Mozambique has approved a dedicated legal framework for online gambling, creating a separate concession regime for games of chance offered through electronic platforms and computerised systems.
The Council of Ministers approved the Regulation on the Operation and Practice of Games of Chance or Fortune through Electronic or Computerised Means in mid-July. This measure separates online games of chance from the concession framework governing Mozambique’s land-based casinos.
Mozambique already permits online sports betting and other products under its existing social and entertainment-games framework, which covers lotteries, raffles, mutual betting and virtual games.
This new regulation instead applies to online games of chance or fortune, including casino-style gambling, which will operate under its own concession regime. The change comes as tax revenue from physical casinos continues to weaken.
Casino gaming-tax revenue fell to MZN359.5m in 2025, around $5.6m, against a government target of MZN666.1m. That represented 54% of the budgeted amount and was 7.3% below the MZN387.7m collected in 2024.
The government attributed the shortfall partly to increased online gambling, which it said had reduced visits to physical casinos.
Government places illegal gambling and transparency at centre of reforms
Economy Minister Basílio Muhate said enforcement and transparency would remain central as the new framework develops. Following a 31 July meeting with the Mozambican Association of Online Games and Betting, Muhate said the General Inspectorate of Games would continue supervising the sector.
“We continue to defend the fight against illegal gambling,” Muhate told O País. “Regarding all forms of illegality arising from gambling, we affirm and reaffirm our commitment to tackling it. We also reaffirm the need for greater inspection and greater transparency. That is why we have a General Inspectorate of Games with that responsibility.”
Muhate also called on operators to address the social effects of irresponsible gambling, particularly among younger consumers. Economist Júlio Saramala separately argued that the IGJ should publish inspection criteria, annual reports and supporting evidence.
He warned that unemployment and “easy money” messaging could increase gambling participation among young people. Saramala also called for clearer risk information in advertising and stronger payments monitoring for mobile wallets and banks.
Offshore operators become a key target under the new framework
Danilo Mussá, president of the Mozambican Association of Online Games and Betting, said the framework could strengthen authorities’ ability to address offshore sites serving local consumers without contributing tax revenue.
“This approval is important because it gives us a legal instrument that will also enable us to combat foreign betting sites that enter our cyberspace,” Mussá told O País. “People bet on them without using credit or debit cards, which represents a loss to the Mozambican state because taxes are not paid.”
Mussá said the association would push the National Institute of Information and Communication Technologies to block offshore gambling websites. However, publicly available information does not establish whether the regulation gives INTIC any new specific site-blocking authority.
Licensing costs and technical requirements remain unresolved
Despite establishing a legal basis for a dedicated online gambling market, Mozambique has not yet published a clear route to licensing for prospective operators and investors.
Neither the government nor the IGJ has publicly detailed concession costs, gaming-tax rates, minimum-capital requirements, technical standards or the application process prospective operators must follow. There is also no publicly announced application timetable.
The IGJ did not respond to questions from iGaming Business about when those terms would be released, how operators would be licensed and supervised, or how the regime would work in practice.
The absence of those details means the regulation currently creates a legal category without yet providing operators with the commercial and technical conditions to enter it.
Mozambique’s decision to create a dedicated online gambling regime is an important step, but the market will remain difficult to assess until licensing costs and tax rates are published. The main opportunity will come if the government can combine an improved regulatory structure market with stronger enforcement against offshore operators.
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