Last Updated: 9 march 2026
Right now, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) is shaping up to be one of those African GEOs the market is just starting to pay attention to en masse. Meanwhile, the numbers suggest the potential here is much bigger than it first appears. For a media buyer, this isn’t a “launch today, cash out tomorrow” kind of story. It’s a country that already has a basic legal framework for gambling, a growing digital audience, a state-owned lottery that’s moved online, and a fresh regulator tasked with building the rules of the game (both on the ground and in the digital space).
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The 3S.INFO review will be of interest not only to media buyers but also to operators, providers, and the B2B segment. Operators will get a clear picture of how local regulation works, who actually controls the market, and what legal entry points exist. Affiliates will discover what the audience in Ivory Coast looks like, how they consume sports and online content, and why building Arabic and French-language funnels makes sense here. For the entire iGaming industry, Ivory Coast is a case study in how a country with a strong state lottery and a fresh regulatory framework is gradually transitioning from a chaotic market to a more structured and regulated gambling environment.
When it comes to trends, Ivory Coast checks several boxes at once.
For media buyers, Ivory Coast offers several distinct advantages.
Unlike Nigeria or Kenya, the market hasn’t been saturated by major international online brands yet. At the same time, LONACI and a number of private operators already have a solid online presence: virtual games, sports betting, and mobile products that are actively capturing local traffic. The audience is growing, internet and smartphone penetration are on the rise, and culturally, people are already familiar with lotteries and wagering through the state lottery. That makes in-product education and onboarding into other forms of gambling much smoother. For affiliates, this means a GEO with a solid foundation for long-term plays — not just a quick cash grab.
According to the CMS Expert Guide to Gambling Laws in Africa – Côte d’Ivoire, iGamingToday, and the African Lotteries Association / LONACI.
If we dig into the legislative details, the key starting point is Law No. 2020-480 of May 27, 2020, on the legal framework for gambling in Ivory Coast (Law n°2020-480 du 27 mai 2020 portant régime juridique des jeux de hasard en Côte d’Ivoire). For the first time, this law unified the entire gambling sector under a single legal instrument, covering everything from casinos and lotteries to bookmaking and online games, including the foundation for licensing and oversight. The law explicitly states that online gambling is a regulated activity. This means it’s not a gray area, but a recognized segment of the market that must operate within the rules.
Here’s the interesting part: the law introduces a two‑tier model.
On one hand, it grants exclusive rights (a concession) to the state lottery LONACI (Loterie Nationale de Côte d’Ivoire) for most types of games, including online games, sports betting, and other formats, with the exception of casinos and slot machines. This means that across a whole range of verticals, LONACI acts not just as an operator but as the de facto anchor of the market. On the other hand, the law establishes a separate independent regulator (the Autorité de Régulation des Jeux de Hasard (ARJH) / National Gambling Regulatory Authority) which is responsible for overseeing the entire gambling sector, issuing licenses, ensuring compliance with the law, and imposing sanctions.
Online gambling in Ivory Coast is formally permitted and regulated under the same Law No. 2020-480. This includes online lotteries, online sports betting, virtual games, and other products that fall under the definition of “games of chance.” In practice, this took shape when LONACI launched its online portal Parions Direct, where users can play via the web, mobile apps (iOS/Android), and USSD codes. More recently, it added new virtual games with fixed odds and virtual dog racing — both fully digital offerings.
Now, onto who’s in charge of all this. Gambling regulation in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire falls under the ARJH — Autorité Nationale de la Régulation des Jeux de Hasard (National Gambling Regulatory Authority), an independent body established by that same 2020 law.
This is the very body that:
On the government side, the relevant ministries remain involved: the Ministry of the Interior and Security, the Ministry of Finance, as well as the authorities in charge of digital infrastructure and telecommunications, who step in when needed to block illegal operators and support the technical implementation of the regulator’s decisions.
In practice, it works like this: ARJH conducts investigations and inspections and seizes illegal equipment (in 2024, for instance, the regulator destroyed over 100 illegal slot machines in Abidjan). Blocking illegal online projects is then handled jointly by ARJH, the relevant ministries, and telecommunications providers.
When it comes to licensing, formally speaking, ARJH is the authority that issues gambling licenses in Ivory Coast, with the exception of those segments where LONACI holds a state concession. LONACI, in turn, remains the operator with exclusive rights to lotteries, certain types of betting, and online games. However, its activities are also regulated and overseen by ARJH.
