Mozambique online casino rules due to take effect on 20 November
Mozambique’s new online casino gambling rules are due to take effect on 20 November.
They set out ownership, capital, payment and data requirements that were not made public when ministers approved the framework in July.
The published regulation also sets MZN25 million ($391,216) in initial guarantees, two revenue-based contractual contributions and mandatory player-set gambling limits. These add detail to the financial and operational conditions facing prospective operators.
Decree No. 61/2026 of 21 September approved the Regulation on the Operation and Practice of Online Games of Chance. According to the decree, it enters into force “60 days after the date of its publication”.
The document answers several questions that remained when iGaming Business first reported on the framework in August. At that time, minimum capital requirements, application procedures and technical standards had not been publicly detailed.
The 20 November date marks the regulation’s entry into force, not an automatic commercial launch. Operators must first obtain a concession and an operating licence. Certification and regulatory approval of their gaming system are normally required before operations begin.
Who can operate
Concessions will be available to public limited companies incorporated under Mozambican law. The regulation allows multiple concessionaires and makes online casino concessions legally separate from those covering physical casinos.
It identifies two eligible categories. The first is concessionaires operating physical casinos in Mozambique. The second is operators licensed to offer betting and online games in the country that meet the new requirements. A physical casino is not a prerequisite for an online concession.
The ownership provision contains an important qualification. Article 8 says that “where there are shareholders that are legal persons”, at least 26% of paid-up share capital must be held by Mozambican shareholders with their registered office in the country.
That participation must be maintained throughout the concession and cannot be reduced without prior authorisation.
Minimum share capital is MZN100 million, or a higher amount set by the supervising authority. Applicants must also show three things: enough liquidity to cover prizes, operations and contingencies; financial sustainability; and compliance with their tax and social security obligations.
Guarantees and contributions
The capital requirement comes with two initial guarantees under Article 23. Operators must provide MZN15 million to secure their legal obligations, including estimated player balances and potential fines. They must also provide MZN10 million to guarantee payment of the special online gambling tax.
These requirements can take either the form of bank deposits or autonomous bank guarantees from institutions authorised to operate in Mozambique. However, the General Inspectorate of Games (IGJ), the regulator of gambling in Mozambique, must review them after six months of operation, or whenever necessary.
Articles 88 and 89 set two separate contractual contributions, both calculated on annual revenue. One covers social, institutional and public-responsibility purposes. The other supports tourism development unrelated to gambling.
Each provision sets a minimum of “two point five per cent (2.5%) of annual gross revenue, less payments of winnings to players”. A concession contract can set a higher amount. The regulation expressly describes these as contractual obligations rather than taxes or fiscal charges.
Licences and games
Licence applications and supporting documents must be submitted in Portuguese, on an approved form, to the authority responsible for tourism. Documents in other languages need an official Portuguese translation, duly legalised, unless the supervising authority expressly waives that requirement.
The assessment includes an IGJ technical opinion and checks on suitability, technical capacity and finances.
Licences for concessionaires already operating physical casinos on their own premises can last up to three years. For the other categories specified in Article 24, the limit is two years. Renewal is conditional and the length of the concession contract is set separately.
The approved game categories are baccarat, banca francesa, blackjack, gaming machines, poker, American and French roulette, keno, multiplier games, instant games and bingo. Other categories need ministerial authorisation following an IGJ opinion.
Domains, payments and data
Authorised websites must use a domain ending in .mz. Operators must redirect any access that originates in Mozambique to their authorised national site, as well as any access by users whose accounts are Mozambique-registered.
Article 46 permits only electronic payment instruments authorised by the Bank of Mozambique and “denominated exclusively in meticais”. Instruments issued abroad or involving currency conversion cannot be used to fund player accounts. Money moving between players and operators must pass through accounts at authorised institutions in Mozambique.
Operators must also transfer a player’s requested balance to that player’s designated payment account within 48 hours. They must hold enough funds to cover the total of all player balances.
Entry, registration and authentication infrastructure must be located in Mozambique. All gambling-related data must be stored in the country for at least ten years. Operators must also provide secure regulatory access, have their systems certified and undergo technical audits at least once a year.
Mandatory player limits
The player-protection rules go further than just requiring operators to offer optional controls.
“Setting deposit and betting limits is mandatory at registration,” Article 93 states, making those limits a condition of activating an account. Players must set daily, weekly and monthly deposit limits before they can gamble.
Reductions take effect immediately, while other changes take effect only after 24 hours. Commercial practices that encourage players to raise their limits are prohibited.
Under-18s are barred and age verification must be automatic and completed before registration. Self-exclusion takes effect immediately and lasts at least three months. Players can also ask the regulator to exclude them from all licensed operators’ websites.
Action against unlicensed sites
The regulation covers gambling directed at Mozambique, whatever the operator’s nationality or the location of its servers.
When the IGJ identifies an unauthorised online gambling service, it must instruct the operator to stop the activity and remove the service within 48 hours. Under Article 32, if the operator fails to comply, the inspectorate must notify network intermediaries.
Telecommunications operators, internet providers and other covered intermediaries then normally have 48 hours from notification to carry out a blocking decision, unless the authority sets a different deadline. Each decision must identify the service, the evidence of illegality and the legal basis.
‘Clear rules’
The government set out its wider approach when Mozambique hosted the 17th Gaming Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF) in Maputo in September.
“Our vision is of a state that is not opposed to economic activity, but that creates clear rules, ensures fair competition, protects citizens and guarantees that the benefits of the activity add to national development,” Secretary of State for Treasury and Budget Amílcar Tivane said at the opening, according to the IGJ.
At the same forum, according to Afriplay Hub, IGJ Deputy Inspector General Macário Gusse urged African regulators to establish memoranda of understanding so they could share information to fight illegal gambling.
Gusse, who is also GRAF vice president, said confidentiality requirements could get in the way of exchanging information about operators and regulatory concerns. He said formal agreements could help overcome those barriers.
What remains unclear
The rules come as casino-tax receipts fall. Citing Finance Ministry budget-execution data, Portugal’s Lusa news agency reported that MZN161 million in special gaming tax was collected in the first half of 2026, compared with MZN175.2 million a year earlier.
Article 87 does not give a numerical rate for the gambling tax. Instead, it refers to the rate set in applicable fiscal legislation. The amounts for licensing and concession-award fees are also left to other instruments and contractual arrangements.
As a result, the decree sets out an application procedure but gives no date for applications to open and no confirmed commercial launch timetable.
Those implementation details will decide when the framework becomes an operational licensed market.