Blask Awards 2025 name Betway, Bet9ja, Betika and others as Africa’s top performers
Based on a year of data across 11 regulated markets, the Blask Awards rank Africa’s leading licensed operators by demand, revenue baseline and market power.
By the standards of global iGaming, Africa has long been described as an “emerging” market. The results of the Blask Awards 2025, published this week by the analytics platform Blask, suggest that the continent has moved decisively beyond that label.
Using a full year of market data from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026, Blask evaluated operator performance across Africa’s regulated online betting and casino markets. The outcome is unambiguous: Betway stands as the continent’s clear leader.
A continental winner
In the Africa-wide rankings, Betway claimed both of the region’s top honors:
- Africa Operator of the Year, awarded for the highest cumulative Blask Index across the region
- Africa CEB Leader, recognizing the strongest aggregate Competitive Earning Baseline (CEB)
The analysis covered only regulated markets with more than 50 active online brands and included South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Morocco, Ghana, Ethiopia, Gabon, and Benin. Only locally licensed operators were considered.
Read Also: Botswana Sets Sights on P1 Billion Gambling Revenue by March 2026
“The aim was not to reward hype or isolated spikes,” said Max Tesla, CEO and co-founder of Blask. “These awards reflect sustained market power across multiple countries, measured through consistent external demand and competitive performance.”
South Africa sets the pace
South Africa, the continent’s most mature regulated market, reinforced Betway’s dominance. The operator secured both South Africa Operator of the Year and South Africa CEB Leader, confirming its position as the country’s strongest brand by both demand and revenue baseline.
In gaming content, the South Africa Game of the Year went to Aviator by Spribe, reflecting the continued popularity of crash-style games across African markets.
Nigeria and East Africa: local champions emerge
While Betway led the continent overall and South Africa in particular, national markets told more nuanced stories.
In Nigeria, the country’s largest regulated market by volume, Bet9ja claimed both Operator of the Year and CEB Leader, underscoring the strength of deeply localized brands. Nigeria’s Game of the Year was Gates of Olympus by Pragmatic Play.
Kenya’s top honors went to Betika, while Uganda crowned betPawa as both Operator of the Year and CEB Leader — a pattern repeated in Zambia for Operator of the Year.
Zimbabwe’s market, smaller but highly competitive, saw MWOS take both national titles.
The metrics behind the rankings
Blask’s awards rely on a trio of proprietary metrics increasingly used by operators and regulators alike.
The Blask Index functions as a real-time barometer of market demand, capturing how much attention a brand holds relative to competitors. CEB (Competitive Earning Baseline) translates that attention into a statistically attainable revenue range, offering a market-based benchmark rather than reported earnings. Together, they provide what Blask describes as “a common language for market power.”
Unlike traditional performance tables, the Blask Awards deliberately exclude unregulated markets and offshore-only brands — a methodological choice that, in Africa, significantly reshapes the leaderboard.
Africa in the global context
The African results arrive alongside Blask’s global rankings, where Betano dominated worldwide categories including Leader of the Blask Year and Top CEB Performer. Betway’s continental leadership, however, positions Africa as one of the few regions where global giants and regional specialists compete on nearly equal footing.
