Gabon still has not said who won private betting licences under its new state monopoly
A report on 16 October 2026 says Gabon's state-owned gambling company, La Gabonaise des Jeux, has not publicly said whether it finished choosing private online betting operators. Earlier authorisations stopped being valid on 7 April 2026.
Gabon is not a market for South African players, so nothing changes in your account or your rights. The story matters as a sign of where African regulation is heading: several governments are moving towards state control of gambling and payments, with questions about transparency following. South African readers who compare African operators should expect more licensing churn across the continent, and should check any operator's current licence rather than trusting an old badge.
What happened
Gabon rewrote its gambling law at the end of 2025. Two ordinances dated 30 December 2025 replaced the old gaming commission with La Gabonaise des Jeux (GDJ), a state-owned company that both runs gambling and supervises private operators. Previous licences and declarations stopped being valid on 7 April 2026.
According to iGaming Business, which published the report on 16 October 2026, the GDJ asked for expressions of interest in February with a deadline of 2 March. It has not published the outcome, named any approved operator, or set out fees and operating rules.
The questions being raised
The report lists several open points. Lawmakers questioned the conflict of putting commercial and supervisory roles in one company, and the then interior minister said control systems would keep them apart. Public information has not yet explained how.
Payments are the other sore spot. The report cites local media saying a payments mandate went to one firm without a competitive tender, and that a second firm later signed an agreement to centralise online betting payments. The GDJ has not said how the two arrangements relate. Industry concerns cited from local press include costs per transaction and delayed payment of winnings, and one estimate of a monthly deduction equal to 30% of turnover. That figure is a press estimate, not an official one.
What it means for South African players
Gabon is outside the South African market, but the pattern is familiar. Governments across Africa are tightening control of betting, usually through licence fees, local payment channels and a stronger state role. Operators that serve several African countries have to adapt each time, and some pull out.
For South Africans, the sensible habit is to confirm which licence an operator actually holds today, and to remember that holding a licence somewhere else does not make a casino licensed in South Africa.
What to watch next
- Whether the GDJ publishes a list of approved operators and the fees they pay.
- How oversight is separated from the state company's own commercial activity.
- Whether operators leave Gabon if the terms are as heavy as industry sources say.