Casinos in Cote d'Ivoire

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Introduction

Côte d'Ivoire is often referred to by its former name, the Ivory Coast. It is a West African country with African and French history and cultural influences. Located on the Gulf of Guinea it shares borders with Ghana, Liberia, and Burkina Faso. The largest city is Abidjan and the capital is Yamoussoukro.

Banco National Park is one of the most attractive parts of the country since the large rainforest reserve is just outside of Abidjan. The park has a lot of well-maintained hiking trails for those who want to sample a little bit of the African jungle with a day trip rather than an expedition. Côte d'Ivoire’s coast attracts tourists and Komoé National Park in the northeast is one of the oldest game reserves in Africa. It’s also the largest protected area in West Africa covering 11,500 square kilometers (4,400 sq mi). The park is home to iconic African species like lions, hippos, and antelopes.

Tourism is on the rebound after falling off during two civil wars and then the worldwide health emergency. The government plans to make tourism contribute 12% to the GDP. The plan called Sublime Côte d'Ivoire is currently underway and represents an investment of more than $5b, with half of that coming from the private sector. The plan focuses on nine key initiatives: reducing flight costs to the country, upgrading infrastructure, developing real estate, improving security, providing training, securing financing, and strengthening the capabilities of the tourism department.

The casino industry is very small with only a small handful of known full-scale casinos as well as a smattering of lottery shops and slot halls. You’ll also find sportsbetting opportunities. Stick around and we’ll explore them all in greater detail, but first a little bit about the…

History of Gambling in Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire doesn’t have a long or very storied history of organized gambling. Of course, people everywhere have gambled in one way or another since prehistoric times but organized gambling didn’t come to the Ivory Coast until late in the 20th century. The first casinos unsurprisingly began to appear in the commercial center of Abidjan rather than the administrative center of the capital city.

Early on, gambling in casinos was mostly done by wealthy visitors and a few elite locals. Although there have never been a lot of casinos spread throughout the country, some important gambling hubs were centered in Abidjan. As time went by the government saw a chance to collect revenues from the activity and investors took a chance on what is normally a sure-fire business. Legislation was eventually introduced and the government was able to exercise some control over the industry.

While civil unrest and economic upheaval can decimate almost any industry completely, gambling businesses have somehow weathered the storms of politics and a changing economy. The lotteries still run and a few casinos dot the landscape.

Legislation and Jurisdiction

The National Lottery (Loterie Nationale de Côte d'Ivoire or LONACI) was established to provide regulation for lottery games and it took in land-based gaming. LONACI is set up in such a way that it benefits both private operators and government entities.

LONACI has opened several VIP slot halls, most of them are in Abidjan. It also operates land-based lottery outlets throughout the country. Even with regulation and business support, the gambling industry has remained small compared to other African countries of similar size with regulatory frameworks and an attractive investment climate.

Some but not all types of gambling are regulated. Casino gambling is only allowed under license from the government, and the larger gaming establishments are primarily aimed at attracting foreign tourists. Sportsbetting is very popular among residents with three operators licensed by the government. 1xBET is the most popular provider having received its license from the National Lottery in January 2022. 1xBET was the official partner of the 2024 African Cup of Nations (CAN) lending greatly to the operator’s credibility and image.

Going hand in hand with tourism, the government often brings up actions or at least ideas to increase the gambling industry in order to attract more visitors to the country and increase foreign investment. Online gambling remains in a gray area with no mention of online casinos in the current law, making it a ripe market for a variety of operators - there’s simply no mechanism or process for licensing online casinos.

Popular Spots and Games

The best casino by most estimation in Côte d'Ivoire is the Casino Barrière L'Éléphant d'Or (formerly the Hotel Ivoire Inter-Continental & Casino) in Abidjan. It is often referred to as the Golden Elephant. The venue opened in 2017 under the new name. It’s what you would call a luxury venue and takes in international visitors and high rollers for the most part.

Look for 14 tables with games like blackjack, craps, and roulette. They also offer electronic roulette tables and over 80 slot machines. No Limit Hold'em games are scheduled

Casino Porte D'orient (Oriental Gate) is a nice venue located in Abidjan. The property is well-appointed and features slots, baccarat and other table games. Signage is in Chinese, English, and French. The gaming spot has a KTV section for VIPs.

Aside from casino gaming, the National Lottery of Côte d'Ivoire (LONACI) operates several VIP slot halls in Abidjan, including locations like Galerie Prima and Rue Des Jardins. These operations offer a lot more of a kicked-back atmosphere than the high-dollar casino properties. The offering focuses on lottery products but the main draws are slot machines and other electronic games. These are more of “the people’s casinos” than the luxury gaming floors. 

Lydia Ludic Côte d'Ivoire

Lydia Ludic is the trademark used by Grupo Pefaco and Pefaco International in their Games and Leisure division. The company has gaming halls spread over more than 100 cities in 9 countries. Local players can find slots, electronic roulette, blackjack, Plinko, and poker as well as comestibles and victuals.

While the gambling scene in Côte d'Ivoire is not very large, it does provide wealthy visitors and regular citizens with a chance to play real money gambling games for fun or profit.

Conclusion

Abidjan remains the for gaming activity in the country with the illustrious Casino Barrière L'Éléphant d'Or standing head and shoulders over the competition, or what there is of it. The national lottery operated by LONACI offers regular people a more relaxed and accessible gambling opportunity. Lydia Ludic expands on the small gambling hall concept opening the doors for even more players in different areas.