Is online gambling legal in Mali?

Legal overview

Gambling in Mali is organised around PMU-Mali, a state-owned company that national press describes as the exclusive holder of the rights to lottery games in the Republic of Mali. Trade press reports that it runs horse-race betting, lottery games and sports betting, mainly through a retail network of betting outlets; in July 2026 it opened two new outlets in the Kayes Region, where customers can follow live races and bet in real time, as part of its 2026-2030 strategic development plan. PMU-Mali reported paying out more than 24 billion CFA francs to bettors between January and April 2025. It has also exchanged expertise with neighbouring state lotteries, including Senegal's LONASE on digitalisation and responsible gaming and Côte d'Ivoire's LONACI in September 2026.

No official text of Mali's gambling legislation could be consulted for this page, and no source describes a licence for online casinos, an online casino product offered by PMU-Mali, or a law that expressly forbids residents from playing on foreign websites. No blocking of gambling websites or payments has been reported either. Online casino play therefore takes place on foreign-licensed sites in a grey area: Malian authorities neither license nor supervise these operators, and there is no local body to handle disputes with them.

Players should keep in mind that money deposited with an offshore casino is protected only by the rules of that operator's own licensing authority, if any. Any future online gambling framework, if adopted, could change this picture.

Verification status: this overview is based on secondary sources and has not yet been checked against the official law text or the regulator. Confirm the details with the national authority before relying on them.