Côte d'Ivoire has an actual state licensing system for sports betting, run by LONACI, the national lottery operator — and this shapes which platforms accept Wave and how. This page covers LONACI itself, the private bookmakers it has licensed, and one prominent brand that operates without that local approval. It's informational, 18+, and does not offer legal advice.
LONACI — the state lottery and betting operator
- LONACI (Loterie Nationale de Côte d'Ivoire) holds the state's exclusive concession over lotteries, sports betting, horse-race betting (PMU), and virtual betting in Côte d'Ivoire — the equivalent of France's FDJ. Its own product lineup includes Loto Bonheur, Sportcash (sports betting), PMU, Casinocash, jeux de grattage (scratch games), and several smaller virtual-game brands.
- Wave access: Wave is a listed payment method for LONACI's Sportcash product, with deposits reported from a minimum of 400 FCFA up to 100,000 FCFA and no fee charged.
- Payouts: since December 2024, LONACI's "PAYME by LONACI" platform lets bettors receive winnings directly to a mobile money account — avoiding a trip to a physical sales point — by entering a ticket reference on payme.lonacionline.ci.
- Why this matters: LONACI is not a private betting brand — it's the state's own gambling operator, and it's also the regulator that licenses the private bookmakers below. This dual role (operator and regulator) is worth naming plainly, since it's different from every other brand on this page.
LONACI-licensed bookmakers
Since a 2021 agreement with the Ivorian state, LONACI has been authorized to approve private sports betting operators to work legally in Côte d'Ivoire, alongside its own products. The following brands are confirmed LONACI-approved.
1X 1xBet
LONACI-approvedOne of the largest global sportsbook and casino brands, approved to operate in Côte d'Ivoire under LONACI's licensing framework. Notably, 1xBet was temporarily suspended by LONACI in March 2024 over a contractual dispute, then reinstated on March 25, 2024 — a sign that LONACI's oversight has real enforcement behind it, not just a one-time approval. Wave is a supported deposit and withdrawal method.
PB Premier Bet
LONACI-approvedA LONACI-licensed operator widely marketed in Côte d'Ivoire, supporting Wave alongside Orange Money, MTN Mobile Money, and Moov Money. Deposits are reported to start from 100 FCFA with no deposit fee, crediting in under a minute; withdrawals are reported to take 15 minutes to 24 hours with no withdrawal fee.
ML Melbet
LONACI-approved (Jul 2024)Operates in Côte d'Ivoire under the registered company COASTWIN SARLU, approved by LONACI on July 17, 2024. Wave is described as the preferred deposit method in Abidjan and nationally due to lower fees compared to alternatives; minimum deposit is reported around 500 FCFA and minimum withdrawal around 1,000 FCFA.
BC Betclic
LONACI-approvedAlso LONACI-licensed. Reviews describe it as a functional but less feature-rich option compared to its competitors (fewer promotions, a narrower product range), and it has had brief, maintenance-related deposit interruptions reported by users. This is a competitive/product criticism rather than a trust or licensing concern.
BW Betwinner — read the domain carefully
.ci is LONACI-approvedBetwinner has two distinct versions that matter for Ivorian players: betwinner.ci, operated by an Ivorian-registered company (RCCM CI-ABJ-03-2023-B12-03585, registered in Abidjan in 2023) with LONACI approval, and betwinner.com, the global site operated by PREVAILER B.V. under a Curaçao license, which is not the LONACI-approved entity.
1win — not LONACI-approved
Unlike the operators above, 1win is confirmed to hold only a Curaçao eGaming license (No. 8048/JAZ2018-040) and has no LONACI approval to operate in Côte d'Ivoire. Independent sources explicitly describe this as a legal gray area: Côte d'Ivoire's gambling law doesn't specifically address platforms operating this way, which is how an internationally-licensed site like 1win continues to be accessible without local sanction, but also without Ivorian regulatory oversight or recourse through LONACI if something goes wrong. 1win still lists Wave as a deposit and withdrawal method. This is worth naming directly rather than treating 1win the same as the LONACI-approved brands above — the practical difference is where you'd have recourse if a dispute arose.
What LONACI approval actually means for you
- A LONACI-approved operator is subject to Ivorian taxation, must maintain a physical presence in the country, and answers to a regulator reachable from Abidjan — closer to how a licensed operator works in a market like the UK than to the offshore-only model seen in some other countries.
- LONACI approval doesn't mean a platform is risk-free or guarantees any particular payout — it means there's a specific, named local regulator you can escalate a dispute to, which is a meaningfully different position than relying solely on an offshore arbitration process.
- Where a brand runs both a LONACI-approved local domain and a separate global domain (as with Betwinner), the domain you actually use determines which oversight applies to you.
Checklist before you deposit
- Confirm which specific domain you're using, especially for brands (like Betwinner) that run both a LONACI-approved local site and a separate global one.
- Keep your Wave transaction confirmation for every deposit, particularly on platforms without a fully automated payment callback.
- Understand the difference between a LONACI approval (local, Ivorian-regulated) and an offshore-only license like Curaçao (no local oversight) — both are mentioned across the brands on this page.
- Read the platform's own current terms for minimum deposit/withdrawal amounts and any bonus wagering requirements before funding an account.
Responsible gambling
This page is 18+ only. Sports betting, lottery, and casino gaming carry real financial risk, and no outcome is guaranteed — treat any deposit as money you could lose, not as an investment or income source.
If gambling is affecting your finances, relationships, work, or mental health, or you find it difficult to stop, it's worth stepping back and reaching out for support — a counselor, a local health service, or a national helpline can help. Setting deposit limits, self-exclusion where offered, and taking regular breaks are worth considering regardless of how things are currently going.