Togo joins regional push to tax gambling winnings with new 5% lottery levy
Togo has joined the growing regional push to tax gambling winnings by introducing a new 5% levy on lottery. Effective January 1, 2026, a street vendor in Lomé who scratches a winning ticket worth CFA 500,000 will no longer take home the full amount. The National Lottery of Togo (LONATO) has begun automatically deducting 5% from any prize of CFA 500,000 (around €760) or more, with the proceeds remitted directly to the Office Togolais des Recettes (OTR).
“Starting January 1, 2026, any lottery ticket winning CFA 500,000 (€760) or more will automatically have five per cent deducted at pay-out, with proceeds directed to the Togolese Revenue Office,” LONATO said in an announcement cited by local media. In practical terms, a CFA 500,000 win now results in a CFA 25,000 deduction, with the remaining balance paid to the winner.
Read Also: Senegal Implements 20% Tax on Player Gambling Winnings
Regional comparisons suggest Togo is far from alone. Across West Africa, governments have increasingly turned to gambling taxes as a source of public revenue. In Senegal, authorities introduced a 20% withholding tax on regulated gaming winnings in 2025, applying the levy across both land-based betting outlets and digital platforms. Côte d’Ivoire adopted a more targeted approach earlier, imposing a 7.5% tax on gaming winnings exceeding CFA 1 million under its 2018 fiscal annex. Burkina Faso, meanwhile, moved in the same direction with its 2025 finance law, seeking to harmonise gambling taxation at around 5%, a rate that closely mirrors the new levy now applied in Togo.
