Best DR Congo bookmakers

Population: 93.000.000
Active players: 10.000.000
Currency: Congolese Franc (CDF)
Regulated gambling products: Lotteries, casinos, sports betting
Operator types: Lotteries, casinos and bookmaker shops, unlicensed online bookies & casinos
Designated authority: The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Leisure
Status: Regulated

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a Central African country, the second-largest in the continent. The capital and biggest city is Kinshasa. It gained its independence from Belgium on June 30th 1960, while adopting the name Republic of the Congo. A coup d'état led by Mobutu renamed the country into Zaire, in 1971. The country's first peaceful transition of leadership since the year of its independence came as late as 2018.

Football is very popular, along with rugby and basketball, attracting most sports betting in the DRC; ‘Pari-foot’, as most Congolese call it. Popular French football players Claude Makélélé and Steve Mandanda are originally from Kinshasa. NBA Hall of Fame legend Dikembe Mutombo is also Congolese. The football national team is a two-time champion of the African Cup of Nations (1968 and 1974).

Gambling in the DRC is legal. Games of chance were first regulated in 2005 and there have been few amendments ever since. There are however no specific regulations regarding the online gambling environment. Still though, with no laws against it, DR Congo online betting draws large numbers of local players.

Betting in DR Congo - 5 things to know

• There is no law forbidding online betting in the DRC
• Land-based gambling has been legal since 2005
• The national Lottery (SONAL) has a long tradition in the country
• There are many bookmaker shops in Kinshasa
• A great number of online bookmakers accept Congolese players

Best bookmakers in the DRC

While just a couple of prominent local operators are present, local players may access numerous online ones; that’s why we list the best online DR Congo bookmakers. They topped our preferences because of their wide coverage of the biggest football events and competitions, as well as the special bets and bonuses they also offer.

Online betting in the DRC: The law framework

Gambling is legal in all its forms, at least regarding brick and mortar premises. There is still no specific law on gambling though, or a respective authority in place; the general law ordinance no. 059 of 2005 is the sector's main piece of legislation. It provides a set of rules and also allows companies to apply for a license to organize sports betting games; however, there are no provisions regarding online betting in the DRC. Thankfully, it is treated as being legal too.

SONAL, the country’s national lottery, is privately held at 40%. It has a very long history, yet it does not offer online services either; it has many brick and mortar points of sale, and many bookmaker shops are also apparent. A few African operators like Congobet and Premier Bet are offering online services while accepting local players. Still, online betting operates within a gray legal environment. Thankfully, the fact that there are no laws against it, leaves the pragmatic notion that is legal after all.

And the authorities treat it appropriately, with no reports of prosecuting DR Congo online betting players, ever. Therefore, apart from the few domestic operators, Congolese bettors practice their betting in the DRC at the various international ones.

Essential info for bettors

Players may participate in any form of gambling, including lotteries, casinos and of course visit bookmakers shops. Authorities treat online gambling in the DRC as legal too; no matter if the online sector falls out of specific regulation.

However, in the absence of an online regulatory framework, if any problems come up, there will be no one to turn to. So, try to stick to popular international DR Congo betting sites. In that direction, every bookmaker we list in our analysis also offers richer betting variety than the few local ones.

Ultimately keep in mind that no one will ever bother you for visiting online bookmakers; simply pick the ones you prefer and bet on; which is as good as it gets for an unregulated environment.

How to deposit at online bookies

With banks not blocking transactions, players use credit cards and bank wires for their DRC betting. Now, apart from the popular African M-Pesa payment, major brands like ecoPayz accept local players; they offer fast and secure online transactions, making your overall experience even smoother.

Skrill and Neteller on the other hand do not offer their services here. When placing an online bet, internet penetration is not players’ biggest ally, hardly reaching 23% according to reports. Following that, cryptocurrency betting is rather not so popular among local bettors; still, familiarizing yourself with new specs of technology could prove beneficial for your betting too, since more and more bookmakers are offering crypto betting.

Gambling in DR Congo: What the future holds

There have been efforts to regulate DR Congo gambling in its entirety. In terms of online gambling, there is obviously still much to be done. The state, however, does not intervene in any way, applying no surveillance or penalties whatsoever. Thus, it poses a welcoming environment for both DR Congo bet online players and operators.

Regulating the online sector could help the state’s poor economy, through tax collection. Still though, there are no reports yet indicating such a development; time will show how things will eventually shape up in this vast African nation.

Complete list of DR Congo online bookmakers

Local bettors are presented with many options in their search to bet online in the DRC. So, we list every available sports betting DR Congo site, in order to easily access them all in one place. These are all totally legit and trustworthy operators; pick anyone of them and enjoy a smooth betting experience.