News / National
Regulations around Online Gambling in Zimbabwe
16 Jun 2019 at 19:21hrs | Views
Zimbabwe is well-known not only for its safaris, reserves, parks, diverse wildlife, and impressive landscapes, but also licensed and well-operated casinos. The country has 11 major cities, each of which offers sports betting facilities and land-based casinos.
Although Zimbabwe has licensed and regulated its gambling industry, its gambling laws are badly in need of an upgrade as they don't do a good job of defining online gambling. The editor at NoDepositRewards had to add "Regulations are important and must be enforced else there is no reason for them in the first place".
Gambling Friendly Country
Despite its outdated gambling laws and lack of online gambling legislation, Zimbabwe has plenty of licensed land-based casinos and a state-run lottery game. The Zimbabwe Lotteries and Gambling Board regulates gambling activities within the border under the Lotteries and Gambling Act.
If players win any money while horse betting or pool betting, they have to pay the government a 10% tax. If they win a jackpot while playing casino games, they have to pay a 15% tax. Licensed gambling activities generate sizeable revenue for the government of Zimbabwe and most of this revenue is generated by the activities of tourists who enjoy playing casino games in its land-based casinos.
Zimbabwe's Gambling Board
As previously mentioned, the Lotteries and the Gambling Board of Zimbabwe regulates and supervises all gambling activities within the borders of the country. It complies with the Lotteries and Gambling Act, which was passed into law in 2000.
The board also grants licenses to individuals and companies who want to run betting and gambling establishments within Zimbabwe. The Lotteries and Gambling Act does not make any clear and concise statement about online gambling. However, it does mention "electronic gaming devices" and mentions that one of its aims is to control and regulate the operation of all gaming activities and lotteries. This could be interpreted in any number of ways.
Online Gambling Laws are Outdated
If online gambling hasn't quite taken off in Zimbabwe, it is because of two factors—the absence of proper online gambling legislation and the low level of Internet use. However, use of the Internet has increased in Zimbabwe recently. In fact, the people of Zimbabwe use the Internet more than the people of neighboring African countries such as Mozambique and Botswana. According to experts, now is the right time for the government to regulate online gambling.
The government of Zimbabwe has shown signs that it is aware of the situation. Although it is aware that it needs to upgrade its online gambling laws, the government has done nothing about it so far. As a result, online gambling is a grey area in Zimbabwe.
In the absence of laws, the country is unable to license any provider of online gambling services to operate within its jurisdiction. At the same time, it is unable to penalize any of its residents from signing up at any of the offshore online casinos that accept players from Zimbabwe. These are casinos that are headquartered and licensed in remote jurisdictions. Since they do not operate within the borders of Zimbabwe, the government of Zimbabwe cannot penalize them in any way.
Since there are no online gambling laws, the government is unable to tax operates or players who have won prizes at online casinos. Also, the citizens of Zimbabwe remain unprotected from offshore online gambling sites that may cheat them of their winnings or deposits. Moreover, Zimbabwe is unable to protect its minors and vulnerable groups from unlicensed online gambling sites.
Zimbabwe Online Gambling FAQs
Q1: Which is the best online casino or online betting site for the citizens of Zimbabwe?
A: The government of Zimbabwe hasn't licensed any operator to run an online gambling business within its jurisdiction. In fact, it is unable to do so in the absence of any laws. The online casinos that do accept the citizens or Zimbabwe are not licensed by the government of Zimbabwe. These are offshore online casinos that operate under a license issued by offshore gambling jurisdictions.
We cannot declare any one Zimbabwe friendly online casino as the best. We strongly suggest doing your research before signing up for real money play. Check the online casino for licensing, brand information, software and games, customer support, and many other factors before signing up.
Q2: Is gambling legal in Zimbabwe?
A: Yes, gambling is legal in Zimbabwe as the country has licensed several land-based operators to open land-based casinos in the country. However, it does not have any proper online gambling laws.
Q3: How old should a player be to gamble legally in Zimbabwe?
A: A player needs to be at least 18 years old to gamble legally in Zimbabwe.
Q4: Should you pay taxes on your winnings in Zimbabwe?
A: Yes, you should pay 15% taxes on prizes won while playing casino games and 10% on prizes won during horse betting or pool betting.
Q5: What casino banking method and currency is ideal for online casino players in Zimbabwe?
A: Zimbabwe does not have a currency of its own. At the time of writing, citizens have to use foreign currencies such as Euro, USD, INR, ZAR, GBP, and other currencies. But the latest news reports say that Zimbabwe may develop its own currency by the end of this year.
