With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just hours from kickoff, Senegal is caught up in the excitement — not just on the pitch, but through the booming world of sports betting. Over the past five years, the sector has gone fully digital. No more queues at betting shops: a few taps on a smartphone are all it takes to place a wager. As a result, more and more people are trying their luck. For them, the World Cup has already begun.
In a group of young footballers from the same neighbourhood club, the outcome of the Senegal vs France match on 16 June is hotly debated. Everything seems possible; nothing is decided in advance. Assane already has a plan: “I’m going to bet on two different apps — on one I’ll put France, on the other Senegal. That way I have a chance to win. One of my friends called me and said, ‘Assane, I need money, let’s place some bets.’ I told him, ‘Let’s go, let’s try our luck.'”
Mohamed, meanwhile, makes no secret of his passion for betting. “It excites me,” he laughs. For him too, the sports betting fever has already started with the approaching 2026 World Cup. This young Dakar resident has already placed wagers on the opening match of the Lions of Teranga against Les Bleus. “I’ve put down all sorts of combinations. First ticket: Senegal wins. Second ticket: both teams score. Then Mbappé scores for France, Sadio Mané for Senegal,” he details. “I hope it happens that way because if it does, I win!”
“We lose more than we win”
Last month, Mohamed bet a total of 80,000 CFA francs (about 122 euros). Out of that amount, he has a net loss of 30,000 CFA francs (45 euros). Small stakes each time, but bets on every league around the globe. “Every competition: leagues, Champions League, Coupe de France, in the United States, even in China (laughs). There’s actually no limit. But we lose more than we win — that has to be said,” he admits.
Like many other Senegalese, Mohamed got hooked on sports betting right after the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s when betting apps multiplied on screens. Practices shifted. Malick Diouf, founder of the Dakar Sport Summit, a fair dedicated to the sports economy, explains: “We’re a predominantly Muslim country where betting is frowned upon. The fact that it’s gone digital has lifted the taboo and allowed all social classes to play without being judged.”
The sector is driven by three heavyweights: Russian operator 1xBet, French company Betclic, and Senegalese group Sunubet. Since November 2025, these companies have seen their revenues taxed at 20%. The same applies to bettors’ winnings. “The state gains, but the money collected from sports betting should be used to fund professional, and especially amateur, sports,” says Malick Diouf.
A highly anticipated period for sports bettors, the football World Cup is also a time of excess. Associations are warning about rising cases of addiction.
