Online casino software provider and aggregator Slotegrator has summarized the most important information on legislation, taxation policies, popular trends and the development of online gambling across Africa. Many leading online casino operators are turning their attention to this continent as a lucrative region to expand their business in.
Traditionally, Africa has always been thought of as a set of developing nations that mainly focused on agriculture and resource extraction. However, this old stereotype is finally beginning to lose steam, and rightly so. An increasing number of Africans are placing their bets online, as mobile connectivity and increased payment method options continue to expand across the country.
The three biggest gambling areas in Africa are South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya. The Slotegrator’s article reveals those three, as well as three other key markets – Ghana, Uganda, and Tanzania.
A report issued by South Africa’s National Gambling Board recorded GGR for 2018 to be $1.9 billion. As recent surveys arguably prove, around three quarters of the population has gambled at least once in their lifetime. Like many other African nations the most popular sport to bet on is football. Typical favourites also include cricket, rugby, and golf.
South Africa’s nine provinces have their own gambling board which independently rules on the legality of gambling specifically within that province. It should be noted that throughout the country, online gambling is illegal, except for the online branches of licensed, land-based bookmakers. The only types of gambling considered to be legal are online sports betting and horse racing. Even so, despite prohibitions and preventive legislative initiatives, South Africans still continue to gamble in both offshore and illegal online casinos or poker rooms.
For prospective online casino vendors, the good news is that online gambling within Uganda is typically regarded as a legal and commercial activity. Because of this, Uganda has more than 670 online casino operations and betting offices.
On average, Ugandans spend $42 million on gambling annually. According to a report from the Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board, the Ugandan government received about $12 million in sports betting tax revenue in 2017-2018, compared to $3 million in 2013-2014 and $66,000 in 2003-2004.
Nigeria holds the second place in terms of share of gambling distribution in South Africa. According to a 2014 estimate, roughly 30% of Nigeria’s 200 million people place sports bets daily. That equates to roughly 60 million Nigerians, between the ages of 18 and 40, actively participating in sports betting every single day. Estimations are that Nigerians bet roughly $5.5 million every day, totaling about $2 billion a year.
Most importantly for prospective vendors, the nation’s gambling legislation of Ghana allows for all types of land-based and online gambling. Citizens of Ghana are also legally allowed to access any foreign gambling websites that they wish. As a consequence, the popularity of online gambling continues to grow year on year.
Within Kenya most types of gambling are legal, the online casino and iGaming world is largely in its infancy. In 2018, according to data provided by PwC, the average growth of revenues from gambling in Kenya accounted for 6.8% (approximately $25 million USD). Also according to PwC, Kenya had a GGR of around $20 million in 2014, but that number was projected to hit over $50 million in 2020.
The boom in sports betting in Tanzania has also been aided by the increase in the number of sports betting shops, which are present throughout the country. In 2017-2018, gaming and betting brought the government of Tanzania $36 million in revenues. The gaming board of Tanzania projected that government revenues from gambling would reach almost $42 million in 2019, up from the previous year’s figure of $34 million.
When you begin to study Africa’s economic positioning, their enthusiasm for online sports betting, the potential of this continent is clear. With all this in mind, combined with Africa’s generally open tolerance for gambling of all forms, we think it’s a fair statement to say that the entire continent holds huge potential for success within the iGaming world.
If you are interested in information about legislation, taxation policies, popular trends and the development of online gambling across Africa, you can contact Slotegrator for a free consultation and check out their full article with overview of African online gambling industry.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Since 2012, Slotegrator has been one of the iGaming industry’s leading software and business solution providers for online casino and sportsbook operators.
The company’s main focus is software development and support for online casino platforms, as well as the integration of game content and payment systems.
The company works with licensed game developers and offers a vast portfolio of casino content: slots, live casino games, poker, virtual sports, table games, lotteries, casual games, and data feeds for betting.
Slotegrator also provides consulting services in gambling license acquisition and business incorporation.
The company’s mission is to facilitate the growth of the iGaming ecosystem by acting as a bridge that links together all key stakeholders of the industry.
