Gambling Laws in Cabo Verde

Gambling in Cabo Verde is legal in all of its variety. The Cabo Verde gambling legislation, is composed of several acts the central among them being: the 31/05/2010 - BO Nº21 - Law of Games (31/05/2010 - B.O Nº21 - Lei de Jogos), and the 12/31/2015 - BO Nº 86 - Decree Law 73-2015 Regulating the Exploitation and Practice of Betting Games and Games of Chance on Distance (31/12/2015 - B.O Nº 86 - Decreto Lei 73-2015 Regula Exploração e Prática de Jogo e Apostas de Fortuna ou Azar Desnvolvidas à Distância). According to these acts all forms of land-based and online gambling are legal in Cabo Verde.  The regulatory body of the land-based activities in the country is the General Inspectorate of Games (Inspecção-Geral de Jogos). The General Inspectorate of Games, is a central service for inspection and control of games, with functional, administrative and financial autonomy, directly dependent on the Minister of Tourism, Investments and Business Development. The legal functioning of the online gambling sector is also supervised by the same body. Beside its function as supervisor, the the General Inspectorate of Games is the official body which grants licenses to all Cabo Verde  casinos, sportsbooks, or other types of gambling providers, brick and mortar as well as online. According to Cabo Verde gambling laws minors, under 18 years of age are prohibited to participate in gambling activities.

Is Online Gambling Legal in Cabo Verde? Yes, all forms of online gambling are legal in Cabo Verde.

Online Casinos in Cabo Verde

There are several licensed land-based casino operators in Cabo Verde, as of June 2019, none of which have also launched an online casino in Cabo Verde. The online gambling sector in the country is still underdeveloped. MLD, a Macau based company has been granted a license to exploit the online gaming market in Cabo Verde for a period of 10 years, under the concession contract signed with the Government of Cape Verde on 22 July 2015 in Macao. Currently however, the only online casinos available in Cabo Verde are those of the foreign licensed internet casino sites.

Online Poker in Cabo Verde

There are no special Cabo Verde online poker laws. Yet, the articles regulating online gambling in general, apply to this game as well, giving online poker the status of a legal game in this country. However, as of June 2019, there are no specialized Cabo Verde internet poker sites. MLD, a Macau based company has been granted a 10 years license to exploit the online gaming market in the country, but they still haven’t introduced online poker in Cabo Verde. 

Online lottery in Cabo Verde

Charities such as the Cruz Vermelha de Cabo Verde organize the most popular lotteries in Cabo Verde called Lotaria Nacional and Totolotto. Constituted in accordance with the principles and norms of the Geneva Convention of 1949 and its additional protocols, the Red Cross of Cape Verde was established in 1975 by Decree-Law No. 2/75, published in Official Gazette 3/75, and its status was approved two years later in 1977 by Decree No. 52/77 of 18 June. However, as of June 2019  the Cruz Vermelha de Cabo Verde hasn’t introduced any online lottery in Cabo Verde. In the lack of domestic online lotto providers, foreign online lotto games can easily be accessed from Cabo Verde.

Online bingo in Cabo Verde

The Cabo Verde online bingo laws are centered on the 31/08/2012 - BO Nº51 - Decree Law nº26 of 31 August – On the organization of bingo (31/08/2012 - B.O Nº51 - Decreto Lei nº26 de 31 Agosto-Funcionamento do jogo do Bingo). According to this law online bingo is considered to be legal in the country. As of July 2019, however, there are no specialized sites for online bingo in Cabo Verde. Bingo rooms, licensed elsewhere, can easily be accessed from the country.

Online sports betting in Cabo Verde

Online sports betting in Cabo Verde is regulated with the general gambling legislation. The only possibility for introducing online sportsbook sites in Cabo Verde is currently given to the MLD Cabo Verde Entertainment, which is authorize to exploit the online market in the country for 10 years. However, as of June 2019 they haven’t introduced any online betting platform in the country. Foreign internet sportsbook sites, especially those in Portuguese language, can easily be accessed from Cabo Verde.

Online daily fantasy sports in Cabo Verde

Online DFS sites in Cabo Verde do not have a legally regulated status. Considering the legality of online sports betting in the country it is very probable that internet Daily Fantasy Sports would soon  receive a legal status in Cabo Verde.