Tanzania gaming tax hits TZS307.8 billion as regulator plans a central self-exclusion database
Tanzania's gaming sector produced TZS307.8 billion (about $116.2 million) in tax for the year to June 2026, and the regulator says online games now bring in the most revenue. It plans an electronic central database for self-excluded players and more action against unlicensed online platforms.
Tanzania is a different country with its own law, but the pressures its regulator describes are the ones South African players and policymakers also face: betting on mobile phones, payments that make staking and withdrawing easy, and unlicensed sites that no single regulator can fully control. South Africa has no licensed online casino regime, so players here rely on offshore operators that sit outside any local player-protection scheme. A regulator elsewhere in Africa calling its own manual self-exclusion process inadequate is a useful reminder that even licensed markets are still working out how to protect players online.
What was reported
iGaming Business reported on 30 October 2026 that Gaming Board of Tanzania director general James Mbalwe put gaming tax revenue at TZS307.8 billion, about $116.2 million, for the financial year that ended in June 2026. The figures come from an interview, so they are the regulator's own account rather than an audited statement we have checked.
Mbalwe said the growth is tied to wider smartphone access and simpler digital payments for staking and withdrawing winnings. He said that before 2016 most revenue came from land-based casinos and slot machines, but online games now sit at the top.
Enforcement and player protection
On the land-based side, the board says it seized more than 3,000 illegal slot machines in the last financial year, and that offenders are moving to remote areas that are harder to police. A proposed 5% excise duty on betting stakes was shelved, according to Mbalwe, so the tax position is unchanged.
On player protection, the board describes its current self-exclusion process as manual: details and photos of excluded players are circulated to operators. Mbalwe called that inadequate and said the regulator wants an electronic central database, to be procured through a public-private partnership. He also said the Gaming Act has limited coverage of responsible gambling.
Unlicensed online platforms
The regulator says licensed businesses may only use platforms certified by licensed testing agencies, and that it works with the communications regulator, police cybercrime unit and mobile companies to block unregulated sites and identify payment aggregators. Mbalwe acknowledged that cross-border online gambling is hard to control and said regulators often work in silos. Tanzania will host the Gaming Regulatory Africa Forum in 2027, where he wants illegal online operations, taxation and the levying of platform providers on the agenda.
What it means for South African players
- Nothing changes legally for South Africans. Tanzanian licensing does not cover players here.
- An operator being licensed somewhere in Africa or overseas is not the same as being licensed in South Africa. Our South Africa legal guide explains the difference.
- Self-exclusion tools are only as good as the system behind them. If you need a break, use the tools on every site you play and consider a blocking service on your device or bank card.
What to watch next
Watch for whether Tanzania procures the self-exclusion database, for any amendment to the Gaming Act on player protection, and for the agenda of the 2027 regional forum, which may shape how African regulators approach cross-border online gambling.