The next wave of African betting markets

Africa is a huge and non-stop growing betting market that still hides lots of possibilities.

Apart from the giants Nigeria and Kenya, there is what we could call a second wave of countries that are improving their technology and regulation frameworks. These jurisdictions are becoming a nice field to play in, especially for virtual football suppliers like GoldenRace, as Africans are known worldwide as huge football fans.

Ghana: A bright future for gambling

GoldenRace has a strong presence in Ghana, working with the main local companies as a betting solution supplier.

Thanks to the high number of foreigners who have moved to the country in the last years - especially in Accra, the capital city - gambling is getting better acceptance in the country.

Nowadays Ghana has, right after Nigeria, the second most liberal gambling policy in West Africa.

According to the regulation, the Gaming Commission of Ghana is responsible for issuing licences to gaming operators. This agency works under the Ministry of the Interior and was established under the Gaming Act 721 (2006), a document that legalised all forms of games of chance except for the lottery.

There is still a long way to go, but the future is promising for this country, where the approach to gambling is becoming more liberal each time.

Tanzania: A boom in gambling after the economic liberalisation

Tanzania is one of the most regulated and promising markets in Africa.

Before 1985, only the National Lottery had significant gambling activity in Tanzania. After this date, some reform programs were made in the country, resulting in an economic liberalisation when the National Investments Promotions and Protection Act of 1992 was created, propelling the leisure industry.

Due to those changes and to the evolution of the betting industry, the Pools and Lotteries Act from 1967 and the National Lotteries Act from 1974 needed an update: the Gaming Act Cap. 41 (1999) resulted in the creation of the Gaming Board of Tanzania (2003), the current gaming regulatory body that ensures a clear regulatory framework and the quality of the industry under international standards.

It is also a country with many possibilities¹, especially in the largest city, Dar es Salaam. The country has recently shown an amazing growth² thanks to technological innovation and an improved business environment that promotes interesting project investments in the gaming industry.

GoldenRace is present in Tanzania, mainly Online and mobile, working with strong partners and Virtual Sports platforms to bring its award-winning Virtual Sports and its B2B software to every Tanzanian.

Uganda: Where people love to gamble

Despite having existed since the 60’s, gaming in Uganda has increased really fast during the last two decades, thanks to wider access to the Internet, cable TV, smartphones and other telecom platforms.

In fact, gaming related tax revenues have gone from 240 million in 2002/2003 to a projected 50 billion for the financial year 2019/2020 (local currency).

The mentioned improvements in technology, together with a huge love for sports, brought sports betting and Virtual Sports to the country, being nowadays the preferred way of gambling for Ugandans.

The industry is regulated by the National Gaming Board Uganda according to the Lotteries and Gaming Act (2016).

These recent regulations, together with the technological developments and the introduction of some standards for equipment by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards are propelling Uganda’s gambling industry to the first places among African betting countries.

Zambia: Much more than wildlife tourism and mining

Zambia is a big South-Eastern African country with a strong tourism sector due to its wildlife and the Victoria Waterfalls, among others, and also a mining industry that is worldwide known.

But there is another sector that has been greatly developed. In fact, Zambia is a competitive scenario with a growing gambling and betting industry.

Thanks to developed technology and high mobile penetration, secure mobile payment platforms have proliferated, making this country a key market in the global expansion of iGaming³.

Zambia is also a very well-regulated market. The Zambia Casino Act 1992 modified the existing Casino and Gaming Machines Acts that forbade the game, allowing licensed establishments to offer gambling verticals to people nationwide. There are also other laws like the Betting Control Act, amended for the last time in 1994, and the Lotteries Act.

As gambling is legal in Zambia, several international bookmakers and operators have started working in the country.

Thanks to some partnerships with local companies, GoldenRace is present in Zambia, where gamblers love virtual football and enjoy our various leagues and tournaments.

¹Source: Is Tanzania’s Sports Betting industry worth the cost?

²Source: Tanzania: Gaming Industry Revenue Climbing

³Source: Appraising the Growth of Zambia’s iGaming Market