Gambling Laws in Rwanda
Land-based
gambling in Rwanda is legal in much of its variety. The
Rwandan gambling legislation is composed of several laws that regulate the gambling activities in the country. The central place among them is taken by the
Law No.58/2011 from 2011 Governing the Gaming Activities in Rwanda. This law makes various forms of land-based gambling legal. It also grants a general licensing system for internet gambling, but does not contain any type of further specifications. The Law No.58/2011 assigned a Consultative Gaming Committee as a body that has a key role in advising the gambling authorities of the country on various gambling polices.
Beside the general framework for having a licensing system for online gambling not much has been done in this sector. Most of the online gambling is still not regulated within the current Rwandan gambling laws framework, the only exception being the online betting sector. In this regard, Rwanda has been home of several online betting operators which are licensed under the current laws of the country to provide betting services in the country. According to
Rwandan gambling laws minors, under 18 years of age are prohibited to participate in gambling activities.
Is Online Gambling Legal in Rwanda?
All forms of online gambling, with exception of online betting are unregulated in Rwanda. |
Online Casinos in Rwanda
The Casino Kigali at the Lemigo Hotel in Rwanda, is the most popular casino facility in the country. The casino is owned by a local company, the Casino Games Rwanda Ltd and managed by the Solna Leisure Holdings Ltd, an international management and consulting company. This casino, however, has not launched yet an
online casino in Rwanda. Yet, some online casino games can be played on the site of the official betting provider of the country the PremierBet. Foreign
internet casino sites are also easily accessible from Rwanda.
Online Poker in Rwanda
Poker in Rwanda is legal and part of the regular offer or the land-based casinos operating the country. Regarding online poker, however, there are no specific
Rwandan online poker laws. There are also no specialized, licensed,
online poker sites in Rwanda, as of March 2019. The site of PremierBet, a company licensed to offer betting and gaming services in the country, does contain poker section, but it is rather underdeveloped.
Online lottery in Rwanda
The Rwandan National Lottery is authorized and licensed under the gambling legislations of the country to organize and conduct the land-based national lottery in Rwanda. The first Rwandan National Lottery draw was launched in mid-December 2008 making a huge success in the country. Since this date regular lotto draws are conducted on weekly basis. However, the Rwandan National Lottery has not introduced a possibility for playing
online lotteries in Rwanda, as of March 2019. As there are no specific
Rwandan online lottery laws, the online lotto sector in the country is rather unregulated, with many unlicensed international lotto sites still having free access to the Rwandan market.
Online bingo in Rwanda
There are no specific
Rwandan online bingo laws. Therefore, online bingo in Rwanda is also considered to be unregulated. As of March 2019, there are also no specialized sites for
online bingo in Rwanda. Bingo rooms, licensed elsewhere, can easily be accessed from the country.
Online sports betting in Rwanda
PremierBet, a sportsbook licensed by the Rwandan gambling authorities is the most popular
online sportsbook site in Rwanda. The sportsbook administers one of the most widely visited online sportsbook sites not only in Rwanda but in Africa in general. Beside PremierBet, as of March 2019, there are 3 more sites offering
online sports betting in Rwanda. These include AfricaBets, Lucky Bets and Worldstar Bets.
Online daily fantasy sports in Rwanda
Online DFS sites in Rwanda do not have a legally regulated status. However as some legal online betting operators such as PremierBet already offer virtual games on the market, it is very probable that
internet Daily Fantasy Sports would soon receive a legal status in Rwanda.