Online betting in Niger is only clearly legal through the state monopoly, LONANI (Loterie Nationale du Niger), which runs the national lottery, PMU horse-race betting and the Parifoot-Niger sports-betting product. Niger has no licensing regime for private or offshore online casinos and bookmakers, so foreign sites operate in an unregulated grey space rather than a licensed one. LONANI’s products are 18+, cryptocurrency sits in a grey zone under regional (BCEAO) rules, and gambling is widely discouraged on religious grounds in this overwhelmingly Muslim country.

Gambling in Niger is built around a state monopoly. LONANI, the national lottery, is the legally sanctioned operator and works under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance. Its legal basis traces back to law no. 66-012 of 20 January 1966. LONANI offers the Loto Balsa 5/90 lottery, PMU horse-race betting and, since December 2021, the Parifoot-Niger football-betting product across kiosks and mobile/web channels.

What Niger does not have is a licensing framework for private or international online operators, nor a dedicated, independent gambling commission. There is no gaming authority issuing licences to foreign bookmakers, and no published rules protecting players who use them. Many residents still access offshore betting and casino sites, but they do so in a legal vacuum: these operators are neither authorised nor formally policed inside Niger. For that reason we describe the market as restricted rather than “regulated” or “illegal.”

Who regulates gambling?

The regulator is effectively LONANI itself, under the Ministry of Finance. It combines operator and gatekeeper roles, which is common in West African lottery-led markets, and there is no separate independent gambling authority auditing private online sites. In August 2025, LONANI took part in a meeting of national lottery and PMU bodies from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in Bamako, aimed at harmonising legal frameworks, improving interoperability and combating illegal gambling and fraud across the bloc.

Payments: mobile money and crypto

Niger is a cash-and-mobile-money economy. Airtel Money is widely available and is the practical way most people move money digitally; LONANI’s Parifoot uses voucher-based recharge with mobile and web access. Bank-card ownership is low.

On cryptocurrency, Niger belongs to the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and uses the West African CFA franc issued by the BCEAO. Crypto is not recognised as legal tender in the union, and no crypto licences have been issued; the BCEAO has set up a committee to develop a regional crypto framework, so rules remain in flux. Crypto is neither clearly authorised nor formally banned, and it plays no part in any regulated gambling channel. Using crypto to fund offshore gambling therefore stacks two grey-zone activities and adds real legal and financial uncertainty.

Tax on winnings

There is no clearly published personal tax on gambling winnings for players in the public record. LONANI is a state entity whose surpluses feed the treasury, but individual player tax treatment is not transparently documented. Treat this as unclear: anyone with meaningful winnings should confirm with the Direction Générale des Impôts before assuming winnings are tax-free.

Safety and responsible gambling

Because offshore sites are unregulated in Niger, players carry the full risk of disputes, withheld withdrawals and unfair terms with no local recourse. LONANI presents its products as 18+ and frames itself around responsible, fair play. There is no widely publicised national gambling helpline in Niger; support typically comes through general health services, family and community.

If gambling stops being fun, set hard deposit and time limits, avoid chasing losses, and speak to someone you trust. Given Niger’s strong religious context, many communities discourage gambling entirely, and that is worth respecting.

You must be 18+ to gamble. Gambling carries real financial risk; play only what you can afford to lose, and seek help if it stops being fun.

Sources