In terms of license types, the market is divided by verticals and regimes. There are two key regimes: the concession regime and the authorization regime. The concession regime applies to state monopolies like LONACI, which holds exclusivity over lotteries and certain online games. The authorization regime is for private operators of land-based casinos, gaming halls, slot parlors, and potentially certain online products outside the monopoly. In practice, this translates into licenses for:
Looking at all this through a media buyer’s eyes, the key takeaway is this: Ivory Coast already has a clear legal framework under Law No. 2020-480, a freshly established regulator in ARJH, a strong state lottery (LONACI) with its own online portal, and a formalized approach to licensing, including for online games. This isn’t a “wild west” market where anyone can just send traffic as they please. It’s a space where the state is actively trying to regulate the sector and gradually bring order, while still leaving clear windows for operating within the rules. For an affiliate, this means you can build a long-term play here, but only if you respect local legislation, LONACI’s unique status, and the nuances of the licensing framework.
Ivory Coast’s iGaming ecosystem right now has its own unique dynamic. At the top: the state lottery LONACI with its online portal and a monopoly on a significant portion of verticals. Alongside it: a young but already sharp‑toothed regulator, ARJH. At the base: a market that’s just beginning to fill with digital adoption, mobile penetration, and a growing interest in betting.
When it comes to the main operators and brands, there’s really one starting point: LONACI — the Loterie Nationale de Côte d’Ivoire. This state‑run lottery has been in charge of lotteries, basic wagering, and sports betting since the 1970s. After Law No. 2020‑480, it secured an exclusive role across most online games, with the exception of casinos and slot machines. On the digital side, LONACI operates its own portal, Parions Direct (parionsdirect.ci / lonacionline.ci), where users can access sports betting, virtual games, and lottery products. In 2025, the company expanded this stack with new virtual offerings and broadened its digital storefront — a move that caught the attention of industry media. Today, it remains effectively the only fully licensed online gambling brand in the country.
There are no major international online brands visibly operating with a local license in open sources. The online sector is described as “partially regulated,” with only state-approved platforms like LONACI permitted to operate legally. Private operators are required to obtain a license, but in practice, the regulation of online casinos and slots remains limited and is still evolving. In practical terms, this means that international .com brands may be familiar to users, but their local licensing status stays outside the transparent public domain.
Local players are, first and foremost, LONACI itself as a state-owned brand, along with operators of land-based casinos and slot halls working under authorization regimes with ARJH. These are the ones that appear in the news when it comes to equipment purchases, new product launches, and partnerships in virtual games.
Any operator looking to operate legally in Ivory Coast must obtain: a concession/approval from LONACI (for lotteries, sports betting, and online games) and/or regulatory approval from ARJH (for casinos, slots, or other formats of games of chance). It’s not a quick process: submitting a financial model, technical specifications, integrations with banks and mobile money providers, compliance assessments for data protection and responsible gaming, and only then, launch. For a media buyer, this means that the top offers will be closely tied to those who’ve already gone through this process and secured their place within the legal framework.
When it comes to tackling the gray market, ARJH has already shown its teeth. In 2024–2025, the regulator carried out one of its largest operations against illegal gaming halls. Over 110 unauthorized slot machines and components were destroyed in Abidjan. The operation was conducted jointly with units combatting economic and financial crimes and the Agency for the Recovery of Criminal Assets. It’s a clear sign that simply setting up machines in Ivory Coast no longer flies.
The fight against the gray market follows a classic formula: legal framework + field enforcement + digital oversight.
Law No. 2020-480 grants ARJH the authority to investigate illegal gambling activities, shut down unauthorized venues, seize equipment, and refer cases to the public prosecutor’s office, where criminal charges and financial penalties come into play. In parallel, LONACI is rolling out a national data centralization platform for games of chance, designed to improve transaction monitoring, track turnover, spot anomalous patterns, and quickly identify operators working outside the system.
Technical measures to combat illegal online projects include blocking domains and IPs at the ISP level, as well as restricting payment channels. Licensed operators are required to integrate with local banks and mobile money services (such as Orange Money, MTN, etc.), while gray-market projects risk losing access to these channels and fall under transaction monitoring.
Sanctions and penalties for violators range from administrative fines and equipment confiscation to license suspension and revocation, while in cases of persistent illegal betting and casino operations, criminal prosecution. ARJH works in tandem with the economic police and judicial authorities to see cases through, not stopping at symbolic slot machine seizures.
The role of providers and payment systems here is crucial. Without their involvement, neither blocking access to websites nor cutting off financial flows is possible. In practice, ARJH and LONACI act as the “brain” of control, while telecom operators and banks serve as the “hands” that carry out the blocking and monitoring.
