Senegal, a West African country under the governance of Bassirou Diomaye Faye, seems well motivated to limit the expansion of games of chance such as sports betting or the lottery.
Indeed, the Minister of Communication, Alioune Sall, has just announced a radical reform of the Advertising Code.
The latter is notably marked by the upcoming ban on all advertising for games of chance.
The reform project was unveiled on January 3, 2025. It is also part of a complete overhaul of the regulatory framework dating from 1983, considered obsolete in today’s situations.
The new Advertising Code, with its 178 articles, will bring a wind of change to the regulation of the Senegalese advertising sector.
Why does Senegal want to ban advertising for sports betting and other games of chance?
The ban on advertising for games of chance reflects a strong political desire to protect consumers against the risks of addiction and over-indebtedness.
Note that this measure comes at a time when the sports betting industry is experiencing exponential growth in Senegal, driven by the rise of digital technology and the craze for football.
Operators in the sector, who invest massively in advertising, will now have to completely rethink their communication strategy.
Minister Sall justifies this decision by the need to adapt the legislation to “current realities” and to structure a sector that has long remained in legal limbo.
The absence of a decree implementing the 1983 law had in fact created a regulatory void conducive to advertising abuses.
The initiative seems to have received a favorable reception from communications professionals. Abdoulaye Thiam, president of the Association of Advertising Networks of Senegal, expressed his support for the new reforms, suggesting a collective awareness of the societal issues linked to gambling.
In return, the government is considering support measures for the advertising sector, in particular state aid comparable to that granted to the press.
