Africa online gambling market generated an estimated $23 billion in Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) during 2025, according to a new report by Gaming Compliance International (GCI). While regulated gambling continues to grow across the continent, the study found that 77% of online gambling revenue still flows to unlicensed operators, highlighting a significant opportunity for governments to expand regulated markets.
The report, Online Gaming 2024–2025: Africa, provides the first continent-wide assessment of regulated and unregulated online gambling across all 54 African countries. Rather than viewing online gambling solely as a regulatory challenge, GCI argues that Africa represents one of the world’s largest untapped regulated gambling markets.
According to the report, Africa’s regulated online gambling sector increased from $4.4 billion in 2024 to $5.2 billion in 2025, raising the regulated share of the market from 22% to 23%. Overall online gambling revenue also grew, rising from $20 billion in 2024 to $23 billion in 2025.
While the increase is modest, GCI says it demonstrates that regulated markets are expanding despite continued competition from illegal operators. Consumer participation also continued to rise during the year.
The report estimates that 215 million Africans, representing 14% of the continent’s population, participated in online gambling during 2025. This compares with 198 million people, or 13% of the population, in 2024.
Exposure to licensed gambling operators also improved slightly, increasing from 10% to 11%, suggesting regulated operators are gradually strengthening their presence in the market.
Despite the growth of regulated gambling, illegal operators continue to dominate Africa’s online gambling sector. Revenue generated by unlicensed operators increased from $15.6 billion in 2024 to $17.8 billion in 2025, accounting for 77% of total online gambling revenue.
The number of unregulated gambling platforms targeting African consumers also rose sharply, increasing from 3,644 to 4,129 within a single year.
According to GCI, these figures should not simply be viewed as evidence of regulatory failure. Instead, they demonstrate the scale of the economic opportunity available if more gambling activity can be brought into regulated markets.
The report argues that successful regulation depends on four connected priorities:
- Monitor the entire online gambling marketplace.
- Police unlicensed operators targeting local consumers.
- Enforce regulatory integrity consistently.
- Optimize regulated markets so they remain competitive and attractive.
Together, these principles form GCI’s MPEO framework (Monitor, Police, Enforce and Optimize), which the organisation says provides regulators with a practical roadmap for improving consumer protection while expanding legitimate economic activity.
According to GCI, regulatory success should no longer be measured solely by the number of licensed operators or enforcement actions.
Instead, regulators should evaluate whether consumers are choosing licensed platforms over illegal alternatives.
The report argues that marketplace outcomes should become the primary benchmark for success. The study highlights that today’s online gambling market extends far beyond licensed operators.
Search engines, social media platforms, affiliate marketers, payment providers, streaming services, mobile applications and peer-to-peer communications all influence how consumers discover and access gambling products.
GCI says regulators must include these ecosystem participants in monitoring and enforcement strategies if they want to reduce the influence of illegal operators.
The report also identifies several policy decisions that can unintentionally drive consumers toward offshore gambling websites.
These include:
- High taxes imposed directly on players.
- Excessive taxation of licensed operators.
- Restrictive payment systems.
- Limited product offerings.
- Complex licensing requirements.
According to GCI, making regulated markets more competitive is just as important as strengthening enforcement.
West Africa Leads the Continent
Regional data shows considerable differences in regulatory performance across Africa. In 2025, regulated operators accounted for:
- 31% of online gambling revenue in West Africa.
- 28% in Southern Africa.
- 22% in Central Africa.
- 15% in East Africa.
- Just 0.3% in North Africa.
The figures suggest that stronger regulatory frameworks are already producing better marketplace outcomes in several regions. GCI also assessed African jurisdictions using factors such as taxation, licensing accessibility, payment infrastructure, product availability and enforcement capacity.
Africa’s average regulatory score improved only slightly, increasing from 9 out of 100 in 2024 to 10 out of 100 in 2025. Among individual countries: Ghana ranked first with a score of 38 and Nigeria followed with 32.
The report also found that Nigeria recorded the continent’s lowest share of unregulated gambling among major markets, with illegal operators accounting for 56% of online gambling activity. Ghana followed at 67%, while Seychelles recorded 60%.
According to GCI, Africa forfeited approximately $4.45 billion in potential tax revenue during 2025 because gambling activity remained outside regulated markets.
The report argues that expanding the regulated sector would generate multiple benefits, including:
- Higher government tax revenues.
- Stronger local businesses.
- Increased employment.
- Improved consumer protection.
- Reduced opportunities for criminal exploitation.
GCI concludes that Africa does not face a choice between regulation and industry growth.
Instead, the organisation argues that well-designed regulation can support both objectives by creating competitive, transparent and consumer-focused gambling markets.
With online gambling now valued at $23 billion, the report says Africa’s greatest opportunity lies in capturing a larger share of existing demand within regulated markets.
According to GCI, the ultimate measure of success should be clear: more consumers protected, stronger local industries, higher public revenues and a steadily shrinking unregulated gambling sector.
