Senegal is culturally a betting nation despite being roughly 97% Muslim — a country where the state lottery LONASE, PMU horse racing and football betting are woven into everyday life, even as Islam’s prohibition on gambling creates genuine social tension. Gaming is legal, tightly state-controlled, and increasingly mobile, with young players driving a fast-growing online betting boom.

A brief history

Organised gambling in Senegal is older than many assume. Horse-race betting under the French pari mutuel (PMU) tradition is popular across French-speaking Africa, and PMU itself formally entered the Senegalese market in 2022 through a partnership with LONASE. The modern lottery era began with the founding of LONASE (Loterie Nationale Sénégalaise) in 1966, shortly after independence.

Over the following decades LONASE evolved from a private company into a mixed-economy entity, and in 1987 it became wholly state-owned when Law No. 87-43 of 28 December 1987 established it as a national company. Today LONASE holds a legal monopoly over lotteries and sports betting, and its revenue supports development spending in areas such as health, education, youth, sport and culture.

Several forms of play sit at the centre of Senegalese gambling culture:

  • The LONASE lottery — the long-established national draw and instant games.
  • PMU horse racing — pari-mutuel betting on races, with payouts aligned to the French PMU pool.
  • Football sports betting — a large and fast-growing category, increasingly placed via mobile.
  • Casino games — slots and table games, concentrated in Dakar.

Casinos

Senegal’s best-known venue is Casino Terrou-Bi in Dakar, part of a five-star beachfront hotel. It runs a slot-machine room with more than 140 machines and a table-games area offering roulette, blackjack, punto banco and various poker formats. Entry is restricted to persons aged 18 and over, and land-based casinos are licensed by the Ministries of the Interior and of Economy and Finance.

Islam and social attitudes

Senegal is one of the most heavily Muslim countries in the world — US government estimates put the Muslim share of the population at around 97%, most belonging to Sufi brotherhoods such as the Tijaniyya and the Mourides. Islam prohibits gambling (maisir), and many observant Senegalese abstain. This creates a real tension: gambling is simultaneously religiously frowned upon and, through state channels, legal, widely played and fiscally important. The government’s approach has been to keep gaming under tight state control rather than to prohibit it.

A changing, mobile-first market

The biggest shift in recent years has been the move to mobile. Cheap smartphones and mobile-money wallets have pushed betting — especially on football — into the hands of young people, prompting both a state modernisation drive (LONASE’s own LPbet platform) and new taxes on winnings and transfers introduced in late 2025. Alongside the fiscal changes, LONASE has partnered with the CEPIAD addiction centre in Dakar to address rising concerns about gambling-related harm.

You must be 18+ to gamble in Senegal. Gambling should be entertainment, not a way to make money. If it stops being fun, seek help via CEPIAD (Fann Hospital, Dakar).

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