Seventy-seven per cent of Africa’s online betting and gaming marketplace, with an estimated $23bn in gross gaming revenue, remains in the unregulated sector, according to a report from Gaming Compliance International, which called for African governments and regulators to adopt standardised, outcome-based regulation to optimise the industry.
The organisation disclosed this in its 2026 report on Africa’s online gambling marketplace, which estimated that the continent’s online sports betting and casino market generated $23bn in gross gaming revenue in 2025, with only $5.2bn, representing 23 per cent, coming from regulated operators, while $17.8bn, or 77 per cent, was generated by unregulated operators.
The report also revealed that Africa had 4,129 unregulated online gambling operators in 2025, while 215 million people, representing 14 per cent of the continent’s population, interacted with online gambling platforms during the year.
According to the report, regulated gambling content accounted for only 11 per cent of audience exposure, compared with 89 per cent for unregulated gambling content.
Comparing Africa with other regions, the report indicated that Latin America recorded the highest regulated market share at 27 per cent, while Africa and Europe each recorded 23 per cent. North America posted 24 per cent, the global average stood at 22 per cent, the Middle East and Africa recorded 14 per cent, while Asia-Pacific had the lowest regulated share at six per cent.
