Congo's Council of Ministers advances legislation to regulate gambling Industry

Two key bills aimed at regulating the country's gambling sector were presented by Mr. Ludovic Ngatse, Minister of Budget, during a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Congo, held on May 8, chaired by President Denis Sassou N'Gesso.

The first of these is a bill regulating games of chance and gambling.

Long considered entertainment, these games are increasingly becoming a real economic activity and generating significant tax revenue. This reality, however, highlights risks of organized crime, having led countries around the world to regulate and supervise this activity.

In Congo, the sector, made up of horse racing and sports betting establishments, casinos and gaming houses, is experiencing a real legal vacuum, likely to generate abuses of several types: non-protection of minors; refusal of tenants to fulfill their tax obligations, to the detriment of legitimate revenue expected by the State; disturbances of public order; risks of developing activities prohibited by law and morality, etc.

The bill submitted to the Council will provide Congo with an adequate legislative framework which will govern these activities and make it possible to protect ourselves from the risks mentioned.

Minister Ngatse also submitted to the attention of the members of the Council a bill establishing the regulatory authority for games of chance and money. Created in the form of a public establishment of an administrative nature and placed under the supervision of the Minister in charge of the budget, this structure will have the mission of securing the gambling sector, the regulations of which will be adopted concomitantly.

To protect the country from the risk of proliferation of clandestine slot machines familiar to mafia organizations, the regulatory authority will also be responsible for supervising the most delicate sector, that of online games, which can expose people to the risk of money laundering and possible financing of acts that could harm the internal and external security of the State.

After examination and discussion, the Council of Ministers approved these projects. They will be sent to Parliament for examination and adoption.