Tunisia submits revised gambling and sports betting law for government review

Tunisia has submitted a revised draft law on games of chance, gambling and sports betting to the Presidency of the Government, with Minister of Youth and Sports Sadok Mourali saying the new framework is designed to tighten oversight, protect sports integrity and bring national rules in line with international standards.

Tunisia’s government has taken a key step toward overhauling its gambling and sports betting framework, submitting an updated draft law to the Presidency of the Government for review ahead of examination by the Council of Ministers. Minister of Youth and Sports Sadok Mourali presented the revised text during a plenary session on the 2026 budget, describing it as a comprehensive rewrite of the existing framework for games of chance, gambling and sports betting.

According to Mourali, the bill has been adapted to international standards, including the Council of Europe’s Macolin Convention on the manipulation of sports competitions, with a focus on combating match-fixing, money laundering and other financial crimes. The goal, he said, is to “secure the sector and prevent any external influence likely to harm the integrity of competitions”, particularly in a context where offshore betting has grown in a legal grey area while domestic products remain tightly controlled.

The draft gambling law forms part of a broader sports-governance reform package that also covers sports structures, stadium security and measures against violence and vandalism. Officials note that the reform follows consultations with key public bodies, including the Central Bank and the Competition Council, and is intended both to protect revenue streams and to give regulators clearer tools to supervise betting markets. Key details on licensing, taxation and online operator requirements have yet to be published and will become clearer once the Council of Ministers and the Assembly of the Representatives of the People begin debating the text.

If adopted, the revised framework would mark Tunisia’s most significant step yet toward a modern, integrity-focused gambling and sports betting regime, bringing national rules closer to international practice while reinforcing the state’s ability to police the sector.