Tanzania pauses new gaming machine licences for foreign operators and plans a revenue split with local councils
Tanzania's deputy finance minister told Parliament on 29 October 2026 that new gaming machine licences for foreign operators are suspended while the Gaming Board reviews their social and economic impact. The government is also finalising a revenue-sharing agreement with local councils and building a real-time monitoring system for machines.
Tanzania's rules do not apply to South African players, and the measure covers gaming machines, not online casinos. It still matters as a sign of where African regulators are heading: tighter licensing, machine-level monitoring and more attention to gambling addiction. South Africa has its own debate about illegal machines and about online gambling that no local operator is licensed to offer, so regulators here are watching similar tools. If you play at offshore casinos, remember that a regulator elsewhere in Africa does not protect you, and use the limit tools on any site you join.
What Tanzania announced
Deputy Minister for Finance Mshamu Munde spoke in Parliament in Dodoma on 29 October 2026. He was answering an MP's question about how the National Lottery Board plans to control gaming machines that she said were harming public morals. Focus Gaming News, citing the Daily News, reports that he set out several measures.
The first is a suspension of new gaming machine licences for foreign operators. The government says this gives the Gaming Board of Tanzania time to assess the social and economic impact of the machines.
The detail behind the suspension
The reported measures are:
- A draft agreement to share gaming machine revenue between central government and local councils. It is expected to be signed after stakeholders submit their views, and no percentages have been published.
- A technology system for real-time monitoring of machines, being built by the Gaming Board.
- Joint enforcement with security agencies, the Tanzania Revenue Authority and local government. Authorities say they have seized and destroyed 1,702 machines over the past three years.
- Closer work with the President's Office for Regional Administration and Local Government, because machines have spread into informal and rural areas.
The deputy minister also said there was no research showing the machines cause moral decay, but acknowledged that studies have identified gambling addiction as a problem needing control.
How it fits with the April freeze
The Gaming Board of Tanzania published a notice on 10 April 2026 saying it had temporarily halted new slot machine and route operation licences for new applicants, so it could finish an electronic monitoring system. That notice did not mention foreign operators. Focus Gaming News notes it is unclear whether the October statement extends the April freeze or is a separate restriction aimed at foreign operators. We have not seen a new written notice from the Board, so treat the exact scope as unconfirmed.
What it means for South African players
This is a land-based machine story in another country, so nothing changes for your account at a South African or offshore site. The useful takeaway is the direction of travel. Regulators across Africa are moving to see machine and transaction data in real time, to share tax with local government and to restrict outside operators while they study the harm. For players, that usually means more identity checks and more scrutiny of unlicensed activity over time.
No South African operator currently holds a licence for online casino games, and sites that accept South African players are licensed offshore. Our South Africa guide explains the difference between a site that is not licensed here and one that accepts local players.
What to watch next
Look for a written notice from the Gaming Board of Tanzania that defines which licences are paused and for how long, the published revenue-sharing percentages, and a launch date for the monitoring system. Until then the announcement is a statement of intent made in Parliament.