TLDR
- Mauritius has proposed over 30 amendments to its Gambling Regulatory Authority Act as part of the 2026–2027 Budget.
- The reforms would allow digital gaming licensing for existing casino, gaming house, and limited payout machine operators.
- The Gambling Regulatory Authority would gain new divisions, including one focused on responsible gambling.
- Betting and casino servers would need constant connection to government monitoring systems.
- The separate hotel casino licence category would be removed entirely.
Mauritius has proposed one of the largest changes to its gambling laws in recent memory. The plan is laid out in Section 44 of the Annex to the Budget Speech 2026–2027.
It includes more than 30 amendments to the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act. The changes touch licensing, taxes, compliance, and how the industry is overseen.
The reforms still need to pass through two pieces of legislation. These are the Finance Bill 2026 and the Economic and Financial Measures Bill 2026, before reaching Parliament for final approval.
New Rules for Digital Gaming
Digital gaming sits at the center of the proposed changes. The government wants to let existing casino operators, gaming house operators, and limited payout machine operators apply for digital gaming licenses.
To get approved, operators would need to submit certified copies of their game rules to the Gambling Regulatory Authority. This is meant to give regulators a clear record of what games are being offered.
A new legal definition of “digital games” would also be added to the law. This gives regulators a clearer basis for enforcement.
Every digital platform and product would need testing and certification. This would have to be done by an independent, accredited laboratory before players can access the games.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority itself would grow under the plan. Two new divisions are proposed, one for responsible gambling and communications, and another for finance and procurement.
Oversight would also tighten across the board. Betting operators would need their servers and terminals connected directly to the Gambling Regulatory Authority’s own server.
Casino and gaming house servers would connect to the Central Electronic Monitoring System run by the Mauritius Revenue Authority. These connections would need to stay active at all times.
This setup gives regulators ongoing access to data. It is also designed to help with tax collection and compliance checks.
One change removes the separate hotel casino licence category altogether. Terms like “hotel casino” and “hotel casino operator” would be deleted from the law, along with the rules tied to them.
Licensing Fees and Betting Changes
The reforms extend past digital gaming into everyday licensing and betting rules. Operators would first need to register with the Gambling Regulatory Authority before they can begin operating.
Bookmakers would be allowed to run up to five betting terminals, up from the current limit of three. Fixed-odds betting on foreign horse racing would also be permitted during the local off-season.
Licences would move to a calendar-year structure instead of the current system. This is meant to simplify renewal timelines for operators.
The way horse racing betting tax is calculated would also change. Instead of taxing total turnover, the tax would apply to the amount staked minus any winnings paid out.
The most recent detail in the proposal involves fees. New non-refundable processing fees would apply to licence applications and relocation requests, and several existing licence and application fees would increase as well.