For you as an affiliate (and for any operator) the key takeaway on Ivory Coast is this: this is no longer a gray corner of the map. It’s a country with a functioning regulator, a state‑run monopoly operator in LONACI, a clear (if not entirely transparent in numbers) tax regime, and an active crackdown on illegal gambling and betting. If you’re looking to build a long‑term play here, it has to be done through understanding the local regulatory framework, the roles of LONACI and ARJH, and carefully navigating product and payment integration.
Ivory Coast is like “Francophone Africa on steroids”: a young audience, explosive mobile growth, a state lottery that went digital years ago, and an iGaming market already estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually. For media buyers, this isn’t the most overhyped GEO. That’s exactly why there’s still room to breathe. Competition is lower than in Nigeria or Kenya, while players are already accustomed to lotteries, betting, and crash games.
To give a brief history: for a long time, gambling in the country revolved around the state lottery LONACI, with its classic draws and basic land‑based sports betting. Then mobile took off, and LONACI pivoted to digital, launching the Parions Direct portal, mobile apps, and virtual games, from football betting to new virtual races. The 2020 law legalized and structured the sector, granting ARJH the authority to regulate games of chance. From that point on, iGaming became more than just an “additional channel,” it evolved into a standalone vertical with clear rules.
The country itself is a major player in the region. The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire is located in West Africa, along the Gulf of Guinea, bordering Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Liberia. Its population is around 33 million, making it one of the largest economies in Francophone Africa. The main city and economic hub is Abidjan, with an urban area of over 5 million residents, followed by Yamoussoukro (the political capital, ~300–400k), Bouaké, Daloa, and other cities with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants (all contributing noticeable traffic). The official language is French, which is also the primary language of media and digital interfaces. English is far less common, used mostly in business circles and among some younger demographics. So if you’re thinking about SEO and creatives, “French first” is almost a must. The currency is the West African CFA franc (XOF), pegged to the euro and shared by several countries in the region — a convenient setup for billing and cross-regional strategies.
Here are the numbers for Ivory Coast right now: roughly 13.4 million internet users and around 40.7% internet penetration as of late 2025. But the real driver is mobile. The country has 49.7 million active mobile connections (about 151% of the population). People carry two SIM cards, and mobile internet has become the primary way to get online. On top of that, 92.7% of mobile connections are already 3G/4G/5G, so decent mobile internet isn’t a luxury, it’s the default. Separate telephony stats show that mobile phone penetration has reached 172% of the population, which is remarkably high even by African standards. For iGaming, this means the entire funnel is mobile-first. Users are far more likely to open an app or a mobile site than to sit down at a desktop.
When it comes to the audience, the picture is very classic Africa: the core is young men. Ivory Coast has an estimated 2–3 million active gambling users, with a significant portion being urban youth with high mobile engagement. The age range is roughly 18–40+, but the real money and activity come from the 21–35 demographic (those who already have an income, a smartphone, and a habit of paying online). Financially, this means the lower and middle class of major cities: service sector workers, civil servants, small business owners, and students with side gigs who are willing to allocate part of their income to betting and quick gaming sessions.
The key habits are pretty much what you’d expect for the region. The average Ivorian player spends between 10 and 30 minutes per day gambling, with daily engagement exceeding 40% — meaning a significant share of those who play are placing bets at least once or twice a day. Players gravitate toward fast scenarios: placing a bet on a match, checking the outcome, clicking through a crash game and cashing out before the crash. Research explicitly points to a passion for football and “quick wins” in crash games as the main drivers of engagement. Players actively switch between brands if they see better odds or bonuses. They appreciate value, not loyalty to a single logo.
When it comes to games, the preference structure is quite telling. 60–70% of all bets go to sports betting, with football absolutely dominating. The local league, the Africa Cup of Nations, top European championships like the English Premier League, La Liga, and Ligue 1 — that’s where the main turnover lies. The Ivorian national team and stars playing in Europe fuel interest in matches, while major tournaments like AFCON and the Champions League heat up the betting lines and bring traffic spikes.
Lotteries also remain strong, but that’s primarily LONACI’s domain, with draws and instant-win games. The casino segment online is still less dominant for Ivorian players, though it’s growing. Research shows that in cities like Abidjan, slots, table games, and live casino are gaining popularity, especially in the evenings and on weekends. When it comes to slots, players are drawn to simple mechanics, clear multipliers, and thematic games: from classic titles to locally relevant themes.
Crash games have already risen to the level of a standalone top vertical. They’re cited as one of the fastest-growing categories for “quick emotions.” The appeal lies in the simple UX, the ability to “cash out in time,” and the social effect, with players discussing multipliers and recent sessions.
