The Ivory Coast Government has adopted a decree establishing a Gambling Sector Monitoring Unit. The announcement was made by Minister of Communication Amadou Coulibaly at the end of a recent Council of Ministers meeting.
According to Coulibaly, the unit is a technical service created to support the gambling regulator. It is responsible for monitoring, controlling and securing gambling sites.
He added that the unit will be made up of sworn officers, public security forces and representatives of the gambling regulatory authority. It will have broad powers to investigate, enforce and report gambling-related offences across the country.
In Abidjan, experts believe the rate of money laundering linked to gambling and illegal betting is rising. The new unit is expected to focus on reducing this trend.
Stricter controls on access to online sites are also expected to improve protection for minors and vulnerable individuals, alongside tougher penalties for offending operators. The new framework may also lead to higher tax revenues through more effective collection. The unit is expected to become operational by the next quarter.
Overall, the creation of the Gambling Sector Monitoring Unit signals a more coordinated regulatory approach aimed at strengthening oversight.
The Ivory Coast Government appears to be following a global trend of establishing such units.
The latest country preparing to introduce a similar system is Ukraine, which has launched the first phase of its State Online Monitoring System (SOMS) for gambling in a test environment.
Two companies are already integrated into SOMS, with the regulator now focused on connecting additional operators in the next phase of the rollout.
The online gambling market in Ivory Coast is experiencing growth
