DR Congo sets July 31 registration deadline for all licensed gambling operators

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has directed all licensed and active gambling operators to register with the government by July 31 as part of a wider push to regulate the sector ahead of a new national oversight structure.

The Ministry of Finance issued the directive, which applies to companies in sports betting, casinos, lotteries, prediction games and other gambling activities, requiring each to complete an official identification form and submit it electronically before the deadline.

The ministry said the registration exercise is meant to improve tax administration and prepare the industry for a regulatory framework currently under review in Parliament, following approval from the Council of Ministers.

Operators that miss the deadline may face administrative sanctions and other penalties under existing law, while businesses already connected to the national regulatory platform will be exempt from the country’s standardized invoicing requirement.

Interim regulator bridges gap before ARJA

Managing the registration drive is the Gambling and Games of Chance Supervision Unit (CSJA), established in January as the DRC’s interim gambling regulator while authorities move to create a permanent body, the Gambling Regulatory Authority (ARJA).

The CSJA’s interim board draws representatives from the Ministry of Portfolio, the National Lottery Company (SONAL), the Central Bank of the Congo (BCC), the Regulatory Authority for Posts and Telecommunications of the Congo (ARPTC), and national security agencies, coordinating the shift toward a single regulatory framework. The current interim arrangement is expected to give way to ARJA once that authority is formally constituted.

Digital platform built to ISO security standard

Parallel to the registration exercise, the Ministry of Finance is deploying a nationwide digital supervision platform to monitor gambling operations, developed to meet the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 information security standard for protection against cyber threats, unauthorized access and data loss.

The ministry expects the platform’s first implementation phase to conclude by August 30, 2026, with a technical partner selected through the country’s public procurement process supporting the rollout. Integration is already complete for most electronic money institutions, while gambling operators are being connected according to a schedule set by the CSJA.

Ministry flags unauthorized agreements

The ministry also cautioned gambling businesses against entering agreements with government bodies lacking approval from the Council of Ministers, stating that only projects and partnerships authorized under the government’s reform program will carry legal validity. Officials framed the measure as a way to keep sector reforms confined to a single national framework during the transition period.

The registration mandate extends reforms the DRC government launched earlier in 2026 to improve compliance and revenue collection across its expanding gambling market, while giving licensed operators a clearer regulatory environment to work within.