Africa Unites for AiA’s Safer Gambling Week
Regulators and gaming industry leaders across Africa are coming together to promote responsible gambling awareness, player protection, and regulatory cooperation during Africa Safer Gambling Week.
Organized by the African iGaming Alliance (AiA), this inaugural continental campaign runs from 7–11 September 2026 in collaboration with gambling regulators, industry associations, and key market stakeholders, operating under the campaign banner #PlaySafeAfrica.
As a pan-African trade association dedicated to promoting a sustainable, responsible, and well-regulated gaming sector, AiA partnered with regional regulators and industry bodies, including the National Gambling Board (NGB) of South Africa, the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB) of Uganda, the Gaming Board of Tanzania (GBT), the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LSLGA), the Association of Gaming Operators Kenya (AGOK), the Association of Nigerian Bookmakers, and Gamble Alert, to champion player protection across jurisdictions such as Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Malawi.
Throughout the five-day campaign, activities focused on key thematic areas to promote responsible gambling. These included setting personal limits by encouraging players to utilize deposit limits, spending controls, and mandatory gaming breaks. The campaign also aimed to increase awareness of available tools such as self-exclusion options and monitoring systems.
Additionally, it emphasizes preventing underage gambling by educating parents, guardians, and educators on how to keep minors away from gambling activities. Lastly, the campaign sought to combat unlicensed operators by raising public awareness about the risks associated with illegal, unregulated gambling sites lacking consumer protection safeguards.
Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, CEO of AiA, stated: “Africa’s gambling industry cannot measure success by growth alone. The real test is whether we grow responsibly, protect players and keep pace with the risks that come with expansion. Safer gambling must move beyond policy on paper and become part of how our industry operates every day. Through Africa Safer Gambling Week, we are bringing regulators, industry, communities, and other stakeholders together around a shared responsibility: ensuring that as Africa’s gambling sector grows, player protection grows with it.”
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Leading direct actions across participating markets, including Uganda, NLGRB and its CEO Dennis Ngabolano emphasized that player protection is central to the board’s Strategic Plan for FY2025/26–FY2029/30, especially as 93% of gaming activity occurs online, generating UGX 355.4 billion in government revenue and supporting over 24,000 jobs. The NLGRB’s framework includes school outreach programs reaching over 33,500 students and 1,600 teachers, technological monitoring through the National Central Electronic Monitoring System (NCEMS), which enables self-exclusion for over 16,700 players, illegal machine confiscations with over 9,400 seized since FY2021/22, and a dedicated toll-free helpline.
“As Uganda joins the inaugural Africa Safer Gambling Week, I reaffirm the NLGRB’s commitment to keeping player protection at the centre of our work. Our responsibility extends beyond licensing operators and enforcing compliance. It includes educating the public, protecting vulnerable people and ensuring that operators uphold safe, fair and transparent gaming practices,” emphasized Dennis Ngabolano.
In Tanzania, GBT Director General James B. Mbalwe and TGA Chairperson Ms. Sabrina Msuya jointly launched a week-long campaign focusing on player protection and public education regarding safe gaming practices.
South Africa’s National Gambling Board (NGB) partnered with AiA to issue a national media statement reinforcing that gambling should remain an enjoyable form of entertainment, supported locally by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board (WCGRB).
Nigeria’s Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LSLGA) hosted an interactive community outreach session at Babs Fafunwa Hall, Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), on 9 September 2026, engaging students, educators, and industry professionals.
Meanwhile, in Kenya, AGOK highlighted that despite differing regulatory environments across African markets, operators and regulators share a common commitment to embedding safe participation standards year-round.
