Can an operator get an online licence in Tanzania?

Yes. The Gaming Board of Tanzania issues an Internet Casino Licence and an Internet Sports Betting Licence as distinct categories, with published application and annual fees.

What is changing in Tanzanian gambling tax?

The 2026/27 budget introduced a 5 per cent excise duty on the value of bets, covering online and land-based sports betting and casino gaming, slots and virtual games, announced for 1 July 2026, with 10 per cent of the revenue going to the Gaming Board.

Sovereign state

Africa

ISO TZ

Tanzania

United Republic of Tanzania

Online sports bettingRegulated
Online casinoRegulated

Regulator: Gaming Board of Tanzania
Headline tax: Not yet verified
Licence required: Yes
Last verified: 4 Aug 2026

Summary

Tanzania licenses online gambling by name, which is rarer in Africa than it should be. The Gaming Board of Tanzania, established under the Gaming Act Cap. 41 with effect from 1 July 2003, publishes thirty-one licence types, two of which are an Internet Casino Licence and an Internet Sports Betting Licence, each with a published fee: 1,000,000 shillings to apply, then 110,000,000 shillings a year for internet casino and 90,000,000 shillings a year for internet sports betting. A Gaming (Internet Gaming) Regulations, 2022 instrument sits under the Act. Gaming tax is charged per activity rather than at a single rate, and the 2026/27 budget adds a 5 per cent excise duty on the value of bets from 1 July 2026, with a tenth of the proceeds going to the Board itself.

Key facts

Tax base

Gaming tax is charged activity by activity rather than at one headline rate, and no current Tier 1 schedule could be read at review, so no rate is recorded here. Trade reporting puts sports betting at 25 per cent of gross gaming revenue and land-based casinos at 18 per cent, with internet casinos also reported at 25 per cent; treat those as unverified. What is clearly reported is a new 5 per cent excise duty on the value of bets, covering land-based and online sports betting, land-based and online casino gaming, forty-machine slot games and virtual games operations, announced in the 2026/27 budget for implementation on 1 July 2026, with 10 per cent of the proceeds directed to the Gaming Board. An earlier amendment in July 2021 cut the casino tax under Part 5, section 31A of the Gaming Act from 20 per cent to 15 per cent and required 5 per cent of sports betting tax to be paid into the Sports Development Fund.

Licensing

Licence required: Yes
Application window: Not yet verified
Local establishment required: Not yet verified
Local server required: Not yet verified
Barriers to entry: Entry is by named online licence rather than by negotiation, which makes Tanzania unusually legible for the region. The practical constraints are the annual fees, which are fixed and substantial in local terms, and the fact that the Board has at times closed specific categories: trade reporting says new slot machine and route operation licences were suspended as of April 2026.

Licence types

Internet Casino Licence
Scope
Online casino gaming.
Application fee
TZS 1,000,000
Annual fee
TZS 110,000,000
Fee basis
Fixed application fee plus a fixed annual licence fee.
Internet Sports Betting Licence
Scope
Online sports betting.
Application fee
TZS 1,000,000
Annual fee
TZS 90,000,000
Fee basis
Fixed application fee plus a fixed annual licence fee.
Other Gaming Board licence types
Scope
The Board lists thirty-one licence types in total, including Casino Licence, National Lottery, SMS Lottery Licence, Public Lottery, Private Lottery, Promotional Lottery, Prize Competition, Sports Betting Licence, Online Virtual Games, Virtual Games in Sports Betting Premises, slot and forty-machine site licences, principal licences, manufacturer, service provider, gaming consultant and key gaming employee licences.

Taxation

Headline GGR tax: Not yet verified
Effective date: Not yet verified
Tax base: Gaming tax is charged activity by activity rather than at one headline rate, and no current Tier 1 schedule could be read at review, so no rate is recorded here. Trade reporting puts sports betting at 25 per cent of gross gaming revenue and land-based casinos at 18 per cent, with internet casinos also reported at 25 per cent; treat those as unverified. What is clearly reported is a new 5 per cent excise duty on the value of bets, covering land-based and online sports betting, land-based and online casino gaming, forty-machine slot games and virtual games operations, announced in the 2026/27 budget for implementation on 1 July 2026, with 10 per cent of the proceeds directed to the Gaming Board. An earlier amendment in July 2021 cut the casino tax under Part 5, section 31A of the Gaming Act from 20 per cent to 15 per cent and required 5 per cent of sports betting tax to be paid into the Sports Development Fund.

Scheduled changes

5 per cent of the value of bets from 1 Jul 2026
Proposed
Excise duty of 5 per cent on the value of bets across land-based and online sports betting, land-based and online casino gaming, forty-machine slot games and virtual games

Outlook

The thing to watch is the excise duty. Tanzania has taxed gross gaming revenue per activity for years; a 5 per cent charge on the value of bets is a different animal, because it falls on turnover regardless of margin and it reaches online casino as well as betting. Also worth tracking is category-level supply management: the Board has suspended new slot and route operation licences, which suggests it is willing to close a class rather than price it. Anyone modelling Tanzania should confirm the per-activity gaming tax rates directly with the Board or the revenue authority, because they are not reliably published in English.

Frequently asked questions

Can an operator get an online licence in Tanzania?: Yes. The Gaming Board of Tanzania issues an Internet Casino Licence and an Internet Sports Betting Licence as distinct categories, with published application and annual fees.
What is changing in Tanzanian gambling tax?: The 2026/27 budget introduced a 5 per cent excise duty on the value of bets, covering online and land-based sports betting and casino gaming, slots and virtual games, announced for 1 July 2026, with 10 per cent of the revenue going to the Gaming Board.

Sources

Gaming Board of Tanzania
Gaming Board of Tanzania
Tier 1Accessed 4 Aug 2026
Licence types
Gaming Board of Tanzania
Tier 1Accessed 4 Aug 2026
Fees
Gaming Board of Tanzania
Tier 1Accessed 4 Aug 2026
The Gaming (Internet Gaming) Regulations, 2022 (GN No. 478T)
Gaming Board of Tanzania
Located as a PDF published by the regulator. The document could not be parsed at review, so only its title, gazette number and publication location are asserted. No provision of the regulations is relied on.
Tier 1Accessed 4 Aug 2026
Tanzania set to implement 5 per cent excise duty on betting stakes
iGaming Business
Tier 4Accessed 4 Aug 2026Published 22 Jun 2026
Tanzania lowers casino tax in Gaming Act amendment
iGaming Business
Tier 4Accessed 4 Aug 2026Published 29 Jul 2021
Gambling regulation in Tanzania
iGamingToday
Used only for the minimum age, the reported 25 per cent sports betting and 18 per cent land-based casino gaming tax rates, and the April 2026 suspension of new slot and route licences. None of those could be corroborated against the Gaming Act text or a revenue authority page at review, and the tax rates are not recorded as verified fields.
Tier 4Accessed 4 Aug 2026

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