Is Online Betting Legal in Côte d'Ivoire? LONACI, ARJH and What We Could Verify (2026)
Search for betting in Côte d'Ivoire and you get a confusing mix: sites that say they are "licensed in Ivory Coast", news that the government has "banned" betting, and comparison pages that list a dozen brands as if nothing had happened. Which of those is true? In a sense, all of them, because the rules are narrower and more specific than either the hype or the headlines suggest.
This guide lays out what is actually on the record about online betting in Côte d'Ivoire: the law, the two institutions that matter, what the authorities said in December 2023 and what happened to 1xBet in March 2024. It also separates what we could verify from what we could not, because on a topic like this honesty about gaps is worth more than a confident tone.
At a glance · Reviewed 14 October 2026
Online betting in Côte d'Ivoire in four facts
- Law 2020-480
- ARJH regulator
- LONACI concession
- CENTIF anti-money-laundering
The short answer
Online betting in Côte d'Ivoire is legal when it runs under the LONACI state concession and prohibited when it does not (Council of Ministers, 6 December 2023). Law No. 2020-480 created the ARJH as regulator, and LONACI named 1XBET, BETCLIC and PREMIERBET as approved. Whether a particular site is authorised today must be confirmed with LONACI or the ARJH.
The framework in one paragraph
Gambling in Côte d'Ivoire is governed by Law No. 2020-480 of 27 May 2020 on the legal regime of games of chance. It created the Autorité de Régulation des Jeux de Hasard (ARJH) as the central regulator, operational since 2021. Sports betting, horse betting, virtual betting, lotteries and online gaming fall under a state concession held by LONACI, the national lottery, which can allow private operators to take part through structured arrangements. Land-based casinos and slot halls are authorised separately by the ARJH. The financial-intelligence unit CENTIF supervises anti-money-laundering rules. Implementing decrees in 2021 and 2023 set out how the concession and authorisation regimes work.
What happened in December 2023
The turning point for players was December 2023. The Council of Ministers meeting of 6 December 2023 adopted a decree on the legal regime of games conceded by the State, and the government's message was that sports and horse betting, physical and online, that are not organised by LONACI are prohibited.
LONACI followed with a communiqué dated around 8 December 2023. According to press coverage of that statement, it named three brands as operating under LONACI approvals: 1XBET, BETCLIC and PREMIERBET. At a press conference on 11 December, the director general reportedly confirmed that licences previously issued to those brands remained valid and that, under the 2021 concession agreement, LONACI can grant approvals to new operators.
Notice what this does and does not say. It does not say online betting is illegal in general. It says that betting is legal when it runs through the LONACI concession and illegal when it does not.
March 2024: a licence is not a shield
The 1xBet episode is a useful reminder that being licensed is a relationship, not a one-time stamp. In March 2024 LONACI suspended the 1xBet platform operated by the company Ludus over contractual obligations. The suspension was lifted on 25 March 2024 after the company committed to meet them. Press reports differ on whether the suspension began on 12 or 13 March, so we say "mid-March".
For a player the lesson is practical: a brand's status can change, and only the licensing authority's current position counts.
The timeline at a glance
| Date | What happened | Source type |
|---|---|---|
| 27 May 2020 | Law No. 2020-480 on the legal regime of games of chance is enacted | Legal summary |
| 2021 | ARJH becomes operational; concession agreement between the State and LONACI (dated 5 July 2021 in LONACI's communiqué) | Legal summary, press |
| 2023 | Implementing decrees on the concession and authorisation regimes | Legal summary |
| 6 Dec 2023 | Council of Ministers: betting not organised by LONACI is prohibited | Press |
| ~8 Dec 2023 | LONACI communiqué names 1XBET, BETCLIC and PREMIERBET as approved | Press |
| 11 Dec 2023 | LONACI press conference: existing licences remain valid | Press |
| Mid-March 2024 | 1xBet platform suspended over contractual obligations | Press |
| 25 March 2024 | Suspension lifted after the operator commits to its obligations | Press |
The last column matters. We could read the law only through legal summaries, and the December 2023 events only through press coverage of official statements, not the Official Journal itself. If you need a firm legal position, ask the ARJH or LONACI for the original documents.
How to read the news without being misled
Three kinds of statements circulate in this market, and they deserve different levels of trust.
- Government and regulator statements (decrees, LONACI and ARJH communiqués) define what is permitted. They are the ones to rely on.
- Operator statements. After the December 2023 announcements, 1xBet published its own communiqué saying it held a LONACI licence. That is the operator speaking about itself, so verify it rather than repeating it.
- Affiliate and comparison pages (including pages like this one) summarise and sometimes get things wrong or go out of date. Use them to know what to ask, then confirm with the source.
What this means for brands you see online
Here is where we have to be careful. In our own database, five brands are recorded as available to players in Côte d'Ivoire: 1xBet, 1Win, Linebet, Megapari and Melbet. Of those five, only 1xBet appears in the LONACI statement we found. We did not find a statement in the sources we checked that licenses the other four in Côte d'Ivoire. That is an absence of evidence, not proof of illegality, and it may simply mean we have not seen the right document. But it is exactly the situation in which a cautious player should ask the operator for the licence and confirm it with LONACI before depositing.
