Gambling Laws in Lesotho

Various forms of land-based gambling in Lesotho are legal under the current gambling legislation in the country. The Casino Order from 1989 as well as the Companies Regulations from 2012, in the Division 92 and 93 give the basic framework for regulation of the companies working in the field of gambling and betting. As there are no specific online gambling laws in Lesotho, it is generally considered that online gambling in Lesotho is not regulated, beside the existence of providers offering online betting and online lotto. The reason for the lack of online gambling laws many find in the relatively low level of internet penetration rate in this country which in the last years has barely reached 20 %.  According to Lesotho gambling laws, minors, under 18 years of age are prohibited to participate in any lotto activities.

Is Online Gambling Legal in Lesotho? Online gambling is not regulated in Lesotho, beside there being sites offering online sports betting and online lotto, based on land-based licenses.

Online Casinos in Lesotho

There are two active casinos in Lesotho, as of April 2019, the AVANI Lesotho Hotel & Casino, located in Maseru and the Goldrush Casino in Lesotho’s capital, opened back in 2017. However, none of the two casinos has launched so far online casinos in Lesotho. Online casino gambling in the country is rather not regulated under the current gambling laws. Foreign internet casino sites are blocked from accessing the market of Lesotho by the respective authorities.

Online Poker in Lesotho

Poker in Lesotho can only be played legally in the frames of the operating casinos. Outside of the casinos, poker for prizes is considered to be illegal. As of April 2019 there are no online poker sites in Lesotho. As there are no specific Lesotho online poker laws, no online poker licenses are on the offer in the country. Foreign online poker sites are also blocked from accessing the market in Burkina Faso.

Online lottery in Lesotho

The G Bets site offers various possibilities not only for betting, but also for playing online lotteries in Lesotho. On their Lucky Numbers menu one can choose to play from a wide variety of attractive online lotto games. Foreign online lotto sites can also be easily accessed from Lesotho.

Online bingo in Lesotho

Similar as in cases with the other gambling sites, there are also no online bingo sites in Lesotho. Since there are no specific Lesotho online bingo laws, there have been no offers for licenses regarding online bingo by the respective gambling authorities, as of April 2019. Foreign online bingo sites can easily be accessed from Lesotho.

Online sports betting in Lesotho

Sports betting in Lesotho is legal, being one of the most popular forms of gambling in the country. On the betting offer in the county, horse race betting is absolutely leading in popularity, as horse racing is considered to be one of the most popular sports in Lesotho. The main betting operator in the country is G Bets owned by the well-known Goldfish Group. The Group has almost 20 years of experience on the South African and African gambling market, being recently awarded a license to organize the betting market in Lesotho too. Based on their land-based license G Bets is thus also one of the most popular online sportsbook sites in Lesotho. Beside the horse race betting the site offers possibilities for betting on various other sports, the most popular among them being football and rugby. Non-licensed foreign internet sportsbook sites are actively being blocked by the authorities of Lesotho.

Online daily fantasy sports in Lesotho

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