The Kingdom of Morocco is a North African Arab country that lies along the Atlantic Ocean; it is bordered by Algeria to the east and southeast, Western Sahara to the south, and Spain and Portugal to the north. Its capital is Rabat. Thus, to understand the present and rather convoluted state of the Moroccan legislation regarding gambling and, more specifically, the situation with Morocco bookmakers, it is necessary to give a brief overview of the process of their formation, the current legal basis, and their role in the sports betting industry.
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Table of Contents
Summary of Key Events
History of Morocco’s Gambling Regulation
The legalization of gambling in Morocco has a rich history:
- 1930: It was only recently that gambling was formally allowed in the country in the last month of the year with the Royal Decree (Dahir). This paved way for the next gambling activities that will take place.
- 1950: The Casablanca greyhound racing track started its operations and thus SCLM was formed as the state owned and controlled company for greyhound racing and betting.
- 1952: The Islamic Republic of Morocco introduced the permanent casino gambling with the launch of Casino de Marrakech.
- 1956: The Fédération Royale Marocaine des Sports Équestres (FRMSE) was created and it was the body in charge of horse racing in Morocco up to the formation of SOREC.
- 1971: Lottery and other similar games were allowed by law 23-71 since 1972.
- 1972: La Marocaine des Jeux et des Sports (MDJS), the Moroccan national lottery was launched that had a monopoly on lottery and sports betting (except for horse racing and greyhound racing).
- 2003: SOREC (Société Royale d’Encouragement du Cheval) was founded and was the only organization authorized to provide horse racing betting, together with cooperation with French PMU on betting on French horse races.
- 2009: La Marocaine des Jeux et des Sports has been issued an online gambling license, thus, legalizing online sports betting and lottery.
Regulatory Agencies of Morocco Bookmakers
Although Morocco’s gambling legislation is outdated, specific state entities are still responsible for overseeing various gambling activities:
- SCLM: It was incorporated in the greyhound racing betting business in the year 1950.
- MDJS: It has the responsibility of regulating lottery, lottery-like games and sports betting (sports events, totalizator and other betting excluding horse racing and greyhound racing) since 1972.
- SOREC: Regulates horse racing betting and has a deal with French PMU since 2003.
Exclusive Monopolies
Three national operators have exclusive rights by Ministerial Decree to offer different game categories to consumers:
- SOREC: Manages horserace betting.
- Marocaine des Jeux: Has Sport betting.
- Loterie Nationale: Is in charge of lottery products.
Allowed and Prohibited Bets
Currently, the allowed forms of online gambling are:
- Online lotteries and similar digital products that have elements of lotteries.
- Online sports betting (with the exception of horse racing and greyhound racing betting).
- Private and offshore operators cannot get licenses, thus, it is prohibited to play in unlicensed digital gambling sites.
Licenses and Fees
Consequently, Morocco does not have a specific governing body for gambling that exists independently. The license for gambling is issued with the decree approved by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Minister of Finance. Thus, the only organization that has obtained such permission is the state-owned national lottery – MDJS.
Taxation on Gambling
The structure of the Moroccan gambling taxation is progressive which implies that the tax burden rises with revenue. For example:
- Casino gambling: These are between 3% and 40% of the gross proceeds of the offering which can vary.
Gambling taxes are paid together with the licensing fees and common corporate taxes for instance corporate tax of 31%.
Sports Betting in Morocco
Nonetheless, sports betting is a popular activity given the abovementioned multiple layers of the legal framework. The largest of the gambling companies, MDJS, was given the license to operate on the internet concerning sports betting through their website and even through the applications that are installed in mobile devices in the year 2009. However, no other licenses have been given after that and other state owned gambling firms also do not allow the online betting.
Sporting Event Glory Milestones
Morocco has celebrated numerous sporting milestones:
- 1976: The national football team has emerged the champion of the African Cup of Nations.
- 1984: Saïd Aouita took the gold in the 5000m race at the Olympics.
- 2004: Hicham El Guerrouj got two gold medals in the sports of athletics during the Olympics.
- 2018: The Moroccan National football team proceed to the second round of the FIFA World Cup tournament.
- Ongoing: Many victories in judo, boxing and other types of fights.
Conclusion
The history of gambling in Morocco is quite vibrant while the regulation of the industry is quite a maze. Some areas of gambling activities are fully state controlled through monopolies, but there is a need to adopt new changes to meet up with the international standards.
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