The Nigerian state-owned gaming company, GDJ, has not disclosed any businesses granted approval to operate under its newly established state-controlled gambling system, which affects the country's 2.65 million residents along the Atlantic coast.
All previous authorizations, licenses, and declarations became void as of April 7, 2026. This date was specified in a notice from GDJ, whose director general Roméo Nguema Ondo urged private operators to submit applications for licenses that would be supervised by the state.
The lack of any public announcements leaves unclear whether any businesses have been approved or are operating under interim arrangements, resulting in a lack of transparency about which operators might take part and the terms of their participation.
In February, GDJ requested expressions of interest from potential applicants, setting a deadline for March 2. The organization assured a transparent, fair, and rigorous selection process to choose operators demonstrating sufficient technical, financial, and organizational expertise. Applicants were also required to adhere to rules regarding excessive gambling, minor access, money laundering, and operational security.
However, it has been more than seven months since the application deadline, and GDJ has not released any results. No approved operators have been named, nor have the fees or operational requirements been detailed, including any revenue-sharing arrangements for private involvement.
Gabon formally integrated online betting into its gambling framework through Ordinance 0012/PR/2020, which was ratified with amendments in February 2021. Online betting businesses had been classified as third-category operators with renewals every five years. A decree issued in May 2022 limited the number of online operators to five for three years.
The Council of Ministers approved the recent gaming reforms on December 29, 2025, with formal ordinances dated December 30. This overhaul dissolved the previous gaming commission and its technical secretariat, establishing GDJ as the entity responsible for organizing, operating, and controlling gambling while overseeing private operators.
During parliamentary discussions in 2026, legislators raised concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest stemming from the same state company managing both commercial and supervisory functions. At a Senate committee meeting in June, the former interior minister, Adrien Nguema Mba, mentioned that certain controls would be implemented to separate GDJ's oversight from its operational activities. He characterized the reform as a "sovereign choice" necessary for fully reclaiming the sector.
Mba outlined plans to create 2,000 points of sale across Gabon's nine provinces, asserting that GDJ would ensure complete traceability of financial flows previously lacking state oversight.
GDJ's board convened for the first time on August 7, where it ratified its strategic plan, budgets, and internal regulations. However, there has been no detailed public explanation on how GDJ's commercial interests will be distinguished from its supervisory roles.
In May 2025, reports indicated that eTech SAS was awarded the mandate to centralize gambling-related financial flows without going through a competitive tender process, prompting criticism from local tech firms for their exclusion. Thé former interior minister Hermann Immongault defended the selection, asserting that the process was legal and transparent and reaffirming the state's right to choose its operators, adding that eTech would eventually transition to full state ownership.
Immongault explained that the state sought payment control, describing the previous model as obsolete. "We operate on a purely declarative basis. An operator declares what it wants and pays 8% in tax. This model is outdated," he remarked.
In June 2026, reports noted that Paymetrust had entered an agreement with GDJ to handle the centralization and oversight of online betting payments using a platform linked to mobile and banking networks. The relationship between Paymetrust and eTech was not clarified publicly.
Operators remain in a state of uncertainty, as reported in June. They await final licenses, operational agreements, and specific guidelines. Industry concerns include the necessity of obtaining licenses for each activity and location, increased cash transaction costs, delayed payouts, and challenges in account reconciliation, with potential deductions amounting to roughly 30% of turnover.
The initial 2026 Finance Law estimated CFA1.24 billion ($2.1 million) in revenue from gaming taxes, but it did not detail the fees or terms expected of individual operators. While the reforms aim to enhance state control, ensure financial scrutiny, and boost public revenue, the efficacy of such measures will be assessed only after GDJ clarifies the results of the selection process and outlines the operating terms for approved participants.
