The Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngo Ngoh, has called on the Minister of Territorial Administration, MINAT, Paul Atanga Nji, to halt all activities related to monitoring online gaming revenues including the obligation for gaming and mobile payment companies to integrate into the platform set up by the company INTOUCH.
The directive was issued in a correspondence dated February 6, 2025, clarifying the roles of MINAT and the Ministry of Finance, MINFI in overseeing online gaming revenues in Cameroon. The communiqué reaffirms that tax-related matters, including revenues from online gaming, fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of MINFI. According to the directive, the President of the Republic has instructed MINFI to implement an automated revenue-tracking system developed by the partner N-SOFT. This platform, designed for the General Directorate of Taxes, is intended to capture financial data from digital economy enterprises, including online gambling and gaming companies.
The letter highlights that MINAT’s mandate, as defined by the decree of January 23, 2019, is limited to ensuring compliance with gaming laws and regulations. It does not extend to taxation, revenue collection, or financial oversight, which are responsibilities assigned to MINFI under the decree of February 28, 2013. As a result, MINAT has been instructed to suspend all activities related to monitoring online gaming revenues, including its directive for gaming and mobile payment companies to integrate into the INTOUCH platform.
This measure aims to ensure compliance with the existing legal framework by assigning financial supervision to the designated authority. The directive clarifies the division of responsibilities between the two ministries regarding the regulation of online gaming, reinforcing MINFI’s role in managing taxation and revenue tracking. According to data from Statista, an online sports betting statistics platform, revenue in the online sports betting market is projected to reach $77.87 billion in 2025.
Consequences of MINAT’s decision to suspend deposits and withdrawals from online betting sites
On Saturday, January 30, MINAT suspended deposits and withdrawals from online betting sites. In a letter addressed to the General Managers of communication companies Orange and MTN, Paul Atanga Nji stated that all payments and withdrawals should be processed through the INTOUCH Company. The decision affected sports betting sites such as 1xbet, BetPawa, and Meanyou, disrupting operations for about a week before they were able to resume normal services.