A comparison site listing a brand, ours included, is information about where a site accepts players and how it scores on our criteria. It is not an authorisation, and we say so on every country page.
Why the licensing question matters to you
- Dispute rights. With an authorised operator there is a regulator and a contract to point to. With an unlicensed one there is nobody to complain to when a withdrawal is blocked.
- Account and payment risk. Sites that are blocked or sanctioned can disappear with your balance.
- Age and identity checks. Authorised operators are expected to verify identity and age. Press comparisons quote 18 as the minimum age; confirm it with the operator's own terms.
Mobile money: what we could and could not verify
Many players in Côte d'Ivoire deposit through mobile-money wallets such as Orange Money, MTN MoMo or Wave. We looked for an official source listing which wallets licensed operators may use. We did not find one, and we found nothing recent that connects a specific wallet to a specific licensed betting brand. So we will not tell you that any wallet is "approved" for betting.
What we can say is general and safe:
- Use only the payment options shown inside the operator's logged-in cashier.
- Never send money to a person or agent who promises a "bonus" or "activation". It is the most common scam in this space.
- Keep every receipt and transaction ID. If a payment goes missing, those are the only proof you have.
- Never share your wallet PIN or one-time codes with a betting site or an "assistant" on a chat app.
A six-step check before you deposit
- Find the legal name of the operating company in the footer.
- Ask for, or look for, the Côte d'Ivoire authorisation reference, not just a foreign licence.
- Check the brand and the exact web address against LONACI's public statements or contact LONACI directly.
- Read the withdrawal and verification terms before depositing, not after.
- Start with the smallest deposit that lets you test a withdrawal.
- Set a limit you can afford to lose and stick to it.
Playing within your limits
Whatever the legal status of a site, gambling carries risk. Decide how much you can afford to lose before you start, never chase losses and treat any winnings as a bonus rather than income. If betting is causing you stress, debt or arguments, step away and talk to someone you trust. A licensed operator should offer deposit limits and self-exclusion on request; use them.
Where to go next on AskBigBonus
Our Côte d'Ivoire country page keeps the regulatory summary and the list of operators we record as available there, and the best bookmakers in Côte d'Ivoire ranking shows how they compare on our Trust Index. For a primer on how licences work in general, see a beginner's guide to gambling licences.
Test yourself: legal or not?
The short quiz below this article gives you six everyday situations and asks you to choose the safest response. It runs in your browser, stores nothing and is for learning only.
FAQ
Is online betting legal in Côte d'Ivoire?
Betting is legal when it is run under the LONACI state concession. The government stated in December 2023 that sports and horse betting not organised by LONACI is prohibited, so legality depends on the operator's authorisation, not on the game itself.
Who regulates gambling in Côte d'Ivoire?
The ARJH is the central regulator created by Law 2020-480. LONACI holds the state concession for sports betting, lotteries and online gaming, and CENTIF supervises anti-money-laundering rules.
Which betting brands has LONACI named as licensed?
In its December 2023 statement, as reported by the Ivorian press, LONACI named 1XBET, BETCLIC and PREMIERBET. Check LONACI directly for the current list.
Can I deposit with Orange Money, MTN or Wave?
We found no official source confirming which mobile-money wallets licensed betting operators may use. Use only the options shown in the operator's own cashier and keep every receipt.
What is the minimum age to bet?
Press comparisons quote 18. Confirm the age requirement in the terms of the operator you intend to use.
Sources
- Altenar — Gambling law and regulations in Côte d'Ivoire
- Digitalmag.ci — 1xBet, PremierBet and Betclic authorised in Côte d'Ivoire
- Fraternité Matin — 1xBet platform suspended, then reopened
General information for adults, not legal advice. The regulatory position can change; verify the current situation with the ARJH or LONACI. 18+. Gamble responsibly. Reviewed against the sources above on 14 October 2026.
Quiz: legal or not?
Six everyday situations. Choose the safest response. Demo only: nothing is stored.
Question 1/6
A site says it is "licensed in Curaçao". Does that make it authorised in Côte d'Ivoire?
Written by
Editorial team
AskBigBonus Editorial is the byline for articles prepared by the AskBigBonus editorial team. It is a team byline, not a single person, and we use it for guides and explainers that rely on public documents rather than a named reporter's firsthand experience. How an article is made. We start with the primary source: the regulator's own pages, the official gazette or the tax authority's service page. Where the official text is not public, we use law-firm client alerts and established press and say so in the article. We then compare the facts with the AskBigBonus operator database and note what could not be verified instead of filling the gap. Every article lists its sources and the date we last reviewed it. What we do not claim. We do not say we tested an operator with real deposits or withdrawals unless the article says so and shows the evidence. Articles are general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Commercial relationships. AskBigBonus may earn a commission from some operators we mention. That does not decide our scores or the order of our rankings; the methodology explains how scores are built. Corrections. If something is out of date or wrong, tell us through the contact page . We correct the article and update its review date.
How we research and scoreWhy AskBigBonusReport a correction
Expertise: Gambling regulation, Licensing and licence checks, Payments and payouts, Bonus terms, Responsible gambling