If you are a resident of Zimbabwe who has signed up at an offshore online casino, you can safely use payment methods such as Visa & MasterCard, Maestro, Skrill, Neteller, and EntroPay. You have to contact the online casino's customer support for information about a banking option that best serves your purpose.
Although Zimbabwe has licensed and regulated its gambling industry, its gambling laws are badly in need of an upgrade as they don't do a good job of defining online gambling. The editor at NoDepositRewards had to add "Regulations are important and must be enforced else there is no reason for them in the first place".
Gambling Friendly Country
Despite its outdated gambling laws and lack of online gambling legislation, Zimbabwe has plenty of licensed land-based casinos and a state-run lottery game. The Zimbabwe Lotteries and Gambling Board regulates gambling activities within the border under the Lotteries and Gambling Act.
If players win any money while horse betting or pool betting, they have to pay the government a 10% tax. If they win a jackpot while playing casino games, they have to pay a 15% tax. Licensed gambling activities generate sizeable revenue for the government of Zimbabwe and most of this revenue is generated by the activities of tourists who enjoy playing casino games in its land-based casinos.
Zimbabwe's Gambling Board
As previously mentioned, the Lotteries and the Gambling Board of Zimbabwe regulates and supervises all gambling activities within the borders of the country. It complies with the Lotteries and Gambling Act, which was passed into law in 2000.
The board also grants licenses to individuals and companies who want to run betting and gambling establishments within Zimbabwe. The Lotteries and Gambling Act does not make any clear and concise statement about online gambling. However, it does mention "electronic gaming devices" and mentions that one of its aims is to control and regulate the operation of all gaming activities and lotteries. This could be interpreted in any number of ways.
Online Gambling Laws are Outdated
If online gambling hasn't quite taken off in Zimbabwe, it is because of two factors—the absence of proper online gambling legislation and the low level of Internet use. However, use of the Internet has increased in Zimbabwe recently. In fact, the people of Zimbabwe use the Internet more than the people of neighboring African countries such as Mozambique and Botswana. According to experts, now is the right time for the government to regulate online gambling.
The government of Zimbabwe has shown signs that it is aware of the situation. Although it is aware that it needs to upgrade its online gambling laws, the government has done nothing about it so far. As a result, online gambling is a grey area in Zimbabwe.
In the absence of laws, the country is unable to license any provider of online gambling services to operate within its jurisdiction. At the same time, it is unable to penalize any of its residents from signing up at any of the offshore online casinos that accept players from Zimbabwe. These are casinos that are headquartered and licensed in remote jurisdictions. Since they do not operate within the borders of Zimbabwe, the government of Zimbabwe cannot penalize them in any way.
Since there are no online gambling laws, the government is unable to tax operates or players who have won prizes at online casinos. Also, the citizens of Zimbabwe remain unprotected from offshore online gambling sites that may cheat them of their winnings or deposits. Moreover, Zimbabwe is unable to protect its minors and vulnerable groups from unlicensed online gambling sites.
Q1: Which is the best online casino or online betting site for the citizens of Zimbabwe?
A: The government of Zimbabwe hasn't licensed any operator to run an online gambling business within its jurisdiction. In fact, it is unable to do so in the absence of any laws. The online casinos that do accept the citizens or Zimbabwe are not licensed by the government of Zimbabwe. These are offshore online casinos that operate under a license issued by offshore gambling jurisdictions.
We cannot declare any one Zimbabwe friendly online casino as the best. We strongly suggest doing your research before signing up for real money play. Check the online casino for licensing, brand information, software and games, customer support, and many other factors before signing up.
Q2: Is gambling legal in Zimbabwe?
A: Yes, gambling is legal in Zimbabwe as the country has licensed several land-based operators to open land-based casinos in the country. However, it does not have any proper online gambling laws.
Q3: How old should a player be to gamble legally in Zimbabwe?
A: A player needs to be at least 18 years old to gamble legally in Zimbabwe.
Q4: Should you pay taxes on your winnings in Zimbabwe?
A: Yes, you should pay 15% taxes on prizes won while playing casino games and 10% on prizes won during horse betting or pool betting.
Q5: What casino banking method and currency is ideal for online casino players in Zimbabwe?
A: Zimbabwe does not have a currency of its own. At the time of writing, citizens have to use foreign currencies such as Euro, USD, INR, ZAR, GBP, and other currencies. But the latest news reports say that Zimbabwe may develop its own currency by the end of this year.
If you are a resident of Zimbabwe who has signed up at an offshore online casino, you can safely use payment methods such as Visa & MasterCard, Maestro, Skrill, Neteller, and EntroPay. You have to contact the online casino's customer support for information about a banking option that best serves your purpose.
Source - Byo24News
