Gabon's new gambling monopoly yet to name approved operators or publish fees seven months after applications closed

Gabon's new state-controlled gambling system is facing questions over transparency, fees and oversight. The state-owned gaming company, known as GDJ, has not identified any businesses approved to operate under the framework, more than seven months after applications closed. The Central African country has about 2.65 million people.

Previous authorisations, licences and declarations ceased to be valid on 7 April 2026, according to a GDJ notice signed by director general Roméo Nguema Ondo. In February the company had issued a call for expressions of interest with a 2 March deadline, promising a transparent, fair and rigorous selection process. The GDJ has not named approved operators or set out the fees, operating requirements or any revenue-sharing arrangements. It remains unclear whether individual businesses have been approved privately or are working under transitional arrangements.

The reform follows earlier legislation that brought online betting into the legal framework through Ordinance 0012/PR/2020, under which operators held renewable five-year declarations. A 2022 decree set a quota of five online operators for three years. The Council of Ministers approved the new framework on 29 December 2025, and two ordinances dated 30 December abolished the former gaming commission and created the GDJ to organise, operate and control gambling while supervising private operators.

Lawmakers questioned the potential conflict of placing commercial and supervisory roles in one company. Then-interior minister Adrien Nguema Mba said control systems would separate oversight from operations, and described the reform to a Senate committee as a sovereign choice. He also cited plans for 2,000 points of sale across nine provinces. The GDJ board first met on 7 August, but public information does not explain in detail how its commercial interests will be kept apart from its supervisory duties.

Payment flows are another point of scrutiny. In 2025 it was reported that the mandate to centralise gambling-related payments went to eTech SAS without a competitive tender, which the then interior minister defended as legal and transparent. In June 2026 it was reported that Paymetrust had signed an agreement with the GDJ to centralise and supervise online betting payments, and the GDJ has not explained how this relates to eTech's mandate.

In June, operators were reported to be awaiting definitive licences and specifications, citing concerns about per-activity and per-site licensing, higher cash-in and cash-out costs, delayed payouts and an estimated monthly deduction equivalent to 30% of turnover. The 2026 Finance Law projected CFA1.24 billion ($2.1 million) from the tax on games of chance. The reform's effectiveness will be hard to judge until the GDJ publishes the selection outcome and financial terms.