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The Gaming Compliance International (GCI) has called on African governments to strengthen regulatory frameworks and promote licensed online gambling platforms to enhance consumer protection, create jobs and increase public revenue.
GCI President, Mr Ismail Vali, made the call in an exclusive report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
Vali said Africa’s online gambling industry should be seen as an opportunity to generate sustainable economic value while safeguarding consumers.
He said regulatory success should be measured by the extent to which consumers migrate to licensed operators, rather than by the number of licences issued.
According to him, GCI’s survey, which analysed online gambling activities across all 54 African countries using 2024 and 2025 data, showed that the regulated market recorded steady growth in 2025 in spite of the dominance of illegal operators.
He said revenue generated by regulated operators rose from 4.4 billion dollars in 2024 to 5.2 billion dollars in 2025.
“The regulated share of Africa’s online gambling market also increased from 22 per cent in 2024 to 23 per cent in 2025, indicating that more consumers are choosing licensed operators.
“Online gambling participation also rose from 13 per cent, representing about 198 million people, in 2024 to 14 per cent, or about 215 million people, in 2025,” he said.
Vali, however, said the continent continued to lose substantial economic value to unregulated operators.
He said unregulated Gross Gaming Revenue increased from $15.6 billion in 2024 to $17.8 billion in 2025, while African governments were estimated to have lost 3.55 billion dollars in tax revenue in 2025 alone.
According to him, the number of unregulated online gambling operators targeting Africa also increased from 3,644 in 2024 to 4,129 in 2025.
He added that regulated audience exposure improved slightly from 10 per cent to 11 per cent, while exposure to unregulated operators declined marginally from 90 per cent to 89 per cent.
Vali identified comprehensive market monitoring, stronger enforcement against illegal operators, regulatory integrity and policies that improve the competitiveness of licensed operators as critical to expanding the regulated market.
He also advocated improvements in taxation, payment systems, product availability and regulatory collaboration to encourage consumers to patronise licensed gambling platforms.
Also speaking, GCI Chief Executive Officer, Mr Matt Holt, said the report provided regulators with the first continent-wide assessment of Africa’s online gambling market.
Holt said the findings showed that jurisdictions with effective regulatory measures were beginning to record growth in the licensed online gambling sector.
(NAN)
