Finance Ministry Reasserts Sole Authority Over DRC Gambling Market
Democratic Republic of the Congo.- 11 September 2026 | www.zonadeazar.com The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Finance has reaffirmed that it holds sole authority to regulate and supervise gambling activities across the country.
The clarification forms part of a wider restructuring effort designed to strengthen government control over a sector viewed as having substantial economic potential but delivering an extremely limited contribution to public revenues.
The government wants to remove institutional uncertainty, provide greater legal certainty for legitimate operators and improve its ability to monitor and collect gambling-related taxes.
Oversight Transferred to Finance Ministry
The Ministry reminded operators that Ordinance No. 25/293 formally transferred responsibility for gambling regulation from the Ministry of Sports and Leisure to the Ministry of Finance.
Authorities say the move ended any institutional ambiguity surrounding supervision of the industry.
Regulatory, licensing and financial oversight now sit under the Finance Ministry’s remit.
Ending Institutional Ambiguity
A major objective is to prevent conflicting instructions from departments without legal authority over gambling.
Fragmented responsibility can create uncertainty for businesses while making it more difficult for government to collect taxes, fees and other public revenues.
The new model establishes a clearer central point of authority for operators.
Wider Gambling Reform
The clarification is part of a broader reform programme.
The Finance Ministry is seeking to modernise the DRC gambling market through measures covering:
- Regulatory reform.
- Stronger operator supervision.
- Technology-platform monitoring.
- Improved tax collection.
- Illegal-gambling enforcement.
- Player protection.
- Greater institutional transparency.
The overall objective is to move towards a better controlled and more accountable gambling market.
Warning to Operators
Operators have also been warned not to comply with payment requests issued by departments without the legal authority to demand them.
Any such request should be reported immediately to the Ministry of Finance and the Directorate General of Administrative, Judicial, State Property and Equity Revenues (DGRAD).
Irregular Payment Notices Have No Legal Effect
The Ministry said approvals, authorisations, payment notices or other acts issued by unauthorised departments have no legal effect.
The rule is intended to limit duplicate demands, administrative conflicts and potentially irregular payments.
Businesses are expected to deal only with agencies formally recognised under the new institutional structure.
DGRAD’s Role
DGRAD has been tasked with identifying irregular payment notices.
It will also work to secure their cancellation where necessary.
The body therefore holds an important position within the new structure, particularly in relation to administrative and fiscal revenues.
Treasury Obligations Remain
Cancellation of an invalid payment notice does not remove an operator’s legitimate tax obligations.
Businesses remain liable for amounts legally owed to the DRC’s Public Treasury.
The government is drawing a distinction between an unauthorised administrative demand and a valid fiscal liability.
Protecting Public Revenues
Revenue protection is one of the main drivers behind the reform.
Authorities believe the current framework has failed to capture an appropriate share of the economic value generated by gambling.
Placing oversight under the Finance Ministry creates a more direct link between regulation and revenue collection.
Market of More Than 100 Million People
The DRC is widely viewed as a market with significant gambling potential.
Its population exceeds 100 million, making it one of Africa’s largest potential consumer markets.
However, the scale of the population and growth of digital gambling have not translated proportionately into state tax receipts.
Estimated $1.7 Billion in Annual Revenue
Finance Minister Doudou Fwamba previously estimated that iGaming operators generated around $1.7 billion in annual revenue.
The estimate demonstrates the potential size of the country’s digital gaming economy.
It also highlights the scale of the gap between commercial activity and state revenues.
Around $1 Million in Taxes
Against the estimated $1.7 billion in industry revenue, operators reportedly contributed only approximately $1 million in taxes.
The difference has become one of the main concerns driving reform.
Tax receipts represent only a tiny fraction of the economic activity attributed to the market.
Reliance on Operator Declarations
One of the weaknesses of the existing system is its reliance on operator-reported information.
The state has historically lacked sufficient technology to independently monitor real-time activity.
This limits its ability to verify operator revenue and calculate tax liabilities accurately.
Limited Monitoring Capability
Without centralised technology, the government faces challenges monitoring:
- Betting turnover.
- Reported GGR.
- Transactions.
- Player activity.
- Tax compliance.
- Platform operations.
The reform seeks to reduce dependence on self-reporting.
National Monitoring Platform
The Ministry of Finance is developing a national gambling monitoring platform.
The system is intended to provide stronger oversight and improve the government’s ability to verify financial information.
Technology is therefore expected to become a central element of the new regulatory architecture.
Creation of the CSJA
The government has also established the Cellule de Surveillance des Jeux d’Argent et de Hasard (CSJA).
