Tanzania’s gaming sector generated TZS307.8 billion ($116.2 million) in tax revenue in the financial year ended June 2026, Gaming Board of Tanzania director general James Mbalwe said. He linked the growth to wider smartphone access, digital payments and a shift from land-based gambling to online products, while warning of persistent illegal activity and gaps in player protection.
Online growth changes the market
Mbalwe said mobile access had made sports betting and casino games easier to reach, while digital payments had simplified wagers and withdrawals. Tanzania’s young population and familiarity with digital entertainment had also contributed to the sector’s expansion.
Online games now generate the largest share of gaming revenue, he said. Before 2016, the biggest portion came from brick-and-mortar casinos, followed by slot machines. Mbalwe added that legal and economic reforms had opened gaming operations to domestic and foreign private investment. The national lottery remains government-owned but privately run.
A proposed 5% excise duty on betting stakes was shelved and has not taken effect. Mbalwe said the Gaming Act Cap 41 bars minors from gaming but does not provide an extensive framework for responsible gambling and player protection.
Enforcement and player safeguards
The board seized more than 3,000 illegal slot machines in the last financial year. Mbalwe said the machines were mostly manufactured and operated by Chinese nationals, and reported incidents had fallen. However, illegal operators were moving to remote areas that are harder to police. He said local government authorities could help identify and report machines through their presence across the country.
Tanzania’s self-exclusion process currently relies on collecting players’ details and photographs and circulating them to operators. Mbalwe described the manual system as inadequate. The board plans to introduce real-time electronic monitoring through a central database, to be procured through a public-private partnership.
The board also works with the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority and the Police Cybersecurity Bureau to investigate and block unregulated online platforms, and with mobile companies to identify gaming-payment aggregators and providers. Licensed businesses may use only platforms certified by licensed global testing agencies. Mbalwe said the board intends to develop its own tools to prevent or remove unregulated platforms from the market.
GRAF agenda and priorities
Tanzania will host the Gaming Regulatory Africa Forum (GRAF) in 2027. Mbalwe said the board wants the conference to address illegal online operations, online platform services and gaming taxation, including cross-border enforcement and the taxation of platform providers.
Over the next 12 months, the board’s priorities are to strengthen revenue collection through electronic monitoring and tackle illegal operations both online and offline. Mbalwe said the conference would focus on practical regulatory challenges and tailored solutions.
