Tanzania: Gambling laws, betting and lotteries

Legal overview

Legal overview

Tanzania has an express national licensing framework for premises-based and internet gambling under the Gaming Act, administered by the Gaming Board of Tanzania. The Act names separate licences for internet casinos, internet sports betting, SMS lotteries, national lotteries and virtual games.

Regulatory developments

The current record incorporates the 2023 revised Act, 2022 Internet Gaming Regulations and 2023 Advertising Code.

Responsible gambling

Responsible gambling

Internet licensees must display an under-18 prohibition and provide self-exclusion, player limits and responsible-gaming information.

Regulated

Casino

Current position

Tanzania expressly regulates both physical and internet casinos instead of forcing remote play into an implied category. The current Gaming Act lists an internet casino licence, while the 2022 Regulations add player registration, age notices and exclusion controls. A Tanzanian casino comparison should verify the precise licence class and should not assume that a premises licence authorises a website. Promotions also fall under the Board's Advertising Code and require attention to vulnerable audiences.

Licensing

The Act provides separate premises casino and internet casino licences.

Online availability

Internet casino play may be offered only under the specific internet casino licence and 2022 Regulations.

Advertising and commercial links

Casino adverts require Board oversight and must protect minors and vulnerable groups.

Responsible gambling

Casino pages should display 18+, explain self-exclusion and configurable betting limits, and link to the Gaming Board's toll-free contact channel.

Regulated

Sports betting

Current position

Tanzanian sports betting has channel-specific permissions. The Gaming Act separates principal operations, betting terminals and internet sports-betting licences, so one approval should not be stretched across every product. A country page should state which channel was verified, when the evidence was checked and where a complaint can be sent. The 2022 internet rules also make player protection part of the product, not an optional footer added after promotional odds.

Licensing

The Act distinguishes principal sports-betting, terminal and internet sports-betting licences.

Online availability

Remote bookmakers require an internet sports-betting licence and must follow the Internet Gaming Regulations.

Advertising and commercial links

The 2023 Code gives the Board approval and withdrawal powers over gambling advertising.

Responsible gambling

Betting coverage should be 18+, describe deposit and wager limits, provide the self-exclusion route and avoid messages suggesting that repeated betting can repair a loss.

Restricted

Predictions

Current position

A Tanzanian prediction page can analyse a match without becoming a betting operator, provided it does not accept a stake or run a paid prize contest. The boundary changes when forecasts are sold as entries, connected to a pool or embedded in an operator journey. Tanzania separately licenses virtual games and internet sports betting, so product mechanics matter more than the word used in the headline. Sponsorship must be disclosed and any bookmaker link should be checked against the relevant licence class.

Licensing

Free editorial forecasts are not wagers, but paid contests, pools, virtual games or tip products tied to prizes can enter regulated categories.

Online availability

If payment, a prize or an operator account is added, the internet-gaming framework should be assessed.

Advertising and commercial links

Sponsored predictions are subject to the same minor and vulnerable-person protections as other gambling promotion.

Responsible gambling

Predictions should never promise certainty. Betting-linked analysis needs 18+ access, visible risk wording and the same limit and exclusion information required around online play.

Regulated

Lotteries

Current position

Tanzania distinguishes national, business and SMS lotteries in its licensing framework. That makes the organiser and delivery channel essential facts for a lottery guide. A national draw, a commercial customer promotion and an SMS competition should not share one generic legal label. Before listing any draw, the page should record its licence category, ticket method, prize terms and claim procedure. Mobile access does not remove regulation; it points to a specific SMS or internet permission.

Licensing

The Act provides national lottery, business lottery and SMS lottery licence categories.

Online availability

SMS and other remote lottery formats require the matching licence.

Advertising and commercial links

Lottery promotions are reviewed under the Board's advertising powers.

Responsible gambling

Lottery pages should carry 18+ wording, explain the fixed cost and chance-based nature of tickets, and discourage repeated purchases after an unsuccessful draw.

Regulators and contacts

Regulators and contacts

Primary sources

Primary sources

• Gaming Act Cap. 41 R.E. 2023 — Gaming Board of Tanzania
• Gaming Advertising Code of Practice 2023 — Gaming Board of Tanzania
• Core functions and contact information — Gaming Board of Tanzania
• Gaming (Internet Gaming) Regulations 2022 — Gaming Board of Tanzania