Simon’s Guide to Online Casinos in the Ivory Coast

Online casino gambling is not specifically regulated in the Ivory Coast. Officially named the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, the country is located in West Africa and bordered by Ghana, Guinea and Mali among others, as well as the Gulf of Guinea. Ivory Coast had been a French protectorate and later a French colony from the 1840s, until it gained its independence in 1960. The French connection is reflected both in the country’s name and its official language.

The legal status of online casinos in Ivory Coast is rather interesting. Casinos in general are legal and well-regulated in the country, by the decree no 98-371 of June 30, 1998. This law establishes the regulations all casinos in the country must adhere to, but makes no explicit mention of online casinos. This is not that surprising, as online casino gambling was not widespread in 1998.

Today, the internet penetration rate in Ivory Coast is actually quite high compared to other African countries in the region: about 25% of the population has access to the internet. Also, online gambling in general appears to be legal in the country, as there is at least one online gambling operator based in Ivory Coast.

Online gambling is not regulated by the government, locals are free to play on international online casino sites. Some of these online casinos may not be available from Ivory Coast or don’t accept players from the country, but many online casinos welcome Ivorian players and are available in French as well (see below).

While the legal status of online casinos in Ivory Coast is somewhat murky, land-based casinos are definitely legal and regulated in the country. The decree of 1998 regulates many aspects of casinos in the Ivory Coast, including the games allowed, the minimum age to enter (21) and the approval of gaming equipment. All casino operators must obtain a licence from the Ministry of Economics and Finance.

The gambling law also states that locals may not enter the casinos, but this rule does not appear to be actively enforced. There is currently only a single casino operating in Ivory Coast, the Casino Barrière Éléphant d’Or located in Abidjan, the largest city and former capital of Ivory Coast.

Casino Barrière features table games including Blackjack, Roulette and Punto Banco, as well as a large number of slot machines. The casino also has a poker room with cash games and tournaments held regularly. The casino is part of a large hotel complex with several bars and restaurants as well as a tennis court.

The legal status of online gambling is not exactly clear in Ivory Coast, but some forms of online gambling are apparently allowed and are more clearly regulated. The most popular form of gambling appears to be, as in many former French territories, sports betting.

Sports betting is handled by LONACI, the national lottery of Ivory Coast which is a state-backed monopoly. LONACI offers a rather wide array of games including traditional number games, scratchcards, lottery and “virtual lottery”, which is effectively sports betting. LONACI has recently entered an agreement with Parions direct, which is now the sole provider of the online versions of their games.

While this means that online gambling is definitely not illegal, it seems highly unlikely that a private company could easily follow in their footsteps without support from withing the government. There are no laws explicitly addressing online gambling licences, and there appear to be no online gambling operators based in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast gamblers looking for more variety can play on international online gambling sites. Most international online poker sites, online casinos, online sportsbooks and online lotteries welcome players from the Ivory Coast.