Two weeks after revoking the licenses of 22 sports betting companies, Ethiopia’s Lottery Service has effectively brought the country’s entire betting industry to a halt. In a statement issued Monday morning, the agency directed all banks, payment operators, and financial intermediaries to immediately stop facilitating transactions for betting companies. No new bets are permitted, the statement said.
The move follows a nationwide investigation that alleged widespread illegality, large-scale money laundering, and what authorities described as a threat to national security. In a dramatic enforcement action, CEOs of several payment operators and betting firms were detained, while computers and other equipment were seized. Though no official or audited figures have been publicly released by regulators, two sources directly involved in the betting industry, and familiar with the matter, told Shega that the sector processes an estimated 800 million to 1 billion Birr in transactions each day.
The crackdown builds on investigative audits that revealed irregularities and alleged underreporting of 100 billion Birr. Those investigations, conducted alongside the National Intelligence and Security Service, financial security authorities, the Federal Police, and municipal administrations in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, have escalated scrutiny of a sector that has grown rapidly in recent years.
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