In the context of Morocco’s preparations to host major international sporting events, the Director General of the Moroccan Lottery and Sports, Younes El Mechrafi, emphasized the need to safeguard the national sports system from the risks of illegal betting, which poses a direct threat to financial stability and efforts to fund the sector.
El Mechrafi stated during his participation in the international forum on sports that the success of organizing major sporting events is closely linked to adopting a transparent and responsible financial governance model. He highlighted that the Moroccan Lottery and Sports embodies this approach by adhering to strict institutional oversight, notably from the state and the Court of Auditors.
The same official affirmed that the institution will continue to play a pivotal role in supporting national sports and contributing to sustainable development in the sector, noting that contributions to the National Sports Development Fund (FNDS) and the state treasury amounted to 791 million dirhams in 2024, with an average annual growth rate of about 16 percent from 2010 to 2024.
In the same vein, the report from the Moroccan Lottery and Sports indicated that the sports lottery company accumulated total contributions to the state of 8.8 billion dirhams by the end of 2024 since 2010, while other contributions from taxes, fees, and support for solidarity funds related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the earthquake recovery fund totaled around 2.8 billion dirhams during the same period.
On another note, the House of Representatives hosted a comprehensive discussion on the future of national sports on Thursday morning as part of the international forum organized to evaluate the National Sports Strategy 2008-2020. During this meeting, Younes El Mechrafi presented the challenges posed by illegal betting, warning of its negative implications on sports financing and the stability of the overall system.
He argued that this type of betting undermines the state’s efforts and weakens the resources directed towards sports development, reiterating that the Moroccan Lottery and Sports’ compliance with the oversight of the Court of Auditors establishes it as a key pillar in entrenching the principles of transparency and good governance within the sector.
