Ethiopia Plans Betting Relaunch After Br27.5bn Audit Finding
Ethiopia shut its sports betting market in December 2025. Now the Ethiopian Lottery Service (ELS) says betting and digital lotteries will return under tighter controls, after a draft audit reported a Br27.5 billion shortfall in payments owed to the state. No reopening date has been set.
How Ethiopia Got Here
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 4 Dec 2025 | ELS suspends 22 operators. |
| 15 Dec 2025 | All sports betting licences revoked; operations ordered to stop. |
| 3 Jul 2026 | Proclamation No. 1413/2026 gazetted without the disputed betting provision. |
| Jul 2026 | ELS says no operator holds a valid licence. |
| Aug 2026 | Government reports action against 38 betting enterprises. |
| Oct 2026 | Draft audit figures published; relaunch plan announced. |
What the Audit Found
The figures come from a provisional audit reported by Fana Media Corporation and discussed by ELS chief executive Beza Girma. Sector transactions reached about Br199 billion. Commission payable to the state was put at roughly Br30 billion, while only Br3.6 billion was actually paid. The reported shortfall of Br27.5 billion also includes penalties, licence renewals and registration charges. The full audit has not been published, and the category figures do not reconcile exactly, so treat them as provisional.
What the Relaunch Looks Like
ELS is building a unified digital system to record and monitor operators’ financial and legal obligations in real time, and says any relaunch will come with stronger oversight. It also plans legal action to recover the liabilities the audit identified. What is missing is everything an operator or player would need: licensing requirements, an application process and a date.
📌 For players in Ethiopia: there is currently no licensed sports betting operator in the country. Until ELS publishes its new framework, any platform claiming to be licensed in Ethiopia is not.
Why It Matters for East Africa
Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous country, and the reset comes as its neighbours prepare for AFCON 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Those three markets took the opposite path: licensing with mobile-money payment rails and withholding tax collected at source. Ethiopia’s plan for a central digital monitoring system points the same way. Revenue that regulators can see in real time is revenue they can tax.
FAQ
Is sports betting legal in Ethiopia right now?
No. The Ethiopian Lottery Service revoked all sports betting licences on 15 December 2025 and said in July 2026 that no operator held a valid licence. A relaunch is planned, but no date has been announced.
What did Ethiopia's betting audit find?
A draft audit reported a Br27.5 billion shortfall in payments due to the state, including unpaid commission, penalties and fees, on sector transactions of about Br199 billion. The full audit has not been published.
Who regulates betting in Ethiopia?
The Ethiopian Lottery Service (ELS), led by chief executive Beza Girma.
When will betting return in Ethiopia?
ELS has not announced licensing requirements, an application process or a reopening date.
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