The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is moving to bring regulation and supervision of its gambling industry under a single, centralised framework, as authorities respond to the sector’s rapid expansion.
On 30 May, Ministry of Finance officials set out plans for a new gambling monitoring platform designed to strengthen oversight of gaming operations nationwide.
Didier Bobwa, who leads information systems and monitoring of gaming activities at the ministry, announced the initiative at a press briefing in Kinshasa, according to Radio Okapi.
Although iGaming operators are estimated to have generated close to 1.7billioninannualrevenuesincerelevantlegislationwasintroduced,governmentaccountshavereportedlyreceivedonlyabout1 million in tax revenue.
Finance Ministry Seeks to Close Oversight Gaps
Bobwa said the government is integrating a monitoring platform that would allow authorities to track the operations and activities of gaming operators more directly.
The centralised system is intended to give the government’s Gambling Monitoring Unit stronger technical tools to monitor the market across the country in a more detailed and consistent way.
The reforms follow rising concern over social and financial risks associated with gambling. Bobwa pointed to issues including rising personal debt, gambling addiction, money laundering, and the participation of minors as factors behind the push for tighter supervision.
The opacity of the current market has added to the urgency. Industry sources have indicated that the sector has largely operated on a self-declaration basis, with operators reporting their own revenues and the state having limited capacity to verify those figures.
Dieudonné Ntumba, coordinator of the Gambling Monitoring Unit, has urged closer cooperation with operators to support fair competition while addressing financial crime, according to Actualite.cd.
FATF Pressure Spurs Move Toward Unified Framework
At the same time, the DRC government is preparing a new legal framework for the gambling industry, aimed at updating existing rules and strengthening fiscal controls.
The regulatory overhaul is also linked to broader anti-money laundering requirements. The country is under international pressure connected to its grey-list status with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which has increased the need for stronger systems to curb illicit financial flows.
Analysts have previously cautioned that without a single unified regulator and a reliable central monitoring system, the DRC could continue to lose substantial fiscal revenue from the sector. Some industry participants, including PixLab RDC, have indicated support for the government’s direction.