Ethiopia Demands Jumps while Betting Licenses are Revoked

The steepest interest month of 2026 arrived on an empty license shelf.

iGaming demand in Ethiopiarose 45.3% in September 2026, the largest monthly gain of the year. On 20 September Capital Ethiopia reported that the Ethiopian Lottery Service is preparing to relaunch sports betting and digital lotteries, but did not set a reopening date.

Blask metrics

Blask metrics used in this piece:

Blask Index — interest in iGaming in a particular country.
BAP (Brand’s Accumulated Power) — a brand’s share of that demand in a country.
CEB (Competitive Earning Baseline) — projected revenue.

*Figures are shown as they appeared in Blask on 20 October 2026.

What the license shelf looks like

Ethiopia closed licensed sports betting in December 2025. The Capital account records a 4 December suspension of 22 firms, then a 15 December revocation of every sports-betting license, with banks and payment providers forced to block related payments.

Since that date, Ethiopian demand has been continuously falling. A year later, Ethiopia’s Blask Index started to climb.

Ethiopia demand rose off the June floor

September became the highest month of 2026 after search rose 45.3% from August. The month is still 70.1% below September 2025.

Line chart of the Ethiopia Blask Index (Sept 2025–Sept 2026): peak 24.6M in Nov, sharp drop after Dec, then a long low period around 3–7M mid-year, rising to 6.2M by Sep 2026; Dec 15, 2025 marked.

Onshore brands held 19.1% of September demand, against 96% in September 2025. Most of the rebound is offshore search. The revenue baseline did not follow that path.

Projected revenue is still above last September

September CEB was 15.9% above August and 30.8% above September 2025. Demand rose faster in the same month. Over the year the lines split: search is below last September, and the projected revenue is above it.

Line chart of Ethiopia CEB revenue from Sep 2025 to Sep 2026, peaking at .8M in January and ending at .6M in September, with December marked by a dashed line.

January is the high month, after which the line eased through the summer and September marked the rebound.

Melbet, Chatki and KonjoBet held September

Melbet led in September, with Chatki and KonjoBet next. The three brands held 73.4% BAP, and their shares barely moved from August. Overall Blask tracked 119 brands in the country, and the order at the top stayed put.

VamosBets was the exception under that trio, rising from 6.8% to 8.3%. 1xBet held the same share in both months.

Bottom line

Demand in Ethiopia grew 45.3% in September, the biggest jump this year, yet it remains well under last year’s level. Players have moved offshore, and three brands, Melbet, Chatki and KonjoBet, now take most of the search.

A relaunch is being prepared, with no date set, and any new license holder will enter a market whose leaders are already in place.

About Blask

Blask is an AI-powered platform for iGaming and gambling market analytics. The company turns fragmented open-source signals into real-time insight on brand visibility, player demand, and baseline revenue metrics, helping teams move first, spend smarter, and reduce risk across global markets