Online betting is legal and regulated in Mozambique. Gambling operates under Law no. 1/2010 and its implementing decrees, supervised by the Inspecção Geral de Jogos (IGJ) under the Ministry of Economy and Finance. There are no specific regulations for online gambling, but it may be practised under the general regime, and online sports betting is actively offered by licensed operators. A dedicated online-casino licensing regime does not exist, so many casino-style and crypto sites reach Mozambican players from offshore. That makes Mozambique a genuinely regulated market for sports betting, with a greyer edge around online casinos and cryptocurrency.

Mozambique’s core gambling framework is Law no. 1/2010 (10 February), with its regulation in Decree no. 64/2010, amended by Decree no. 4/2017 and Decree no. 65/2022. Social and amusement games (bingo, lotteries, totobola, totoloto and mutual betting) sit under Law 9/2012 with Decree 17/2012. There is no bespoke statute for online gambling, but authorities treat it as permitted under the general regime. As with regulated markets generally, betting is intended for adults (18+).

The regulator and licensing

The Inspecção Geral de Jogos (IGJ) handles supervision, compliance and tax matters. Land-based casinos are awarded through concessions licensed by the Minister of Tourism via the National Gaming Commission. Reporting indicates concessionaires must show minimum share capital of about US$2.7 million and commit around US$5.5 million of investment within five years. The IGJ publishes a list of licensed entities, so you can check whether a site is authorised locally.

Licensed vs offshore sites

Licensed local sportsbooks include Premier Bet, Betway Mozambique, Elephant Bet and Jogabets. Some combine online platforms with retail shops (Premier Bet and Elephant Bet run large retail networks), while others such as Jogabets are online-first. Choosing an IGJ-licensed operator means clearer recourse and local payment support. Offshore casino and crypto sites may accept Mozambican players, but they fall outside IGJ protection and dispute channels, so treat them with caution.

Payments: local and crypto

Mobile money dominates. M-Pesa (Vodacom), e-Mola (Movitel) and mKesh (TMcel) are the main wallets, and the three have been interoperable since July 2022, so users can transfer across networks. Cash top-ups via agents are widespread. Cryptocurrency is not a mainstream or officially supported betting rail. (Specific deposit minimums and caps vary by operator and wallet, so check current terms before depositing.)

Crypto status

Cryptocurrency is unregulated for gambling but not banned. The Banco de Moçambique has issued risk warnings and, under Aviso 4/GBM/2023 and Laws 3/2024 and 4/2024, is the supervisory authority for virtual-asset service providers, with registration requirements. There is no crypto-specific gambling licence, so betting with crypto is a grey area that adds legal, custody and volatility risk on top of normal gambling risk.

Winnings tax

There is no documented personal income tax aimed specifically at players’ winnings. The tax burden sits on operators: casinos pay a Special Tax on Gambling of 20% to 35% of gross gaming revenue depending on concession length, plus a 50% stamp duty on admission ticket prices. The government targeted 500 million meticais (about US$7.8 million) in gambling tax for 2025, up from 387.7 million meticais (about US$6.1 million) in 2024 and 370.3 million meticais (about US$5.7 million) in 2023. Your personal position can vary, so consult a qualified Mozambican tax adviser.

Safer gambling

Gambling has spread fast on mobile apps. The IGJ has said about 25,000 bets are placed online every hour, mostly by young people, and real harm has been reported: police data cited by reporting indicated at least 10 mostly young people died by suicide in cases linked to gambling in one year. Operators are required to offer responsible-gaming mechanisms, though enforcement is uneven. The NGO CEDSA (Centre for Community Development in Health and Environment) supports people struggling with gambling addiction and has helped around 300 people. Set limits, never chase losses, and seek help early.

Betting is for adults only in Mozambique. If gambling stops being fun, seek support and use operator self-exclusion tools.

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