Angola’s Gaming Supervision Institute (ISJ) took its illegal gambling awareness campaign to Mabunda Market in Luanda on August 14 in Luanda’s Samba Municipality. The regulator carried out the visit with the Municipal Administration of Samba as part of an effort to explain gambling rules and the risks associated with unauthorized activity. Officials spoke directly with merchants and citizens and distributed information on illegal gambling and responsible gaming. The market visit was presented as an awareness and prevention exercise rather than an enforcement operation, with the focus on informing businesses and customers about licensing requirements.
Cláudio Paulo Leads Mabunda Market Session
The ISJ’s campaign at Mabunda Market focused on reminding merchants and members of the public that gambling activities require the appropriate authorization under Angola’s regulatory framework. Officials explained the rules and highlighted the risks associated with unauthorized gambling. SiGMA’s report on the Mabunda Market campaign said the regulator distributed educational material covering illegal gambling and responsible gaming during the visit.
The session was led by ISJ Deputy Director-General Cláudio Paulo with Afonso Hermenegildo da Silva, head of the regulator’s Department of Supervision and Inspection. Their message centered on the requirement for businesses and individuals involved in gaming to comply with Angola’s applicable legislation. The ISJ’s institutional portal identifies the regulator as the public body responsible for regulating, supervising and inspecting games of chance, social games and remote gaming in Angola. The regulator’s responsibilities cover different forms of gambling, meaning the licensing issue raised at Mabunda falls within a wider framework rather than relating to one specific type of betting activity. The ISJ’s official portal also provides information on licensed operators and states that gaming licences are issued to legally established commercial companies in Angola.
The Mabunda visit should, however, be distinguished from an enforcement operation. The ISJ did not announce a broad seizure of gambling equipment or penalties against merchants during the campaign. Instead, officials used the market visit to explain the rules, distribute information and encourage compliance. SiGMA described the activity as an awareness campaign, making education the immediate focus. That distinction matters when describing the development.In a LinkedIn update from the regulator, the ISJ has supervisory and inspection responsibilities, but the Mabunda activity was presented as an effort to inform merchants and citizens about the legal framework. The campaign therefore does not by itself indicate that businesses at the market were subject to penalties.
The licensing issue is central to Angola’s gambling framework. The ISJ’s institutional portal lists licensing, authorization, supervision and inspection among its activities, while its public information identifies games of chance, social games and remote gaming as areas under its oversight. The regulator’s institutional information sets out those responsibilities. The immediate message is that gambling-related activities must be checked against the applicable licensing requirements before they are conducted. The awareness campaign gives the regulator a direct way to communicate those requirements to businesses operating outside the formal gaming industry.
Mabunda Campaign Forms Part of Wider ISJ Oversight
The Mabunda campaign follows a July 17 visit to the Regedoria and Luanda Sul markets in Viana. According to SiGMA’s report, ISJ officials previously visited the Regedoria and Luanda Sul markets, where they spoke with merchants and customers about unauthorized gambling and distributed educational materials. The repeated focus on public markets indicates that the ISJ is using direct outreach to reach businesses and consumers who may encounter gambling activity outside formal gaming venues. Rather than limiting communication to licensed operators, the campaigns bring information about the rules directly to local commercial areas. The ISJ has also acted directly against unlicensed operators, destroying 182 unauthorised gaming machines seized in Cabinda.
The ISJ has also continued other regulatory work in the sector. Its official press section includes activities covering supervision and regulatory requirements, including risk-based supervision. The ISJ’s press section shows that supervision remains part of the regulator’s broader work alongside licensing and public information. This combination of education and oversight gives the ISJ separate tools for addressing gambling activity. Awareness campaigns can explain licensing requirements to businesses and consumers, while supervision and inspections can be used where regulators identify activity that does not comply with the rules.
For merchants, the warning is that gambling activities must operate within Angola’s licensing framework. The ISJ has indicated that its awareness and prevention activities will continue across the country. Further campaigns could provide additional guidance to merchants and consumers, while the regulator’s existing supervisory powers remain available where unauthorized gambling activity is identified.
