Senegal to Raise Online Gambling Taxes as Part of New Strategy to Boost Domestic Revenue

Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has unveiled an economic recovery strategy aimed at strengthening public finances, increasing domestic revenues and reviving business activity. The strategy is part of a larger program called “Senegal 2050” aimed at reducing external debt from 14% of GDP to 3% by 2027. On July 30, 2025, the Council of Ministers approved the strategy.

The plan covers highly profitable and poorly regulated sectors: online gambling, tobacco and mobile money operations.

Online gambling brought in $200 million in revenue last year, making it a highly promising and important source of domestic revenue for Senegal. The government believes that raising taxes in this sector will help the country’s budget recover and abandon external borrowing. It is expected that these measures could bring in more than 100 billion CFA francs.

Other changes outlined in the strategy include a reduction in the public sector, streamlining public spending and monetizing underutilized assets. It will also introduce a visa fee for non-African nationals and a national savings program aimed at mobilizing contributions from citizens to increase reserves.

The strategy is an important step toward Senegal's financial independence, but some experts fear the plan could fail unless the government does everything possible to effectively implement it and tighten anti-corruption measures.