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Benin’s government is looking to create a gambling monitoring system, as the country joins the wave of African nations using technology to closely track licensees.
The government revealed its plans during a Council of Ministers meeting on March 15, which covered a range of regulatory issues.
During the meeting, it was confirmed that the council has already signed a contract with a legal firm and another company with a view “to proposing an improvement in regulation and installing a control platform”.
This proposed control platform will act as a digital monitoring system, with the government envisaging it will provide a better oversight of gambling activity in the country.
Government ministers say the new system would allow for the “fairer treatment of gambling operators to stimulate competition” and “strengthen the fight against illegal activities”, such as tax evasion, money laundering and terrorist financing.
Additionally, the government believes a control system would also improve protections for vulnerable people at risk of addiction, as well as prevent underage gambling and promote responsible gambling.
Benin’s plan echoes those from several other African nations seeking to increase their tax revenue from online gambling through enhanced oversight, such as Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.
Kenya implemented a new centralised monitoring system to track bets made online in real time, with the country's treasury already reaping the benefits.
In October 2022, Nigeria similarly implemented a new digital tax collection system for offshore operators and introduced a new permit that does not require establishing a local company or creating an onshore presence.
Uganda is using its monitoring system to also implement safer gambling measures such as age verification, limit checks and self-exclusion, while Malawi has shown an active interest in a similar system in recent months.
In 1967, Benin set up its National Lottery, which is available to play at land-based venues and online.
In 2002, the country passed a Gaming Act, which regulates forms of land-based gambling; however, as the internet was hardly used in the country at the time, it is not specifically accounted for in the law.
Benin, which borders Nigeria, is home to an estimated 12m people and its gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is $1,319, according to the World Bank.
However, it is estimated that only around 29 percent of the country has access to the internet.
