Sports betting license in the DRC: who regulates and what applies in 2026

The Ministry of Finance. Its statement, relayed by actualite.cd on 3 September 2026, cites Ordinance No. 25/293 of 15 December 2025 setting the powers of ministries: "the registration of operators and the regulation of the gambling and games of chance sector are entrusted to the Ministry of Finance" (translated from French).

The ministry asks operators to identify themselves with its services and obtain the required authorisations and approvals, and it has instructed the revenue authority DGRAD to ensure the rules are applied. According to iGaming Business (9 September 2026), the ministry says the ordinance ends any institutional ambiguity and that any unauthorised act is devoid of legal effect.

To our knowledge there is not yet a single, recent law covering the whole sector. What our sources let us establish:

• Bill: a text setting out the fundamental principles for gambling was adopted by the Cabinet on 11 April 2025 and sent to Parliament in June 2025 (Ecofin, 11 March 2026). It was still under examination on 12 July 2026 (mediacongo).
• Taxes: according to Ecofin, an ordinance-law of 13 March 2018 defines duties, taxes and levies collected by the central government; the operating licence tax is capped at USD 100,000 by a ministerial order of November 2019; players' winnings are taxed at 10%.
• State lottery: iGaming Business notes that the national lottery company SONAL was created by Ordinance No. 84-155 of 4 July 1984 and is reported to demand 7% of operators' monthly gross gaming revenue. We could not confirm this in an official text.

The terminology varies: sources speak of registration, identification, authorisation and approval rather than a single 'betting licence' or 'gambling license'. The steps reported in 2026:

1. According to Ecofin (11 March 2026), a Finance Ministry notice told operators to register with the Directorate of Financial Regulation or provincial finance divisions to obtain an operating permit by 31 March 2026.
2. According to mediacongo (12 July 2026), the ministry ordered mandatory identification of all operators by 31 July 2026, on pain of heavy administrative sanctions, and requires integration into a national regulation and supervision platform. Operators effectively integrated into the platform receive a derogation.
3. Ecofin lists fines, tax adjustments, suspension or closure and even criminal prosecution among possible penalties.

Whether these deadlines were extended is unknown. Ask the Finance Ministry for current conditions.

• The final text: the bill may still change.
• The role of SONAL: the Finance Ministry says only it can authorise; operators report payment demands from the state lottery. How they relate is unclear.
• The rates: a blog by a betting technology supplier (Altenar, 5 June 2026) gives other rates and cites other ministerial orders than those above; we could not find them in the texts and do not repeat them.
• Market monitoring: the ministry is building a monitoring platform (allAfrica, 31 May 2026) because declared receipts remain far below estimated revenue (about USD 1 million in taxes against USD 1.7 billion, according to iGaming Business).

Woobet Betting Solutions, in Kinshasa, states on its website that it holds an official licence in the DRC for sports betting, casino and lotto; proof of licence is provided in the data room after a confidentiality agreement. This page does not assess Woobet's position: according to its website, the offer is subject to due diligence and independent legal review under DRC and OHADA law. Related: why invest in the DRC, what is Woobet, betting franchise in the DRC.

Write to inquiry@woobet.it.com to request the data room under NDA. Back to the Woobet home page. Status: 6 October 2026. This text is general information and does not replace legal advice.