Malabo, August 2025 — What looked like Equatorial Guinea’s bold entry into the global online gambling arena has turned into a regulatory whiplash. Just days after announcing its first-ever master license for online betting to Cyprus-based Mascott Capital Partners, the government has suspended the authorization with immediate effect.

Initially heralded as a milestone in diversifying the national economy, the license was framed as a gateway for the country to join established iGaming hubs like Curaçao and Anjouan. Mascott Capital was set to deploy a digital platform to manage operator applications, promising compliance with global AML/KYC standards, player protection measures, and transparent tax reporting under the legal umbrella of Law No. 2/1995 and Law No. 10/2017.

But on August 8, the government declared that the current legal framework — specifically Law No. 02/1995 and Ministerial Order No. 04/2015 — does not authorize the granting of master licenses for online betting. As a result, the license issued to Mascott Capital was declared invalid and without legal effect.

The political fallout was swift. Antonio-Pedro Oliveira Burupu, the Minister of Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure who publicly signed off on the license, was suspended from his duties. According to the official statement, Burupu acted unilaterally, bypassing the Attorney General’s legal review and other mandatory procedural steps.

The abrupt reversal not only halts Mascott Capital’s plans but also raises questions about Equatorial Guinea’s readiness to position itself as a regulated iGaming jurisdiction. Industry analysts note that such mixed signals can deter foreign investment and damage credibility among global operators seeking stable, legally robust environments for expansion.

For now, the country’s ambition to become a competitive online gambling hub is on pause — and stakeholders will be watching closely to see if the government moves to amend its legislation or shelves the digital betting initiative altogether.


