Zambia: Gambling laws, betting and lotteries

Legal overview

Legal overview

Zambia regulates casinos, bookmakers and lotteries through several separate statutes and institutions. The Betting Control and Licensing Board handles bookmakers, the tourism portfolio licenses casinos, and separate boards oversee lotteries.

Regulatory developments

Parliament identified six fragmented laws and online-regulation gaps in 2024. The Betting Levy Act took effect on 1 January 2026 and recognises customer gaming accounts, but it taxes already licensed companies rather than creating a unified gambling licence.

Responsible gambling

Responsible gambling

The Betting Control Act and Casino Act prohibit participation by persons under 18. The fragmented framework provides less visible unified player-protection guidance than newer African gambling statutes.

Regulated

Casino

Current position

Zambia licenses casinos under a statute separate from bookmaker and lottery regulation. The Casino Act authorises named games and machines only within the licensed premises and imposes inspection and accounting duties. More recent tax law recognises online casino categories, but taxation does not cure the absence of the required operating authority. A Zambia casino guide must verify the licence issuer, covered premises and current term, then treat every claimed online permission as a separate question.

Licensing

A casino requires a licence issued under the Casino Act by the responsible Minister.

Online availability

The premises-based Casino Act does not itself establish a general online-casino licence; tax recognition of online casino activity is not operating permission.

Advertising and commercial links

Promotion should identify the specific casino licence and must not blur premises and online authority.

Responsible gambling

Casino pages must exclude under-18s, make losses and game rules clear, promote spending and time limits, and avoid treating tax registration as a player-safety endorsement.

Regulated

Sports betting

Current position

Zambia’s Betting Control Act establishes a specialist Board, licenses bookmakers and premises, and includes football pools in the bookmaker definition. The 2025 levy legislation confirms the fiscal reality of electronic customer accounts from 2026 without replacing the underlying licence. Because Parliament itself has described the framework as fragmented, a betting comparison should record the precise Board licence, renewal date and online scope instead of inferring legality from tax payments, mobile-money access or market popularity.

Licensing

Bookmakers and betting premises require Betting Control and Licensing Board approval.

Online availability

Online betting exists in practice and current tax law covers gaming accounts, but the licensing framework remains fragmented and operator-specific verification is essential.

Advertising and commercial links

Marketing should link only to a current licensed bookmaker and disclose the commercial relationship.

Responsible gambling

Betting is 18+. Content should reject guaranteed-win claims, include practical deposit and time limits, and explain that a regulated payment or tax channel does not remove the risk of loss.

Restricted

Predictions

Current position

A Zambian predictions page may publish independent probabilities and match commentary, but the legal character changes when the service accepts a stake, operates a football pool or shares directly in a wagering transaction. The country’s multiple statutes make product mechanics more important than labels. Editorial analysis should remain visibly separate from operator offers, and each commercial link should carry a dated licence check. A betting-levy record alone is not sufficient evidence of consumer-facing authorisation.

Licensing

Free analysis is distinct from bookmaking; paid tips, football pools or stake-taking may enter licensed betting or lottery territory.

Online availability

Affiliate links and embedded wagering should be checked against the underlying operator licence and its digital scope.

Advertising and commercial links

Sponsored forecasts need disclosure and must not imply certainty or regulatory approval of the publisher.

Responsible gambling

Predictions must be described as uncertain, not as income. Any connected bet should be restricted to adults aged 18 or over and paired with budget limits and anti-chasing guidance.

Regulated

Lotteries

Current position

Zambia separates State Lotteries and pools from other lottery permissions, with distinct statutory bodies listed by the Ministry of Finance. That institutional structure means the word lottery is not enough to establish authority. A guide should identify whether a draw is a State Lottery, pool or separately licensed promotion and show the responsible body. Although fiscal legislation recognises online lottery activity, it should not be presented as a substitute for the underlying lottery authorisation.

Licensing

State Lotteries and pools fall under the State Lotteries Board; other lottery activity requires the appropriate Lotteries Act authority.

Online availability

Online lottery taxation is recognised, but digital distribution still requires confirmation under the relevant lottery regime.

Advertising and commercial links

Pages should name the organising board or licensed promoter, draw rules and claim procedure.

Responsible gambling

Lottery content should use an 18+ editorial baseline, state ticket and claim conditions, avoid investment language and explain that repeat purchases increase total spend rather than certainty.

Regulators and contacts

Regulators and contacts

Primary sources

Primary sources

• Agencies — Ministry of Finance and National Planning
• Betting Control Act 1957 — ZambiaLII
• Betting Control (Amendment) Act 2021 — ZambiaLII
• Casino Act 1992 — ZambiaLII
• Betting Levy Act 2025 — ZambiaLII
• Parliamentary debate on gambling regulation — National Assembly of Zambia
• State Lotteries Act 1970 — ZambiaLII