Esports in Ivory Coast is still niche, but not zero. Research notes it as a growing segment, especially among urban Gen Z, who play and follow international titles. Still, the share of bets placed on esports remains far behind football and traditional sports. Wagers are mostly placed on major international tournaments and disciplines that are visible elsewhere. Yet, this is more of an experimental part of the portfolio than a core vertical.
Now, onto payments and localization. In Ivory Coast, payment systems are the foundation. Without them, you simply won’t get decent conversion. “Payment system limitations” are one of the main barriers to fully unlocking the market’s potential: not all players can deposit and withdraw comfortably, and not all operators are properly integrated with local payment methods.
On the global side, the lineup is fairly standard: Visa, Mastercard, and occasionally international e‑wallets (if they support XOF or allow transactions in euros or dollars). But the real king here is mobile money. The majority of the population is used to paying through telecom‑linked mobile wallets, and that’s exactly what’s become the main way people top up their balances for betting and gambling. Ivory Coast has a strong mobile finance ecosystem driven by major telcos: Orange Money, MTN Mobile Money, and other local solutions that people use for everything — from utilities to online services.
Banks are still important, but largely as backend infrastructure. They hold the accounts, integrate with mobile money operators and payment gateways, and handle transaction monitoring and AML/KYC compliance. For the player, though, “banking” usually means a mobile app or a telco’s USSD menu, not a trip to a physical branch.
In the Ivorian iGaming context, crypto appears in global overviews as one of the potential methods for bypassing restrictions. However, officially, it remains outside the main licensing and banking framework, and regulators in the region generally take a cautious stance toward cryptocurrencies. The smart bet shouldn’t be on crypto. It should be on seamless integration with mobile money and local banking partners.
For operators and affiliates, this all means a few things. First, without working local payment solutions (Orange Money, MTN, other wallets) your product in Ivory Coast is doomed to low deposit CR, even if your creatives and funnel are on point. Second, your billing system needs to handle XOF and display clear amounts without unnecessary conversions. It’s much easier for a user to see “500 XOF” than to mentally convert a dollar amount. And third, any deposit → play → withdrawal flow needs to be structured so that banks and regulators see a transparent picture: proper KYC procedures, clear limits, and no suspicious routing through obscure payment systems.
When it comes to limitations and recommendations, industry experts advise keeping a close eye on regulatory updates (especially regarding virtual games and online payments) and structuring operations to avoid blockages by MCC codes or unexpected freezes on mobile wallets. The better you understand local payment methods, audience habits, and the legal framework, the higher your chances of building not just a one-off test in Ivory Coast, but a stable revenue stream across iGaming verticals.
Ivory Coast is a classic Tier 3 market with uncharacteristically high potential. It’s not yet saturated with international .com brands, traffic is cheap, and the audience is already accustomed to online betting and gaming through LONACI and mobile products.
In terms of competition, Ivory Coast still looks relatively light. The main legal online player is the national lottery LONACI with its Parions Direct portal, which has helped shape the local habit of betting, playing virtual games, and instant games. There are almost no private online brands operating under a local license, and major international operators skirting the law are far less aggressive here than in Nigeria or Kenya.
For an affiliate, this means lower online competition for users, while the audience is already “warmed up.” People know what it means to place a bet on a match or spin a quick game through the state operator. They’re comfortable jumping into similar scenarios in a mobile format. Besides, Ivory Coast is a Tier 3 GEO with almost no competition and extremely low traffic costs. Offers here typically range from around $15–30 CPA or up to 35% RevShare, and it still pays off with social media traffic.
The niches for affiliate marketing here are fairly straightforward: French-language sports content (European + local football), crash games and fast mobile gaming, localized landing pages built around XOF and mobile money, as well as educational formats around betting and responsible gambling. The CPA/RevShare model depends on the offer. Yet, in practice, the market already pays well for quality deposit traffic from the 21–35 demographic: the audience that lives in live betting, football, and crash games. Exclusives are typically granted in exchange for volume and solid localization: French language, clear limits, and convenient payment methods.
Among the risks, the main one is regulation. The online sector formally rests on the 2020 law, and ARJH has made it clear that only licensed operators should have market access. Promoting offshore or unlicensed products is where trouble begins. In parallel, since 2024–2025, ARJH and LONACI have been building a unified digital platform for real‑time transaction monitoring, designed to crack down on illegal and gray‑market operators.
Technical risks include site blocks, payment restrictions and mobile wallet limitations, as well as potential MCC code crackdowns by banks. Market risks are the usual Tier 3 challenges: relatively low revenue per user, demand volatility, dependence on seasonal events (like AFCON or European tournaments), and economic ups and downs.
