Moroccan Court of Appeal Temporarily Halts Telecom Blocks on Offshore Gambling Sites
The Casablanca Court of Appeal recently suspended a previous order that would have blocked access to major international betting platforms from operating in Morocco.
Global brands like 1xBet, Stake, and Betway have successfully attracted significant traffic from Moroccan users despite lacking formal domestic licenses. This situation has resulted in economic leakage, as funds are diverted to offshore entities instead of benefiting the government’s projects, and has also created an oversight gap, since the government is unable to monitor cross-border digital betting activities due to the lack of a formal licensing framework for the online gambling operators.
Early this year, the Moroccan Commercial Court, in an attempt to provide a solution, issued an immediate injunction following a complaint by the Moroccan Lottery and Sports Games (MDJS), which has held an exclusive legal monopoly over sports betting in the country for years. The MDJS sought to protect the regulated local industry and state revenue from foreign competition, especially as the rise of international digital platforms has enabled Moroccan players to bypass local regulations.
To ensure the effectiveness of this measure, the court targeted infrastructure by requiring major telecom operators, Maroc Telecom, Orange Maroc, and Inwi, to implement DNS and IP-level blocks. Operators faced a penalty of 10,000 MAD (approximately $1,085) per day for any delays in enforcing the block. The ruling also aimed to shut down intermediaries, such as local sites like Herofoot and Orange Depo, which facilitated financial transactions between Moroccan banks and foreign platforms.
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On February 10, 2026, the blocking solution faced a significant setback when the Casablanca Court of Appeal suspended the order. This decision granted a suspensive effect, meaning that telecom companies are no longer required to implement the blocks, and financial penalties are paused while the legal review continues. The ruling provides a temporary relief for both global gambling brands and Moroccan telecommunications companies, which had been facing heavy daily fines for non-compliance. A Le Desk report stated, “The Court of Appeal has effectively ended the obligation for telecom operators to implement the blocks, allowing offshore betting platforms to remain accessible to Moroccan players while the legal process continues.”
Under the 2025 Finance Law, Morocco now imposes a 30% withholding tax and a 2% solidarity contribution on winnings from foreign gambling platforms. However, since these platforms are not formally authorized, this creates a complex legal grey area where offshore gambling is neither fully legal nor effectively banned. The current suspension of the blocking order reflects a cautious judicial approach amid the difficulties of regulating the digital market, leaving Moroccan players with continued access to international sites while authorities reconsider their strategy.
