Cameroon’s sports betting tax revenue remains unclear

Cameroon has established taxes and licensing fees for sports betting companies, but how much the industry actually contributes to government revenue remains unclear. An October 2026 study by AfriBallon found no consolidated figures on industry revenue or verifiable official data on taxes collected from betting operators. The study also found no public record establishing exactly how many companies hold valid operating licenses.

In its Sports Betting Barometer in Francophone Africa, AfriBallon reviewed gambling regulations and available financial data in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. The website covers football and sports betting and compares offers from bookmakers. It is operated by LLAO LLAO LTD, a Mauritius-based company, and discloses that it earns affiliate commissions from some betting operators. The report is a desk study based on sources reviewed as of October 9, 2026, rather than an investigation conducted on the ground.

Under Cameroonian law, companies operating entertainment games, gambling and games of chance through concessions or government authorizations must pay an annual fee equal to 2% of their revenue before taxes. The Directorate General of Taxation (DGI) has been responsible for collecting this fee since a December 2024 reform of local taxation.

The 2026 Finance Law reinforced that arrangement by giving state tax authorities exclusive responsibility for collecting the fee. Under Article C 132 of the General Tax Code, operators must now file returns and make payments every quarter, within 15 days of the quarter’s end, based on the revenue they generate. Part of the money collected goes to regional governments through the Special Council Support Fund for Mutual Assistance (FEICOM).

Online Gambling Licenses Cost Up to CFA300 Million

Gambling companies also face fees to obtain and renew their operating licenses. The 2025 Finance Law set the fee for online gambling at CFA300 million. Betting activities covered by Type A and Type B concessions face lower fees of CFA10 million and CFA5 million, respectively.

The government also taxes financial transactions linked to gambling. Since 2025, transfers and withdrawals through electronic gambling and entertainment platforms have been subject to a 1% tax, compared with the standard rate of 0.2%. An additional CFA4 charge applies to each transaction. The tax, however, is not limited to gambling-related transactions.

Together, these measures give the government several ways to collect revenue from the industry. What remains unknown is how much they actually generate. The documents reviewed by AfriBallon provide no figures for taxes collected specifically from sports betting operators or for the number of companies that have paid licensing fees. The annual 2% fee also applies to several types of gambling, meaning that even a published total would need to be broken down to identify the contribution from sports betting alone.

The lack of consolidated figures in the documents examined does not necessarily mean tax authorities do not have the information. It does mean that the available public records are insufficient to establish the industry’s economic size or measure its actual contribution to government revenue.

Cameroon Lacks a Public List of Licensed Betting Operators

The comparison with Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal reveals another gap in Cameroon’s publicly available information: the identity and number of companies legally authorized to operate.

In Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambling Regulatory Authority (ARJH) listed 17 licensed private operators in records reviewed by AfriBallon on October 9, 2026. Senegal’s national lottery operator, LONASE, published a list of 17 authorized online gambling platforms on June 30, 2026. The figures are not directly comparable, since Côte d’Ivoire counts private operators while Senegal lists platforms.

In Cameroon, the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MINAT) is responsible for issuing gambling licenses. AfriBallon, however, said it found no equivalent public registry on the ministry’s website. Media reports citing the number of active bookmakers offer little clarity because they do not establish how many companies hold licenses that are still valid.

Some betting companies have published details of their own authorizations. In its terms and conditions updated on October 14, 2026, Betclic Cameroon states that it received ministerial authorization No. 000059/A/MINAT/SG/DAP/SDLP/SJ/ on April 28, 2026, allowing it to offer online gambling services in the country.

That disclosure, however, comes from the company itself and does not amount to independent confirmation by the authorities. Nor does it establish how many other operators are licensed. A reliable assessment of sports betting tax revenue would require two sets of official figures: the number of valid licenses recorded by MINAT and a breakdown of the taxes and fees actually collected by the relevant government agencies.

Source: Sbbc