Cabinet has approved the principle of a new Seychelles Gambling Bill that would repeal the Gambling Act 2014 and create a dedicated Seychelles Gambling Commission to license and supervise casinos, slot machine operators, interactive gambling and junket operations under a single regulator.
The proposal was confirmed on 1 May 2025 in a State House Cabinet communiqué that outlined the architecture of the new framework. The Bill aims to consolidate the supervision of all gambling activity, introduce perpetual licences, set tighter standards for gambling devices, formalise fit and propriety assessments and create explicit complaint handling and enforcement mechanisms. The communiqué also approved consequential amendments to related laws to operationalise the transition.
Until the new Commission is in place, the Financial Services Authority remains the regulator under the 2014 Act, in line with its mandate to supervise non bank financial services. The FSA administers three licence categories, casino, slot machine and interactive gambling, according to its Licensing and Registration Fees schedule. Application fees are SCR 25,000 for a casino licence, SCR 15,000 for a slot machine licence and SCR 50,000 for interactive gambling, while annual fees reach SCR 1,000,000 for casinos plus per table and per machine charges.
The shape of the interactive gambling market changed materially in 2024. The Seychelles Gambling (Interactive Gambling) Rules, 2024, Statutory Instrument 2 of 2024, according to a regulatory summary by industry counsel LicenceGaming, restricted online activity to companies incorporated locally, required financial soundness and adequate capital, mandated designated officers and certified gaming systems and prohibited cash deposits from players. The Rules also created a Type 1 and a Type 2 interactive operator licence, with an annual licence fee of SCR 300,000 per category, according to industry analysis by LicenceGaming. Sports betting sits outside the interactive framework.
Regional ceilings on physical gambling capacity were set by the Seychelles Gambling (Capping of Slot Machine and Casino Licences) Regulations 2022, which limit the number of casino and slot machine licences per district and exempt large tourist establishments of fifty one rooms or more. Where regional quotas are not fully used, the FSA is required to invite public applications. Existing operations, concentrated on Mahé with smaller presences on Praslin and La Digue, remain modest by international standards.
The reform reflects two parallel pressures. On the regulatory side, Seychelles must satisfy anti money laundering and counter financing of terrorism obligations that tighten the responsibilities of any gambling supervisor. Operators are already reporting entities under the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act 2020, with compliance officers, customer due diligence systems and suspicious transaction reporting requirements, as the FSA’s own guidance sets out. On the economic side, the zero corporate tax environment applied to most international business activities in Seychelles continues to attract interest from prospective interactive operators, although substance and compliance thresholds are higher than in the past.
Whether the new Commission attracts active licence holders remains to be tested. The interactive rules create a legal pathway and the compliance scaffolding. Critics of rapid expansion will watch closely to ensure that social safeguards, problem gambling support, household debt prevention and youth exposure measures are not diluted in the pursuit of additional licence revenue. The 2014 Act already embeds age restrictions, player protection rules and reporting duties, the FSA notes. The proposed Bill places explicit new emphasis on responsible gambling and consumer protection.
For policymakers, operators and the public, the test of the coming reform will be the same as the test of the existing regime: that regulated gambling demonstrably serves the national interest rather than simply expanding the volume of wagering.
Sources cited: Cabinet Business, Thursday 1 May 2025, State House Seychelles · Licensing and Registration Fees schedule, Financial Services Authority Seychelles · FAQs, Financial Services Authority Seychelles · Seychelles iGaming Licence: What Operators Need to Know, LicenceGaming, 27 May 2026.
