Sports Betting: The Rise in the iGaming Market In Africa

 

Sports Betting: The Rise in the iGaming Market In Africa

With millions of fans spread across all the 54 countries, it’s fair to say that Africa is a sports-crazed continent. Most of the fans religiously follow football across different leagues in the world, though there’s still a significant number of fans who enjoy rugby, basketball, and baseball, to mention a few. These sports enthusiasts also take advantage of sports betting operators like Betway to make money from their favorite pastime.

The Rise of the iGaming Market in Africa

Thanks to advancements in betting technology and access to the internet, Africa is now the newest rising star in the iGaming market. As a result, gaming software providers like NSoft are investing heavily to enhance the gaming experience for fans in the region. New players can also penetrate the market easily since there’s no barrier to foreign investment. Additionally, gambling operators don’t have a hard time entering the market if they follow the designated regulations.

According to experts, Kenya is at the forefront in the gaming market, with most punters wagering at least twice a week through the mobile phone or online. In fact, mobile gambling is growing at an extraordinary rate on the continent due to convenient access to smartphones and tablets. Most countries also have physical betting shops, but phone betting remains dominant with most bets placed on football and basketball.

In the Northwest, online betting Ghana now has a well-developed industry drawing from the vast internet infrastructure. Today, the country now has over ten million betting enthusiasts from a total population of fewer than 30 million people. As in most countries in the continent, online betting has taken over retail operations, with most punters in the country choosing virtual football, greyhound racing, and draw-based games.

Cameroon is also worth mentioning as it’s betting industry has been gradually growing over the last decade. The upcoming nation in the sports betting industry has a population of about 24.5 million, and gambling has been legal since the enactment of the 1989 Gambling Act, which was amended in 2004. However, most of the betting activities in this country come from retail shops due to a lack of proper internet infrastructure.

Lesotho has also grown into one of the most popular markets in the gambling industry despite being lacking in business development. The small country has a population of 2.2 million people who love to indulge in sports betting, casino, and virtual games through retail shops and mobile apps such as Betway. As such, the few operators in the country handle the volume to their best capability, with lots of action happening around lottery betting and virtual football leagues.

Conclusion

Overall, Africa is a gambling hotbed with lots of operators flocking the area to cash in on the vast market. Kenya is at the frontline of mobile gambling, with Cameroon and Ghana closely following behind thanks to the continued development of internet infrastructure. However, several countries, including Tanzania and South Africa, are starting to regulate betting activities in the region to safeguard the interest of the players and other investors.