Somaliland is a country in the Horn of Africa which should not be confused with Somalia as it is a self-declared independent republic. Thanks to this, it has its own set of laws that guide the conduct of all legal persons in the country. This includes the citizens and gambling operators.
An Overview of Betting and Gambling in Somaliland
Somaliland like many countries across the African continent doesn’t have watertight laws that regulate the betting and gambling industry. For long, the country operated without any defined gambling laws. This vacuum (legal grey area) essentially made the citizens of this country assume that gambling is legal if you feel like gambling and illegal if you don’t feel like gambling. With no specific laws in place that guided the gambling industry, it was up to the individual’s preference, desires and moral upstanding either to engage or disengage in gambling.
The online gambling surge that took place in Africa, especially, during the COVID era also affected Somaliland. Thousands of the country’s youth flocked to offshore betting sites to engage mostly in sports betting. For several years up until 2023, this trend prevailed.
The Ban on 1xBet
When it became evident that many youths were engaging in betting services, the Somaliland government in February 2023 took its first major step in regulating the gambling industry. They did so by banning 1xBet from operating in the country. The authorities picked only 1xBet as it was the most popular betting platform in the country.
During a press briefing jointly hosted by the Minister of Endowment and Religious Affairs Sh. Abdirisaq Albani, the governor of the central bank Dr. Ali Abdillahi, and the security agencies, Somaliland said it was banning the gambling app, 1xBet. General Abdiaz Sh. Ismail, the deputy chief of the Somaliland National Army said anyone caught using the app would be held by the security forces and be prosecuted.
Continuation of Online Gambling in the Country
Despite the ban on the 1xBet app in 2023, online gambling in Somaliland is still prevailing. This was largely necessitated by the fact that the ban was only for a specific app and it didn’t prompt the authorities to enact a law which wholly banned online gambling. Folks who are fascinated with engaging in sports betting or playing casino games in the country can still do so by taking advantage of the legal grey area that the gambling industry finds itself in. Several offshore gambling apps including 1xBet still accept players from Somaliland.
The Future of Gambling in Somaliland
Somaliland is a highly conservative country. This is largely necessitated by its Islamic background and dominant religion. In the Islam religion, gambling is considered a big sin hence it’s not permitted. Somaliland authorities try to abide by the teachings of the Quran in everything they do hence the chances of gambling becoming legalized anytime soon in the country is highly unlikely. At the present moment, it looks like the religion factor hugely outscores the revenue generation factor meaning those who have affection for gambling will have to settle for offshore casinos and bookmakers for as long as the status quo prevails.