The specialist unit operates within the Ministry of Finance and was established by ministerial order in January 2026.
It is responsible for supporting and supervising the wider reform process.
CSJA Responsibilities
The body’s responsibilities include:
- Supervising gambling operations.
- Reviewing operator approval applications.
- Monitoring gaming platforms and systems.
- Combating fraud.
- Preventing money laundering.
- Countering terrorist financing.
- Protecting minors and vulnerable people.
- Promoting responsible gambling.
- Improving fiscal and non-fiscal revenues.
Its creation introduces a more specialised approach to gambling oversight.
Technology Platform Compliance
The CSJA can also examine the compliance of operators’ technology systems and gaming platforms.
This is particularly significant for online gambling, where large volumes of activity may take place without visible physical infrastructure.
Fraud and AML Controls
The regulatory overhaul includes broader financial-integrity objectives.
Authorities want stronger controls against fraud, money laundering and terrorist financing.
This places gambling compliance increasingly alongside standards used across other financial industries.
Protecting Minors and Vulnerable Customers
Consumer protection also forms part of the new framework.
The CSJA is specifically tasked with protecting minors and vulnerable people.
The reform is therefore intended to combine improved revenue collection with greater social safeguards.
Future Gambling Regulatory Authority
The CSJA also serves as part of a transitional framework.
The government plans to create a permanent Gambling Regulatory Authority, ARJA.
That body is expected eventually to become the country’s principal gambling regulator once the new legal framework is completed.
Gambling Bill Before Parliament
A new gambling law is also being developed.
The bill has already passed through the Council of Ministers and is under consideration by parliament.
It is intended to modernise rules that authorities consider insufficient for today’s betting and digital-gaming environment.
Multiple Public Bodies Involved
The reform brings together several state institutions.
Alongside the Finance Ministry and CSJA, participating bodies include organisations connected with:
- The state lottery.
- The Central Bank of Congo.
- Security services.
- Telecommunications.
- State property oversight.
The intention is to build a more coordinated institutional response.
SONAL Involvement
The Société Nationale de Loterie, or SONAL, is among the entities involved.
Its inclusion brings experience from the state lottery sector into the wider reform.
The emerging framework, however, is intended to cover both traditional gambling and modern digital products.
Central Bank Role
The involvement of the Central Bank is particularly relevant because of the financial flows associated with online gambling.
Digital payments, movement of funds, financial compliance and anti-money laundering requirements all require coordination with financial authorities.
Telecommunications Oversight
The Congolese postal and telecommunications regulator is also participating in the framework.
Its role is important for online gambling supervision.
Connectivity, digital infrastructure and potential action against illegal platforms may all become important enforcement tools.
Legal Certainty for Licensed Operators
The Finance Ministry says reform should also deliver greater legal certainty.
A market in which multiple departments claim authority can create uncertainty over:
- Licences.
- Approvals.
- Payments.
- Taxes.
- Technical standards.
- Administrative responsibilities.
Centralisation is intended to reduce those conflicts.
Greater Transparency
Transparency is another government priority.
Authorities want clearer administrative procedures and greater traceability of gambling operations.
The national monitoring system will be an important element of that strategy.
Revenue Collection at the Centre
Fiscal concerns remain at the heart of the reform.
The enormous gap between estimated operator revenue and state tax receipts demonstrates the weaknesses of the existing structure.
The government wants gambling to become a more effective contributor to public finances.
African Market in Transition
The DRC joins a growing number of African jurisdictions rethinking gambling regulation as online betting expands.
Smartphone adoption, digital payments and international operators have rapidly transformed the continent’s gambling markets.
Governments increasingly need regulatory technology capable of keeping pace.
Industry Context
The DRC combines substantial demographic potential with significant regulatory and fiscal weaknesses.
The estimated $1.7 billion in operator revenue against approximately $1 million in tax receipts highlights the scale of the challenge.
The government’s response combines institutional centralisation, new monitoring technology, legislative reform and specialist supervision.
Next Steps and Impact
The Ministry of Finance will continue leading the reform and exercising authority over gambling as the new regulatory structure develops.
Operators will need to ensure that licences, authorisations and payment requests originate only from legally empowered institutions.
At the same time, the CSJA will continue deploying the national monitoring platform and preparing for the eventual establishment of the ARJA.
If the government successfully combines technological oversight, clear rules and stronger tax collection, the reform could substantially reshape a market currently generating major economic activity but returning an exceptionally small share of that value to the Public Treasury.
Editó: @fonta
