Congo’s gambling industry generated as much as $1.6 to $1.7 billion in 2024 revenue, but only about $1 million made its way into state coffers, Finance Minister Doudou Fwamba said on September 29.
“The studies show that nearly $1.6 to $1.7 billion was collected by companies in this sector during the last fiscal year,” Mr. Fwamba told Kinshasa broadcaster Top Congo FM, lamenting that “the tax contribution remains negligible.”
To plug the gap, the government plans to establish a new regulatory authority and roll out a digital platform to track bets and winnings in real time.
“Each person will have an online account to play, which will allow the state to deduct its share from every stake and every prize,” Mr. Fwamba explained.
Money laundering and terrorist financing
A reform bill, already adopted by the Council of Ministers and awaiting parliamentary review, would also introduce an automated monitoring system designed to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
“We are instituting a tax regime to mobilize far more revenue. Right now, this sector’s contribution is not significant,” the minister said.
According to the Finance Ministry, a market riddled with unlicensed operators and opaque practices could yield more than $100 million annually in tax revenue once the new framework is in place.
The government is also betting on reviving the National Lottery Company (SONAL) to capture a larger share of revenue and better regulate a fast-growing industry.
In 2022, former Finance Minister Nicolas Kazadi had already denounced the presence of 139 illegal operators, with tax receipts stuck at around $1 million — a fraction of the sector’s true potential.
M&B
Congo’s Booming Gambling Industry Nets Billions, but the State Sees Almost Nothing
