) are legal, but there is no domestic licensing framework for private online casinos or sportsbooks. Offshore casino and poker sites are unregulated rather than clearly authorised, and since July 2025 winnings from foreign online platforms carry a 30% withholding tax plus a 2% solidarity contribution (about 32% combined). Cryptocurrency remains banned, so crypto gambling is legally risky. This guide summarises the legal status, regulators, payments, tax and safer-gambling resources for 2026.

Morocco’s gambling regime rests on an ageing legal base tied to the 1966 Dahir (Dahir No. 1-65-206), which permits licensed land-based casinos, the national lottery and betting. The state runs the regulated verticals through monopolies. Online sports betting is offered by La Marocaine des Jeux et des Sports (MDJS), whose sports-betting operation has been run since 1 January 2024 by Sisal Jeux Maroc (part of Flutter Entertainment) under an eight-year concession. Horse-race betting is run online and in retail by SOREC.

What Morocco does not have is a licensing route for private online casinos or sportsbooks. As a result, offshore casino and poker sites are unregulated. Moroccans can and do access them, and in a notable development the Casablanca Court of Appeal suspended a telecom blocking order in February 2026, finding that the telecom regulator had exceeded its mandate. That kept offshore access open for the time being, but these sites operate without local oversight or player-protection guarantees.

Who regulates gambling?

There is no single national online-gambling regulator. Instead, oversight is split across state bodies:

VerticalOperator / bodyOversight
Sports bettingMDJS (via Sisal Jeux Maroc)Ministry of Economy and Finance
National lotteryLoterie Nationale / SGLNMinistry of Economy and Finance
Horse racingSORECState (agriculture/racing authority)
Land-based casinosLicensed casino venuesState (interior/tourism)

The legal gambling age is 18.

Licensed vs offshore operators

Licensed, state-linked options include MDJS sports betting, the Loterie Nationale, and SOREC horse-race pools. These are the only channels with domestic legal footing. Everything else, the international casino brands Moroccans reach online, is offshore and unregulated locally. If a dispute arises, there is no Moroccan authority to appeal to, and deposits are unprotected.

Payments locals actually use

Morocco runs heavily on cash and agent-based networks. Cash Plus and Wafacash outlets are widespread, alongside bank cards and mobile payment options. State betting is distributed through retail points of sale and online/card channels. Offshore sites typically depend on bank cards and intermediaries, exactly the payment rails the new withholding tax now targets at source.

Cryptocurrency transactions were banned in 2017 by Bank Al-Maghrib and financial regulators, and that prohibition technically remains in force. A draft framework, Bill 42.25, was published in November 2025, but it had not been enacted as of mid-2026. Using crypto to gamble therefore sits in a prohibited-to-grey zone with no consumer protection and potential foreign-exchange and criminal exposure.

Tax on player winnings

Under the 2025 Finance Bill, winnings from foreign online gambling attract a 30% withholding tax plus a 2% solidarity contribution (roughly 32% combined). Banks, card issuers and payment intermediaries deduct these at source. The measure took effect in July 2025. Officials framed it as ending a tax-free era for offshore betting and curbing capital flight, with part of the solidarity levy earmarked for social programmes.

Safer-gambling resources

Morocco lacks a dedicated national problem-gambling helpline. MDJS operates a responsible-gaming programme with self-exclusion and can be reached at +212 5 22 36 99 00 or contact@mdjs.ma. For confidential international support, players can use Gamblers Anonymous and Gambling Therapy (gamblingtherapy.org).

18+ only. Gambling can be addictive. If it stops being fun, seek help via the resources above and consider self-exclusion.

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