Chronicle Editor
In recent years, the African market has seen an increasing number of popular online casinos and betting shops, which are either “grey” or legal, depending on the country.
Most countries of the continent are looking for ways to legalize gambling in order to get more revenues for the state budget, and we are talking about huge sums of money. Nevertheless, there is still no answer to the question of the future of gambling in Africa.
The rise in the popularity of online gambling among Africans began in 2020 with the arrival and spread of the . Like many others, they were forced to stay home and find additional ways to entertain themselves. In addition, the situation was strongly influenced by the development of the Internet: many countries launched 5G, which allowed residents to use fast Internet from their smartphones.
Technological advances also opened the door for operators, launching online casinos with thousands of gambling games and betting offices for the continent’s inhabitants.
Of course, LTE also allows comfortable gambling, but 5G makes it possible to run games with live dealers, as well as to play any slots and table games in the highest resolution and without delays.
According to recent studies, people in Africa make up about 11.5% of all Internet users. A huge number of these people regularly visit gambling sites. According to the statistics that can be found , African users make up a significant percentage of visitors. In countries where online casinos are fully legalized, this brings its own benefits. Firstly, the state receives taxes from its activities, which can then be used to improve the citizens’ quality of life. Secondly, the new casinos create hundreds of jobs, further improving the lives of Africans.
Currently, the largest markets on the continent are Nigeria and South Africa, where gambling is developing the fastest, despite controversial decisions in terms of legalization and regulation.
For example, in less than 2022, gambling revenues in South Africa amounted to more than 2.2 billion dollars. There is no up-to-date information on Nigeria, but in 2019 the state treasury about $600 million in revenues from casinos and betting shops.
Kenya and Ghana have much smaller figures, but their figures are growing every year and are also expected to reach several hundred million dollars shortly.
Interestingly, in Africa, in addition to slot machines and table games, instant lotteries, such as bingo, are very popular. The demand for such entertainment remains at a high level for several years, so the operators are actively placing bets on them and developing these directions.
Considering all of the above, we can conclude that Africa has become a technologically advanced continent in a few decades, though not immediately, but caught up with Europe and the Americas. In the future, only the growth of all areas of gambling is projected, which will allow the inhabitants of the countries to get even more pleasure from the game, and the states themselves – to derive practical financial benefits from casinos and betting shops.
derick.khumalo