Simon’s Guide to Gambling and Casinos in Senegal
Gambling and casinos in Senegal
Casinos in Senegal and some other forms of gambling are legal, licensed and regulated by the authorities, despite it being a country with a predominantly Muslim population. The state lottery company, LONASE conducts the national lottery games and operates legal betting shops, where players can wager on horse races. Casinos in Senegal are also legal and licensed by the state. LONASE is the only legal gambling provider in the country, apart from the casinos. However, an unofficial source suggests*, that local residents are not allowed to play ‘traditional’ casino games in these venues.
The Senegalese National Lottery was established on December 30, 1966 as a private company. However, it was later nationalised, according to law 87-43 of 28 December 1987. This legislation granted the company monopoly over all forms of lotteries and other games of chance**.
The national lottery was a huge sensation amongst the populace from its inception. According to a study conducted in the nineties, Senegalese people from lower economic classes see it as the only possible means to obtain wealth, especially during recessions***.
LONASE does not offer any of its products online to date. However, it signed a deal with SEJEUX, a company the aim of which is to develop exclusive partnerships with the eight French-speaking West African National Lottery operators****. Under the agreement which was signed for 5 years, SEJEUX is supposed to supply LONASE with a range of virtual games including horse racing, greyhound racing and football, across all channels including retail, online and mobile. So we might see legal online gambling come to Senegal in the near future.
According to Senegalese law, players of foreign online gambling platforms do not face any charges or penalties. There is also no reported internet censoring system in force in the country.
*Source: Clubpoker.net forum thread about playing poker in casinos in Senegal
**Source: The Official Website of LONASE
***Source: Gambling Cultures: Studies in History and Interpretation
****Source: Sénégal National Lottery partners SENEJEUX for virtual games
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Summary:
- Casino gambling in Senegal
- Bingo in Senegal
- Poker in Senegal
- Sports betting in Senegal
- Lottery in Senegal
- Bitcoin gambling in Senegal
- Online gambling websites accepting players from Senegal
Casino gambling in Senegal
Online casino gambling in Senegal: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Land based casinos are legal and regulated in Senegal. Currently, five casinos in Senegal appear to be in operation. Local players are possibly restricted from playing traditional casino games, like roulette.
There are currently no legal online casinos operating in Senegal – the only legal gambling provider in the country (apart from the casinos), LONASE does no yet offer any of its games online. However, there appear to be no laws in place, that would impose penalties on players who frequent foreign online casinos from Senegal.
Bingo in Senegal
Online bingo in Senegal: illegal, players are not prosecuted
None of the licensed, land based casinos in Senegal seem to offer bingo games to their visitors. No separate bingo halls seem to be in operation in the country either.
Foreign online bingo platforms are also illegal. However, players who gamble on such sites do not face prosecution in Senegal.
Poker in Senegal
Online poker in Senegal: illegal, players are not prosecuted
Poker is licensed and regulated inside legally operating Senegalese brick and mortar casinos. All of these venues offer poker tables to their visitors. Poker appears to be the only game that Senegalese are allowed to play inside a casinos.
Online poker, on the other hand – because no such platforms are offered by LONASE – is considered illegal. However, players of foreign online poker sites face no criminal charges or penalties for playing on such platforms.
Sports betting in Senegal
Online sports betting in Senegal: state monopoly, currently only horse betting and virtual horse betting is legal, no online platform
Currently, there don’t appear to be any legal sports betting options available for Senegalese players, apart from the horse betting and virtual horse betting games offered by LONASE’s land based betting shops and on the country’s horse tracks.
LONASE does not yet offer any of its games online. But the deal they made with SEJEUX last year could mean an establishment of online betting in Senegal, in the near future.
However, Senegalese payers who place bets with foreign online platforms do not face prosecution in the country, and Senegalese authorities also don’t appear to block any such sites (there’s in fact no reported internet censoring system in place in Senegal at all).
Lottery in Senegal
Online lottery in Senegal: legal, state monopoly
The national lottery is conducted by the only legal gambling provider in Senegal (apart from casinos), LONASE. The company’s lottery products include two types of scratch cards and scratch-card based tickets for their televised lottery game, TeleMillions. They sell them in several land based lottery shops around the country, but they do not yet offer any of their products on an online platform.
Foreign online lotteries are technically illegal. However, there don’t appear to be any laws in place in Senegal that would criminalise participation in foreign online lottery draws.
Bitcoin gambling in Senegal
Bitcoin gambling in Senegal: legal status is uncertain, players are not prosecuted
There don’t appear to be any legal statutes in place that would restrict the use of Bitcoin is Senegal. Online gambling, though, is considered illegal. However, players of foreign gambling platforms are not prosecuted in the country, so it is safe to assume, that Senegalese residents placing bets on foreign Bitcoin gambling platforms face no legal repercussions either.
Online gambling websites accepting players from Senegal
The only legal gambling provider in Senegal is the state lottery company, LONASE and the five licensed Senegalese casinos. However, players, who place bets on foreign sites are not prosecuted in Senegal, and most of the major international online gambling platforms accept players from the country.
BGO casino – accepting players from Senegal
Casino Euro – accepting players from Senegal
32 Red casino accepting players from Senegal
32 Red online bookmaker, sports betting website – accepting players from Senegal
Black Lotus casino accepting players from Senegal
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This page is part of Simon’s List – Legal Status of Online Gambling – a definitive guide to the legal status of all forms of online gambling activities in every country around the world.
Last updated: 2015. 11. 04.
