The government of Rwanda has finally agreed to allow gaming operators and other essential activities in the country to resume their business operations after easing of COVID-19 restrictions

In a communiqué reached by the cabinet chaired by the President of the Republic of Rwanda Paul Kagame (seen left) on October 27, 2020, the cabinet approved the resolution of the previous meeting held on October 12, 2020.

This is an exciting development for the gaming and gambling operators in Rwanda, which have been out of business for over five-months. The most significant catalyst for gambling operators in the country is that the government banned online gambling. It is evident that it has been a challenging year for operators in the country, unlike in other African countries that allow iGaming betting.  Rwanda is the first African country to impose a total lockdown so the resumption of work operations is welcoming for gaming operators and other essential industries that didn’t have the option to offer online services.

The government has imposes some measures that must be adhered to by gaming operators upon fulfilling COVID-19 preventive measures. At the same time, further guidelines are detailed to be communicated and provided by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. All health measures imposed will be reviewed after 15 days upon health assessment.

In Rwanda, online gambling is not regulated, and it is illegal for operators to offer such services. But, in recent years, the government had proposed a bill to legislate online gambling, but it has still been met with setbacks over the years.

The pandemic seems to have been the turning point which has made the government look into shifting services online. The government has been considering it as one of the country’s top priorities since the virus surfaced in the country that saw the total lockdown of businesses for several months to control the spread of the virus.

However, Rwanda is a small, land-locked country in central Africa. It borders Uganda to the north, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, Burundi to the south, and Tanzania to the east. With a landmass of 26,000 square kilometers and a population of over 11 million residents, it is one of the smallest states on the African continent. Rwanda used to be a colony of Belgium before it gained its independence in 1962. Gambling became legal in 2008, and in 2011 the government of Rwanda enacted legislation that introduced legal, licensed gambling. Regulated gambling in Rwanda Law No. 58./2011 of 31/12/2011 under the Regulatory Law laid down a legal framework for licensing, overseeing, and controlling. In 2013 the Rwanda Gaming Board formed Rwanda Gaming Corporation.

By Adeleye Awakan: An Author for E-play Africa, on gaming and gambling industry, AI, Blockchain, Fintech, researcher, and consultant with over 5 years of experience in the Africa gaming and gambling ecosystem. Connect him on Linkeldln, Adeleye Awakan Skype: live:a2b5e96b401c7985 Telegram: @AdeleyeAwakan, Email:[email protected]    

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