On the flip side, the opportunities are substantial. Total gambling revenue in Ivory Coast, driven by digitalization and new products, could reach hundreds of billions of XOF annually, with the online segment’s CAGR for 2025–2031 estimated at 10–15%. The window for entry is right now: ARJH is still fine‑tuning the regulations and national platform, the market hasn’t been “bought up” or split between a dozen giants yet, and there are already solid players ready to work through affiliate programs.
Over a 3-year horizon, the most promising areas are: mobile sports betting with live betting, crash games, localized content around AFCON and major tournaments, and products that integrate smoothly with mobile money and operate transparently in XOF.
In terms of marketing, Ivory Coast is classic “mobile + social media.” In early 2024, the country had 11.23 million internet users and a Facebook ad reach of 7 million. By the end of 2025, the total number of social media identities had grown to 8.4 million — roughly a quarter of the population. 62.8% of all internet users use at least one social network, and 61.3% of that audience is male, which fits the bettor profile perfectly.
*The Meta Corporation has been recognized as extremist in Russia. Its social networks Facebook and Instagram have been blocked by court decisions.
Open reports don’t publish specific ROI figures for campaigns in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, but the general direction is clear from marketing materials by operators and affiliate programs. Licensed brands enter through mobile, integration with Orange Money and MTN, localized sports betting, crash games, plus partnerships with influencers and agency networks. It’s through such partners that users learn to make deposits and start seeing the product as “theirs.” Affiliates here typically build French-language content funnels around football and virtual games, plug into affiliate programs with CPA/RevShare, and drive traffic to mobile landing pages with simple onboarding and clear limits.
If we boil it all down to a short checklist for Ivory Coast, it would look like this:
At the end of the day, Ivory Coast is a GEO with nearly 33 million people (over 11 million of them online and 8.4 million on social media), while mobile connections outnumber the population by 1.5 times. The market includes a strong state operator, LONACI, which is driving digitalization; a newly established regulator, ARJH, which is tightening control over the gray sector; and an online segment experiencing double-digit growth that is still not overcrowded with major international players.
For iGaming, this means that Ivory Coast is not a “lawless jungle,” but an emerging regulated market with high potential, cheap traffic, and an audience that lives on their phones, loves football, and is ready to play fast products. If you’re willing to adapt to local regulations, the French language, and mobile money, this GEO has every chance of becoming a stable source of profit in the coming years.
Online gambling is formally permitted and regulated under Law No. 2020-480. It explicitly recognizes online lotteries, sports betting, and virtual games as part of the legal market, but only when operated under a license. LONACI holds exclusivity across many verticals, while the independent regulator ARJH oversees licensing, ensures compliance, and has the power to fine, suspend, or revoke licenses. Thus, operating here means working strictly within the local regulatory framework.
The key legal player is the state lottery LONACI with its online portal Parions Direct, through which it offers lotteries, sports betting, and virtual games. It’s around this brand that the habit of online gambling is being formed. Private land-based casinos and slot halls also operate under permits from ARJH. However, when it comes to online brands with a local license, LONACI is essentially the only one that actually stands out. Major international .com operators don’t appear in official listings and are generally seen as external/unlicensed.
Because it’s a fast-growing West African economy with a young population, a strong football culture, and an audience already familiar with betting. The market has a state operator that has digitalized lotteries and wagering, a legal framework with clear boundaries, and a fresh regulator. Yet, there’s still no mass influx of international online brands. Traffic is cheap, Tier 3 competition is lower than in Nigeria or Kenya, and that creates favorable conditions for long-term affiliate partnerships.
ARJH works in coordination with the economic police, the public prosecutor’s office and LONACI. It shuts down underground gambling halls, seizes and destroys illegal slot machines, refers cases to court, and (when it comes to online) enforces domain/IP blocks and payment restrictions. Licensed operators are required to integrate with local banks and mobile money services, while gray-market projects risk losing access to these channels and face administrative or even criminal penalties. Simply put, “jumping in and hiding” on this market is getting harder by the day.
This is pure mobile-first: over 11 million people online, 49+ million mobile connections, and more than 8 million social media accounts, with men making up the majority of the active audience. The best-performing creatives are French-language, built around football (local league, AFCON, top European leagues), live betting, and crash games tied to fast outcomes as well as landing pages optimized for XOF and mobile money (Orange Money, MTN). If the offer integrates well with local payments and you stay within ARJH/LONACI regulatory requirements, this GEO can deliver steady CPA/RevShare profits in the coming years.
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