Angola, a country that Portugal colonized, is officially known as the Republic of Angola, located on the west coast of Southern Africa. It is the second largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world. It’s bordered by Namibia to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Congo to the north, and Zambia to the east.
Luanda is the country’s capital and is also its most populous city. Angola’s official currency is known as Kwanza (AOA).
Moreover, with the civil war that lasted for 27 years (1975 to 2002) and their economy being wrecked, one might assume that there’s little or no form of gambling in the country; however, that preconception is wrong. Gambling has been legal since 1970. It was made legal through Ordinance No. 517/70 – Lei da Actividade de Jogo.
A proposal was authorized on 28 January 2016, during the 3rd Ordinary Plenary Meeting of the 4th Legislative session with 154 votes in favour; the parliament passed the new gambling legislation that regulates online gambling, lotteries, and casinos. Thus, the Institute for the supervision of games (Instituto de Supervisao de Jogos) which they formed in 2015, is the regulatory body in charge of land-based gambling activities.
However, the Instituto de Supervisao de Jogos ousted the National Lotteries Company of Angola, which was assigned to supervise all allowed gambling in the country until that time. Currently, the proper functioning of the online gambling industry is governed by the same body; besides its function as a supervisor, the body is responsible for issuing licenses to all Casinos, sportsbooks, and other forms of gambling in Angola. In addition, five land-based casinos offer slots and table games.
Online gambling and sports betting are legal in the country and were made legal by Presidential Decree No. 131/120. Online gambling is increasingly or less still evolving, with Empresa Nacional de Loterias de Angola, the leading lottery operator in the country, having shops across major cities. At the same time, there are currently over seven online sports betting companies with the likes of Elephant bet, 1xbet, and Premierbet, among others jostling for the leading brand and market share. However, the emergence of mobile money services in the country has brought a new market dimension to the Angola online gambling industry. It will open up new market opportunities for potential gaming investors and entrepreneurs. On the flip side, casino gambling is the most popular form. These casinos are primarily located in the capital city Luanda, and you can also find casinos in other places like Cabinda, Lubango, and Benguela.
Conclusively, there are numerous offshore online betting providers that punters can wager on in the country, as they are no clear-cut laws that prohibit offshore online gambling. From the colonial era, Angolans have been ardent gamblers placing wagers on poker, bingo, and casino games. Now with over 4 million active punters, that number can only grow with the aid of the internet and an increase in mobile phone users.
