Thanks to improved technology, mobile access, better internet access and a younger audience, the betting industry in Africa as a whole has had massive growth over the last ten years. In particular, sports betting has become a popular hobby and indeed a way to earn additional cash in a number of countries throughout the continent. From Ethiopian sports betting to South Africa, there are a number of countries that have seen a major boost in their sports betting numbers. Let’s take a look.
Tanzania goes mobile-first
Thanks to one of the earliest regulated betting markets in the continent, Tanzania immediately leapt ahead of the curve. They’ve operated on a mobile-first approach and been regulated under the Gaming Board of Tanzania since 2003. As such, the Gaming Board has had strong regulatory control over the industry, enabling the industry to achieve some impressive revenue — it’s reached around $150 million. Part of this impressive number is due to the ability to use mobile phones to place bets. Better still, these mobile platforms use mobile payments such as M-Pesa, which makes it very easy for players to deposit and withdraw. In fact statistics show that 90% of all bets are done through mobile phones showing just how important it is for mobile phone use in the industry.
Control in Ghana
Another country that has strong regulatory clarity is Ghana. The country has a very stable betting market and is poised to keep expanding within the industry. Right now, there are more than 30 licenced sportsbooks within the country. Similar to Tanzania, these sportsbooks are accompanied by a solid digital wallet system and mobile payments such as MTN Mobile Money. Again, though, a lot of this is driven by mobile reach and the ability to reach the younger players.
Market potential in Nigeria
Nigeria has one of the biggest betting communities in Africa. With more than 60. million users, it’s got an estimated market of $2 billion. As with other countries, the primary audience here are the younger generation who love football. These players bet both online and through local agents, ensuring a wide reach. The operators are regulated at the state level, but big cities like Lagos have also done a lot to standardise licencing practices as well. This has led to a strongly developed sports culture, complete with betting promotions and an influx of foreign operators, which has helped boost this market.
Passionate for Kenyan sport
Another major market in the industry, Kenya, also has a strong young player base. Currently, the market has an estimated $1.8 billion value. Impressively, statistics show that there is more than 80% of young people all have placed a bet at some point. Similar to other industries like Tanzania and Ethiopia, there is a mobile-first slant and the use of payment providers such as M-Pesa, which makes transactions super easy. However, it does tax foreign investors rather heavily, which means that under the Betting Control and Licencing Board it’s more common to find local operators instead.
Full control in South Africa
Finally, there is South Africa, which arguably has the best control over its betting market. In fac,t South Africa has most of the share of the betting market in Africa. For example, by 2024, South Africa’s value had already reached $1 billion, a lot of which contributed to the country’s income. Betting in South Africa is controlled by the different provinces and only permits sports betting and horse racing. It’s matured well as a market, with players easily accessing a wide range of different betting platforms.
Of course, there are many other countries on the up and up within the continent too. Malawi, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe all have major betting markets in place, all of which are growing massively, thanks to increased internet penetration, a young player base and the ability to purchase cheap phones. Each country taxes in its own way to varying degrees of success, but all are moving forward positively when it comes to betting. As such, there’s a lot to like about the African betting market as a whole, and there will likely be bigger and better things to come across all of these countries.