Lottomatica-Cirsa Deal Exposes Online Betting Licensing Void Across North Africa

Lottomatica’s agreement to absorb Cirsa, announced on 2 September, incorporates four Moroccan casinos into one of Europe’s largest listed gambling groups. Morocco represents about 2% of Cirsa’s revenue and 4% of its earnings. Neither operator has disclosed plans to seek an online betting licence in the region, yet the transaction underscores a clear divide in Morocco’s gambling market, as reported by iGaming Business.

Land-based operations can draw international capital. Cirsa expanded its Marrakech footprint last November. Private online betting, however, has no equivalent licensing pathway. Cirsa’s IPO prospectus states that online gaming in Morocco exists only for betting operated by a state agency, while online casino games are not allowed.

Morocco’s Court-Driven Defence of State Monopoly

Sports betting in Morocco, including online and virtual events, is reserved to state-owned Marocaine des Jeux et des Sports (MDJS). The company is 90% held by the Treasury and chaired by the sports minister. Its exclusivity reportedly runs to 2036. On 12 January, the Casablanca commercial court ordered three telecom operators to block 19 named betting sites and payment intermediaries, with non-compliance penalties of MAD10,000 per day. The order was annulled on appeal in late January.

MDJS director general Younes El Mechrafi warned that illegal sports betting stakes reached about MAD3.5bn in 2024. He estimated the cost to the state at some MAD700m, divided between the national sports development fund and the Treasury.

Shared Enforcement Focus in Tunisia and Egypt

Tunisia and Egypt show parallel approaches. Tunisian law limits lawful sports betting to state company Promosport. A private members’ bill introduced on 20 January would prohibit all online gambling, with fines of 10,000 to 500,000 dinars and prison terms of one to five years. The measure has stalled after one committee review. A separate government draft remains unpublished and may merely digitise the existing monopoly.

Egypt’s rules, including Law 8 of 2022, confine gambling to physical venues for non-Egyptians. Authorities have frozen e-wallets, suspended mobile lines, and targeted blocking of about 80% of betting apps. Proposed amendments to the anti-cybercrime law would add explicit penalties, including life imprisonment for grave offences, but no private licensing route has been created. Parliament rose on 22 July without passing betting reforms.

The three jurisdictions have arrived at the same outcome through different paths: defence of state exclusivity, stalled legislation, and punitive enforcement. Private online betting has no licensing mechanism. Without one, these markets remain difficult to measure, tax or supervise.

Reporting: iGaming Business (iGB)

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