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Africa’s gambling landscape is continuing to mature quickly, as many countries look to expand their regulatory oversight and introduce centralised monitoring systems to plug tax leaks and combat illegal gambling.
Looking ahead into 2025, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Liberia, Rwanda and Ghana are among the jurisdictions with incoming major changes to their regulatory regimes.
However, developments in Nigeria surrounding the rights of states to regulate gambling and discussions to legalise online casino games in South Africa will also take centre stage.
Additionally, as competition and restrictions continue to tighten in mature European, Asian and North American jurisdictions, Africa will become increasingly popular for new business opportunities — a prospect which was heavily touted during several industry conferences in 2024.
As the dust settles from 2024, markets in Africa that can continue to offer regulatory and political stability will undoubtedly grow rapidly and attract large amounts of foreign investment, which could see a wave of mergers and acquisitions on the continent.
Two Major Markets Set The Tone In 2025
The South African and Nigerian markets will play vital roles in driving the continent's gambling growth in 2025. Both markets face potential major changes next year.
In South Africa, there is renewed hope for potential online gambling legislation, with the new unity government emboldening political cooperation and championing an ongoing need to raise more state funds.
This means that online gambling licensing is once again being discussed by lawmakers at both a provincial and national level and two political sides that once opposed each other's plans for updating gambling legislation are now far more aligned.
Online licensing plans were already resubmitted to parliament at the end of 2024 by a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA) political party in the form of the Remote Gambling Bill. It is likely we will get a clearer understanding of the future of the South African gambling market this year.
Elsewhere, a recent Supreme Court ruling in Nigeria invalidated the National Lottery Act’s claim to regulate gaming and lotteries across Nigeria, allowing individual states to oversee gambling in their jurisdictions in a move that potentially ends years of disputes between local authorities and the national gambling regulator.
State regulators have quickly welcomed the “groundbreaking ruling”, which they believe confirms only states of the federation have the power to regulate lottery and all gaming activities in Nigeria.
The full fallout of this ruling is yet to be seen and is not entirely clear; however, it is likely to have major implications on operators already in the market and those looking to enter it.
Many stakeholders are hopeful that the ruling could end confusion about whether operators must pay state and national taxes and fees, which has caused issues for businesses in the past.
There will also be major effects on enforcement action, with the Lagos state government already urging all illegal and unlicensed operators to immediately become licensed by the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LSLGA) or face prosecution.
Maturing Regulatory Frameworks
The Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) is the latest country on the continent to publish a new and comprehensive gambling regulatory framework, joining a growing list of African jurisdictions in recent years.
Congo’s government has also expressed an intention to establish a binding legal framework for gambling with the aim to effectively regulate the industry.
There are also existing regulatory regimes going through major overhauls in order to address tax leaks and combat illegal gambling. Ghana is notably in the process of reviewing its existing gambling law and is expected to propose a raft of legal changes this year.
The Rwanda Gambling Policy was also published on November 23 and included a host of planned changes, including introducing a new gambling regulator.
The creation of an independent gambling regulator and the enforcement of new regulatory guidelines are intended to tackle illegal gambling, enhance compliance and ensure the protection of vulnerable people.
Liberia’s National Lottery Authority (NLA) is also currently reviewing its online gambling regime, and is in the process of compiling a comprehensive list of remote gaming categories with a view to restructuring its market.
Additional reporting by Garvit Kaliraman.
