Responsible Gambling in Africa: The Growing Need to Protect Players – A Podcast with Fisayo Oke
It is no secret that the African iGaming market is experiencing significant growth, especially in the sports betting industry. With an approximate value of $1.85 billion in 2024, the market is already projected to exceed $3.6 billion by 2029. This steady growth has created business opportunities as operators launch new products while raising important questions about regulation and consumer welfare. The pressing question has now been “Can the industry expand responsibly while safeguarding players?”
In Episode 17 of the iGaming AFRIKA Podcast hosted by Victoria Abiodun, Gamble Alert Founder and CEO Fisayo Oke shed light on the challenges and opportunities surrounding responsible gambling across the African continent.
When compared to mature market jurisdictions like the UK, Africa’s iGaming market is highly nascent. In such established markets, strict proactive measures are a foundation. In fact, you may not even get a licence if you don’t have a player protection structure. African responsible gambling, on the other hand, is still lagging behind due to structural, technological, and regulatory challenges. While progress in countries like South Africa is quite notable, others like Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda are still in the transitional phase.
“Unfortunately for us, in this part of the world it looks as though regulation is chasing after the business rather than the business conforming with the regulation. So the industry is growing faster than the regulation,” Oke observed.
This imbalance has allowed operators to introduce products with potentially harmful features before regulators can respond, making responsible gambling a pressing issue.
Responsible gambling is a long-term industry sustainability, not an anti-business stance. Rather than seeking to curb market activity, it established a framework where commercial growth does not come at the expense of consumers’ health. It is not a contradiction but a dual responsibility, Oke stressed. For players, it means setting clear financial and time limits, and for operators, it lends itself to implementing proactive interventions. This includes player monitoring, transparent odds, and accessible self-exclusion tools.
Emphasising this shared responsibility, Oke stated, “And when we teach responsible gambling, we say that responsible gambling rests on two legs. Number one is that the decision to gamble or not to gamble within the context of civil liberty depends solely on the individual. The second arm of it is that as much as this decision is that of the individual, the gaming operator and the regulator have the responsibility to ensure that this player, this individual, makes an informed decision.”
To achieve responsible gambling, the African market must now move past its deep-seated societal bias. The widespread conservatism that frames all forms of betting as a moral failing rather than a legal, regulated leisure activity is one of the major setbacks to achieving responsible gambling. The critics rejecting betting altogether make the concept of responsible gambling hard to grasp initially. Additionally, the gambling operators often view the player protection features as a direct threat to immediate revenues. Mandatory deposit and time limits, cooling-off periods, and strict KYC processes are seen as friction points. Challenging this, Oke asked operators a direct question, “Do you want customers who are perpetually in debt because they are on your platform, or do you want customers who are healthy because the health of your customers also depends on the health of your operation and in sustainability?”
Identifying gambling requires vigilance. Operators can use platform data to spot red flags like erratic player patterns, late-night betting, multiple declined cards, and intense frustration from a minor inconvenience. Family intervention is also very crucial, especially in spotting hidden behaviours. Such behaviours can include a loved one lying about their gambling habits or becoming excessively secretive about their betting activities.
Despite these challenges, the African iGaming market is recording a positive shift. For instance, the African iGaming Alliance has declared a global commitment to ensuring player protection. Operators from various countries are also noted to be budgeting for responsible gaming features and funding treatment interventions. For countries like Kenya, initiatives are already in place, including campaigns to ensure player control.
Such progress gives hope that responsible gambling in Africa will soon transition into a core reputational and compliance necessity. International bodies will increasingly refuse to engage with operators who do not include player protection frameworks in their services. Such a shift will prompt companies to recruit responsible gaming officers. In fact, Oke projected that in the next five years, responsible gambling is expected to become a big deal on the continent.
