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Burundi has laid out strict compliance rules for the 2026/27 financial year, targeting gambling operators with tougher penalties and tighter oversight.
Under Joint Ministerial Order No. 760/540/319, signed on August 12, all forms of games of chance, including tombolas and prize draws, fall under the new framework. The order enforces Article 156 of the 2026/27 Finance Law and sets clear consequences for late payments.
Operators who delay fee payments face a 50% penalty added to their total invoice. If arrears extend beyond one month, licences are suspended until debts are cleared. According to Focus Gaming News, the order also requires gambling companies, lotteries, and prediction contests to grant LONA “full access” to their information systems, a move designed to strengthen monitoring and ensure transparency.
Land-based operators mandated to connect to online monitoring system
Burundi’s new framework does not stop at financial penalties. It also forces land‑based operators, including slot machine providers and other non‑internet gaming machines, to install mechanisms that link their equipment directly to the state’s electronic financial‑monitoring system.
Any operator that fails to comply risks being classified under the order as committing a serious fault, which carries sanctions under the Penal Code.
The financial structure tied to this monitoring system is equally strict. Charges were first shared by the National Lottery of Burundi in June, but the August ministerial order now provides the legal framework for collection in the 2026/27 financial year.
Article 3 sets a 10% charge on player deposits, another 10% on withdrawals, and a 10 per cent contribution on gross profit earned by gambling companies. Promotional or occasional games such as tombolas are not exempt, with organisers required to pay 10% of the total prize value.
How would the gambling fee be collected?
The order ties fee collection directly to the partnership struck in 2024 between the Government of Burundi, represented by LONA, and B&N Partners. That agreement created the foundation for monitoring games of chance and ensuring the state could capture revenues more efficiently.
Under the new framework, gambling companies, lotteries, and prediction contests receive monthly invoices from LONA. Once notified, they have ten days to make payment.
All charges flow into accounts at the Bank of the Republic of Burundi. When games are processed through B&N Partners, payments go into a segregated account held jointly in the names of LONA and B&N Partners.
For games outside that channel, LONA collects the money directly into its own central bank account. From there, 40% of the revenue is transferred to the Public Treasury, while the remaining 60% is moved into a commercial bank account controlled by LONA.
The order also addresses winnings left dormant. If a player fails to claim funds for three months and no account activity is recorded, operators must transfer those amounts to the Public Treasury.
Gross profit, which forms the basis of the contribution, is defined as net turnover minus player winnings. Net turnover itself is the total stakes placed, less the fee on those stakes.
