History of Gambling in Burkina Faso
The history of gambling in the country is similar to other countries in the former French colony. Burkina Faso gained its independence back in 1960. Before independence, gambling was regulated based on French legislation. So, technically, gambling has always been legal in the country.
In 1967, the government took the initiative to design its first lottery. It was the National Voltaic Lottery, also known as LONAVO for short. The regulation was based on Ordinance No. 67025 / PRES / MFC.
The government rebranded the LONAVO lottery many years later, naming it the Burkinabè National Lottery. This time, it's Ordinance no. 8443/CNR/PRES.
Then in 2008, 2014, and 2018, the gambling legislation in the country was revamped quite a few times. Every time something new is added to modernize the law and make it adapt to modern needs more seamlessly.
Burkina Faso Gambling Law
The National Lottery of Burkina Faso might be legal for more than 50 years, but online lottery games for real money are still unregulated. De facto illegal, to be precise. The current legislation doesn't mention online gambling in any way. But it mentions that unlicensed operators are illegal. Then again, there are no licensing authorities based within the country.
So, even though you can't find any Burkinabè online casinos based inside the state lines, online casino international is always a valid option. And that's what we've listed in our guide today.
The internet penetration rate is one of the main reasons why the government isn't regulating online gambling. As of January 2021, it's only 25.7%. It's quite a bit behind Botswana, which has just over a 60% penetration rate. And to a global standard, 60% is not a very good number.
Land-Based Casinos in Burkina Faso
When gambling was legalized for the first time, it targeted sports betting shops. Then, the National Lottery was introduced. The first legislation regarding casino games came about in 2008.
Private companies were permitted to create casinos within the country. The legislation is known as the 2008 Gambling Act in the English-speaking world.
Before the act was slapped together, it was a monopoly for the state-owned National Lottery. Some prominent land-based casinos now are Faso Loisirs and Lucky Night Casino.
The Future of Gambling in Burkina Faso
The future of online gambling doesn't look very bright to us. The main reason is the lack of awareness. If the internet penetration rate doesn't improve, there's no way to popularize online gambling among users.
Local Banking Options
Online payments have always been a major concern for the gambling audience. It's not only in Burkina Faso but also true for the rest of the world. When it comes to Burkinabè online casinos, the players are most comfortable with the local methods. Names like OceanPayment, BitPay, PingPongPay Payment, and Payflex are common.
Burkina Faso Casinos by Category
With many casinos in Burkina Faso to choose from, we have ranked 10 of the best online casinos according to their best features. The full list is below:
Conclusion
We don’t see why not. The government isn’t regulating the online gambling industry, so you won’t have to pay any taxes on the winnings. A lot of the internationally reputed operators accept Burkinabè players. So, yes, we recommended online gambling in Burkina Faso.
FAQs
Burkina Faso is undoubtedly a fascinating gambling jurisdiction. So, it’s normal for you to have many questions. Let us answer them.