TLDR
- An audit found Ethiopian betting operators owe Br27.5 billion in unpaid obligations.
- Operators handled close to Br199 billion in wagers between July 2022 and December 2025.
- Only Br3.6 billion of Br30 billion in assessed commissions was actually paid.
- Dash Betting owes the largest share at Br8.64 billion.
- The Ethiopian Lottery Service plans a unified digital platform to track operator obligations in real time.
Ethiopia is moving to reform its sports betting and digital lottery industry. The decision follows a draft audit that found billions of birr in unpaid debts from licensed operators.
The investigation was reported by Fana Broadcasting Corporate. It covers the period between July 2022 and December 2025, when the Ethiopian Lottery Service suspended all betting licenses.
During that stretch, betting companies handled close to Br199 billion in wagers. That is a large amount of money moving through the system in just over three years.
Despite this volume, only Br3.6 billion of the roughly Br30 billion in assessed commissions was actually paid. That leaves a gap of Br27.5 billion.
The unpaid balance is not limited to commissions alone. It also includes penalties, registration charges, and license renewal fees owed by operators.
Dash Betting holds the largest single debt. The company alone accounts for Br8.64 billion of the total shortfall.
Roughly ten other firms owe a combined amount close to Br19 billion. Together, these companies make up most of the remaining debt.
Beza Girma, CEO of the Ethiopian Lottery Service, confirmed the audit findings. He said the review was meant to establish the true financial state of the industry.
Girma added that the results would shape reforms already underway. Legal recovery measures are expected to follow once the audit is finished.
Rapid Growth Outpaced Oversight
Data from Fana shows how fast Ethiopia’s betting sector expanded. In 2022, total wagers for the year stood at just 4.7 billion birr.
By September 2025, monthly turnover alone had climbed to nearly 20 billion birr. That single month of activity was more than four times the entire yearly total from three years earlier.
This growth was driven largely by mobile networks and digital payment systems. These tools let people deposit, wager, and withdraw funds instantly without visiting a physical betting shop.
While technology opened the door to fast growth, regulatory oversight did not expand at the same rate. This mismatch made it difficult for authorities to track obligations and enforce compliance as large sums moved through the system.
New Monitoring System Planned
To close this gap, the Ethiopian Lottery Service has announced plans for a unified digital platform. The system will track both the financial and legal obligations of operators.
The goal is to shift toward technology based oversight. This would allow every transaction and liability to be recorded as it happens.
For now, all forms of betting remain illegal in Ethiopia. The suspension of licenses in December 2025 has not been lifted.
In July, the Ethiopian Lottery Service warned the public that some groups were using the shutdown period to mislead people. The regulator said unlicensed sites and social media pages were pushing illegal betting offers.
“At present, there is no sports betting organisation operating in Ethiopia with a legal licence,” the ELS said. It urged citizens not to place bets or send money through unlicensed channels.
