The Gaming Board of Tanzania (GBT) said the sector's taxes for the fiscal year that ended in June 2026 totaled TSh 307.8 billion, or about $116 million at the exchange rate of November 2. The figure was given by the agency's director general, James Mbalwe.
According to him, growth was driven by mobile access and digital payments, as players no longer have to go to betting outlets. He named sports betting operators and casinos as the main beneficiaries.
In September 2025, GBT cited TSh 260.21 billion, but that figure covered four years.
The regulator also lists the sector's problems: illegal slot machines, unregulated websites and weak player protection. Together with the communications regulator and the cybercrime police, GBT is searching for unregulated platforms and blocking them.
To oversee the industry at the local level, GBT signed a memorandum with the President's Office for Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG). The document was signed by Mbalwe and PMO-RALG Permanent Secretary Adolf Ndunguru. The agreement covers informing players, exchanging information, training staff and joint checks of compliance with the law.
For operators, this means control now runs through regional authorities as well, not only through the central agency.
