Casinos in Sierra Leone

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Introduction

Sierra Leone is a small West African country on the Atlantic Ocean. It’s known by some for its white-sand beaches lining the Freetown Peninsula. It isn’t necessarily the first place you might think of booking a gambling trip, but the tourism industry is growing as the country heals itself from a troubled past. The country was torn apart by internal conflict starting in the late 1980s, which turned into a long civil war that lasted from 1991 to 2002. After the war ended, the government began tackling the tough job of rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure and working to bring the people back together.

Unemployment, poverty, and inequality still exist but no nation is Eden.

Sierra Leone has several popular beaches like River Number Two Beach, Lumley Beach, Bureh Beach, and Lakka Beach. River Number Two is lined with palm trees and has clear waters, don’t be surprised to hear music playing in the background if you visit. In the north, Outamba Kilimi National Park offers a remote wildlife experience, where you can see elephants, pygmy hippos, chimps, and various other primates. The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary is found in the Western Area Forest Reserve, providing a safe place for chimpanzees. Bunce Island has the ruins of historical buildings overrun by nature. Tiwai Island is a rainforest reserve known for its rare pygmy hippos and birds - a favorite for eco-tourism. The capital, Freetown has beaches and places like Pickett Hill and Lumley Beach.

Stick around and we’ll explore the casino environment of a beautiful country on the mend.

History of Gambling

Gambling isn’t a big business in Sierra Leone. It’s mostly been restricted to the hotels that attract wealthy investors in the country’s natural resources. There are a few places scattered around that pull in locals too. If there were operational casinos during the civil strife there’s no easily accessible information about them. However, after the end of the war in 2002 the country was ready to attract more investment and start rebuilding, the casino industry wasn’t too far behind. As safety came to the land so did investment in most sectors of the economy.

Casinos started to pop up in Freetown in the early 2000s and attracted ex-pats, members of a growing middle class, and a few of the tourists who had started to come again. It’s unlikely for myriad reasons that the country will ever become a beacon of tourism or foreign investment in casinos, but gambling happens and businesspeople build businesses on money organically when they have to.

Online gambling, especially in sports has also started to catch on with Mercury International handling online casino and sports betting under a license from the government.

Legislation and Jurisdiction

Gambling law in the country is anything but settled. Different branches of government seem to exert control in various areas depending on the situation. In some cases, seemingly official government websites have shown an interest in expanding the Lottery Authority’s jurisdiction over much of West Africa. One of the latest developments (2022) was a joint venture between the government and the Sierra Leone State Lottery Company Limited ("SLSLC") (.PDF).

Earlier, the country enacted the National Lottery Act to cover most forms of betting and lottery activities. The National Gaming Authority (NGA) which appears to have become defunct was established to regulate and supervise gambling activities and make sure operators comply with local laws. 

In 2017 the National Sport Authority of Sierra Leone Act established powers related to licensing and revoked all power from the National Sport Council Act of 1965, adding to the patchwork of laws and regulations that seem nearly impossible to navigate. It’s entirely possible that the civil war contributed to a loss of cohesion up until 2002 but from there, the path should be much clearer. Major international gambling law and tax experts are yet to weigh in on the details but with the growing size of the online market and the hopes of a land casino resurgence that should not be the case for long.

Online or on-land one of the major challenges for the local industry will be coming into and remaining in compliance with international standards that help fight money laundering and combat the financing of terrorism. Like all developing nations, Sierra Leone has a tough time implementing anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT). Outside investment depends on compliance and the government has worked toward coming into line. However, with so little cross-border financial activity, progress is hard to measure. For instance, the latest FATF report was compiled in 2020 and based on data collected in 2012.

Popular Gambling Spots

Freetown is the capital city and population center of the country, it is also a coastal city so that is where casinos will be found.

The Radisson offers a casino and nightclub known as Grand Casino. It was built in 2020 and the website is still active. One of the better-known casinos was the Atlantic, located inside the Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel. The hotel is still open but the casino seems to have disappeared. At the Atlantic, you’d find table games like blackjack, poker, and roulette along with slot machines.

Kololi Hotel Casino is a small venue with tables and slots. Spots like this in places like Sierra Leone often attract locals and may not offer the same level of security or professionalism found in more established venues.

The New Grand Leone might be open but there is conflicting information because of its address, similar name, and lack of association with the Lead Hotel which shares an address. The good news is that a social media footprint can still be found and from that, it would appear to be the best casino in the country by freshness, game selection, amenities, and promotions.

Lagoonda at Mambo Point seems to have closed. Many of Leisure World Holdings' gaming sites seem to have not survived the lockdowns in 2020/2021.

Sports betting is another popular way to gamble in Sierra Leone, with football ruling the day. There are betting shops in Freetown and other cities where locals bet.

Conclusion

As the government cuts new deals and mobile betting platforms come to the country, the online sector should pick up considerably. However, internet penetration is very low but cellular usage is high with penetrations of around 30% and 95% respectively. This might be due to cellular voice service spreading over most of the population but data only being available in the cities for the most part.

If stability sets in, the government starts working in more harmony, and as the civil and social rifts heal, the country has the potential to become a destination for gamblers as tourism grows. It is a beautiful country with a lot of beaches and other potential tourist experiences. However, there is still a lot of work to do in terms of regulation and infrastructure, and most likely when it comes to online gambling and compliance with international standards.