The Ethiopian Lottery Service (ELS) has reiterated that the ban on sports betting in the country remains actively enforced, following the revocation of all operating licenses in the sector seven months ago. A public notice shared via ELS's official Telegram channel last week warned against the actions of scammers taking advantage of the confusion surrounding the ban.
The ELS emphasized that as of now, there is no legal sports betting operation within Ethiopia. "We strongly caution citizens not to engage in betting or deposit money through illegally operating sports betting services, websites, social media pages, or any other money-collection channels," the regulator stated.
This advisory comes in response to various claims circulating on social media from unlicensed sports betting organizations. ELS warned that engaging with these operators exposes customers to significant financial risks. The agency explained that recovering any potential losses from unlicensed entities could be exceedingly difficult since these operations lack legal status.
Individuals can report illegal betting operators using the shortcode 9695, and ELS stated it would continue collaborating with government entities to safeguard public interest, financial integrity, and uphold the rule of law.
The latest clarification follows a crackdown initiated in November 2025, when Ethiopia's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) arrested 24 individuals presumed to be owners and accomplices of sports betting firms. NISS claimed these individuals were responsible for concealing more than ETB100 billion (approximately $620.5 million) from the government.
According to NISS, the funds were allegedly moved abroad through cryptocurrency exchanges and informal transfer methods. The agency also accused domestic payment aggregators of obscuring transaction volumes by citing client confidentiality.
In a country already struggling with financial challenges, the purported concealment of such vast sums of money poses serious concerns for Ethiopian authorities. In response to the investigation, ELS swiftly acted to suspend the licenses of 22 betting firms on December 4, 2025, based on information from NISS. Just over a week later, all remaining betting licenses were revoked.
Notably, ELS's decision did not explicitly mention the arrests or the scale of the concealed funds. It referred instead to a nationwide review of the betting sector and the necessity to address concerns over illegal financial transfers that could compromise national security.
There has been no official connection between the license revocations and the arrests reported by NISS. Additionally, a lesser-known development reported by Addis Insight revealed that all 24 individuals arrested in November had been released by late January 2026, although authorities have not clarified whether charges were dismissed or remain pending.
Legal challenges to the shutdown are ongoing, with Ethiopian outlet Shega previously reporting that the sports betting sector used to handle between ETB800 million and ETB1 billion in daily transactions prior to the licensing suspension. Despite this significant level of activity, the latest warning from ELS underscores the continued illegal operations amid ongoing litigation.
In a recent ruling, the Federal High Court overturned the National Lottery Administration's suspension of Hulu Sport, citing procedural flaws in the previous decision. However, the National Lottery Administration appealed the ruling, which is currently on hold, preventing Hulu Sport from resuming operations. This judicial decision has raised questions about the regulator's practices but has not reinstated Hulu Sport's license or reopened the market to other operators.
While the ELS's directive clarifies that current legal circumstances have not modified the ban on sports betting, officials have not dismissed the potential for a restructured regulatory framework for the industry. During a February 2026 parliamentary session, Mekiyu Mohammed, the state minister for culture and sports, remarked that it would be "impossible" to permanently prevent betting or deny access to betting technology due to global trends.
He suggested that Ethiopia should create a legal framework to explore how the country might benefit from the betting industry. Beza Girma, the CEO of ELS, echoed these sentiments, noting that the split oversight of the sector between two ministries has complicated effective regulation, policy implementation, and accountability.
These discussions indicate that while the Ethiopian authorities concentrate on maintaining control over betting activities, the dialogue is evolving from whether the industry should exist to how it should be managed.
At present, there remains no licensing process or timeline for potential operators and investors considering Ethiopia's approximately 130 million consumers. The message from Addis Ababa is definitive: the market remains closed to any new or returning participants.
