Ethiopia Targets Sports Betting Reform After Br27.5bn Operator Debt Uncovered

Ethiopia is preparing a tightly controlled return of sports betting and digital lotteries after a draft audit identified an estimated Br27.5 billion in unpaid obligations linked to operators active before the nationwide shutdown of the sector.

Ethiopia is preparing to rebuild its sports betting market under a new technology-led regulatory system after an audit exposed major gaps in revenue collection and operator oversight.

A draft audit covering the period from July 2023 to December 2025 found that licensed betting companies processed around Br199 billion in transactions before their operations were suspended. The Ethiopian Lottery Service (ELS) says the findings will now be used to shape structural reforms and efforts to recover unpaid public revenue.

According to figures reported by Fana Media Corporation and cited by local media, operators were assessed around Br30 billion in government commissions but paid only about Br3.6 billion. The wider estimate of outstanding obligations is approximately Br27.5 billion, with the draft audit and subsequent recovery process still to be finalised.

Dash Betting is linked to around Br8.64 billion, or roughly a third of the reported outstanding amount, while about Br19 billion is attributed collectively to other companies. The figures remain allegations arising from an audit and enforcement process rather than final court judgments against individual operators.

The disclosures follow Ethiopia's sweeping intervention in the sector at the end of 2025. ELS initially suspended 22 sports betting agencies on December 4 before revoking all sports betting licences nationwide on December 15. Banks and payment providers were also instructed to stop transactions associated with betting companies.

As of 2026, the regulator has repeatedly warned that no sports betting operator currently holds a valid Ethiopian licence. Despite that, authorities say unlicensed betting has continued, increasing pressure on the government to develop a legal market that can be monitored more effectively.

The ELS is therefore developing a unified digital monitoring system for any future market. The platform is intended to give regulators greater visibility over betting transactions, commissions and other financial obligations instead of relying mainly on periodic operator reporting.

ELS CEO Beza Girma said the audit was designed to provide evidence for the restructuring of the sector and that the Lottery Service would work with other government institutions to pursue recovery of amounts ultimately confirmed as outstanding. A final timetable for the return of licensed sports betting has not yet been announced.

Ethiopia's next betting market is therefore likely to look very different from the one closed in 2025. Rather than simply restoring previous licences, authorities are signalling a relaunch built around real-time financial visibility, stricter compliance and stronger control of payment flows — with the Br27.5 billion audit findings providing the main justification for the regulatory reset.