Online casinos and betting in Cape Verde

Where the law stands

Cape Verde regulates gambling, but mostly the offline kind. The Inspeção Geral de Jogos (General Gaming Inspectorate) oversees the sector, and two things are clearly authorised:

• land-based casinos;
• state social games, meaning the national lottery and sports pools.

What isn’t clear is the position of online casinos and online betting. Our research found no clear framework for them, so we describe both as unclear. That’s not the same as a ban, but it means no casino or betting website holds a Cape Verdean online licence that we could confirm.

This reflects our research in November 2026. It’s general information, not legal advice. If you need to know your position, ask a Cape Verdean lawyer or the Inspeção Geral de Jogos directly.

Local games and international sites

For legal, local betting, the state’s sports pools are the clear and simple option. They work in escudos and sit under Cape Verdean oversight, but they’re a pools game rather than fixed-odds betting, and there’s no online casino equivalent.

The ranked list above shows the international brands that accept Cape Verdean players, according to their restricted-country lists, with 1Win first:

• 1Win, licensed in Curaçao, with a big casino, live dealers, its own crash games and a sportsbook;
• The 1xBet family: 1xBet, 22Bet, Melbet, Betwinner, Megapari and PariPesa;
• Crypto brands: BC.Game, Cloudbet and Rollbit.

These brands are licensed abroad, mostly in Curaçao; BC.Game holds an Anjouan licence. The Inspeção Geral de Jogos doesn’t supervise them, so if something goes wrong, your route runs through the operator’s complaints process and its foreign regulator. Our guide to offshore licences explains what that means.

Cards, not mobile money

Cape Verde stands out from the rest of West Africa in one important way: mobile money isn’t the main way to pay. Our data lists no mobile money service for Cape Verde. Instead, players use:

• Vinti4, the national card and payment network;
• Visa and Mastercard cards;
• bank transfer.

The currency is the Cape Verdean escudo (CVE, shown as Esc), which is pegged to the euro. Offshore sites often hold balances in euros, which keeps conversion simple, but check whether your bank charges a foreign transaction fee on card payments to an overseas merchant.

Vinti4 is built mainly for domestic payments and cash machines, so don’t assume an offshore cashier will accept a Vinti4-only card: look for the Visa or Mastercard logo on yours, or ask your bank whether it works for online payments abroad. If it doesn’t, a bank transfer may be the only card-free route, and it is usually the slowest.

Card payments to gambling sites can be declined by some banks, and a card that works for deposits doesn’t always work for withdrawals. Before you deposit:

1. check which withdrawal methods are available for Cape Verde, the minimum payout and the processing time;
2. if withdrawals go by bank transfer, note any fees from both the site and your bank;
3. upload your ID and, if asked, proof of address before your first withdrawal.

Some players use crypto at sites that accept it. If you do, learn the basics first: transfers can’t be reversed and prices move. Our crypto casino guide is written for South Africa, but the wallet advice is universal.

Diaspora players

Cape Verde has a large diaspora, in Portugal, the United States, France and elsewhere, and many Cape Verdeans move between countries. If you’re abroad, the rules that apply are those of the country you’re in, not Cape Verde’s, and many of those countries license and restrict online gambling strictly. Offshore sites decide eligibility by your location and documents, so a site that accepts you in Praia may refuse you in Lisbon. Check the restricted list for wherever you actually are.

What to watch for

Fake sites. Copies of popular brands circulate online. Type the real address yourself and never install an app from a file someone sends you.

Language versions. Portuguese pages are often written for Brazil or Portugal. Make sure the terms you read are the ones that apply to your account.

Bonuses. On this page, offers show only percentages and spins: amounts in our data are set for South Africa and don’t apply in Cape Verde. 1Win’s welcome package is a 500% match spread over your first deposits in the version we track, with euro or escudo amounts and conditions in its cashier. Read the wagering requirement before you accept; our wagering guide shows how to work out the real cost.

Football, basketball and the Blue Sharks

Football is the main sport. The national team, the Tubarões Azuis (Blue Sharks), has become a regular at the Africa Cup of Nations and reached the quarter-finals in 2013 and again in early 2024. The domestic Cape Verdean Football Championships are organised island by island before a national final, which makes for few markets at international books.

The Portuguese connection is strong, and Liga Portugal is one of the most followed competitions, alongside the Premier League, Champions League and La Liga.

Basketball is the second sport, and Cape Verde’s national team has an excellent record for a country of its size. International basketball and NBA markets are widely available, though markets on Cape Verde’s own national team appear mainly around major tournaments.

If you build multi-match slips, remember that each leg adds the bookmaker’s margin. Our accumulator guide explains why long slips land less often than you’d think.

Responsible gambling

We could not confirm a national gambling helpline in Cape Verde. Use the tools on the site you choose:

• deposit limits for a day, week or month;
• time-outs and self-exclusion;
• removing saved cards so each deposit takes a deliberate step.

Gamblers Anonymous runs online meetings that anyone can join, and a doctor can refer you to support. Betting is entertainment, never a way to make money. Our responsible gambling tools guide shows where to find each setting.

Nearby countries

Senegal, the nearest mainland country, runs betting through LONASE. Guinea-Bissau, the other Portuguese-speaking country in West Africa, has no specific online gambling law, and Gambia has an unclear licensing position.