From Frontier Promise to Structured Power: AGE 3.0 Spotlights Africa’s Gaming Rise, Battle Against Black Market

In a continent where innovation often outpaces regulation, the third edition of the Africa Gaming Expo (AGE 3.0) emerged as both a celebration of progress and a sober reckoning. Beneath the glittering promise of growth and global relevance, industry leaders gathered to confront a pressing paradox: Africa’s gaming sector is rising swiftly, yet remains shadowed by the persistent menace of unlicensed operators and an expanding black market, Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Iyke Bede report

For the third consecutive year, key stakeholders across Africa’s gaming ecosystem—spanning sports betting, casinos, lotteries, and iGaming—assembled under the banner of the Africa Gaming Expo to take stock of an industry in transformation. More than a convening, the expo served as a strategic checkpoint: a moment to evaluate the trajectory of African gaming markets, revisit resolutions from prior editions, measure tangible progress, and confront both enduring and emerging challenges shaping the sector.

Anchored on the theme ‘Africa Gaming Market: Frontier to Prominence’, AGE 3.0 sought to underscore a powerful narrative—one of evolution from fragmented beginnings to a more structured, regulated, and globally competitive industry. The message was clear: Africa is no longer a peripheral player but an increasingly influential force within the global gaming landscape.

Reinforcing this narrative, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, reflected on the sector’s remarkable journey. She observed that what once existed on the fringes of the formal economy—loosely structured, fragmented, and often misunderstood—has undergone a deliberate and strategic transformation.

Today, she noted, the sector is steadily embracing structure and credibility. Regulatory institutions are strengthening, cross-border collaboration among regulators is deepening, and technological advancements are driving transparency. Investors, once hesitant, are increasingly drawn to Africa’s gaming potential. This metamorphosis, she restated, is neither incidental nor accidental, but the result of intentional policy direction, visionary leadership, and a shared commitment to progress.

Held at the iconic Eko Convention Centre over four days—March 24 and 27—the conference formed a central pillar of a week-long series of activities. Discussions traversed critical segments of the industry, including responsible gaming, esports development, regulatory compliance, and the fast-expanding iGaming space. 

Yet, amid the optimism, a more sobering reality took centre stage during a pivotal panel session titled ‘Confronting Unlicensed Operators: Protecting African Players and Public Revenue’. Moderated by Damilola Atiri, the session brought together influential voices, including Bashir Are, Adewale Akande, Moruntshi Kemorwale, Peter Emolemo, and Paulo Claudio.

Their collective assessment revealed a troubling contradiction: while Africa’s gaming industry is experiencing rapid expansion, its gains are being significantly eroded by the proliferation of unlicensed operators. This shadow market, described by Are as both “devastating” and deeply entrenched, continues to undermine regulatory frameworks, siphon public revenue, and expose consumers to unchecked risks.

Operating outside the law, these illicit entities evade licensing fees and taxes while simultaneously engaging in unfair competition with compliant operators. More critically, they function beyond the reach of consumer protection mechanisms, leaving players vulnerable.

In response, Are highlighted ongoing efforts within the Gaming Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF) to develop a unified, continent-wide blacklist of unlicensed operators—a coordinated attempt to track and curtail their activities across jurisdictions.

However, enforcement alone, stakeholders argued, is insufficient. Creating an enabling environment for legitimate operators is equally vital. Overregulation, Are cautioned, can be counterproductive, inadvertently driving operators toward the very black market regulators seek to eliminate. 

However, enforcement alone, stakeholders argued, is insufficient. Creating an enabling environment for legitimate operators is equally vital. Overregulation, Are cautioned, can be counterproductive, inadvertently driving operators toward the very black market regulators seek to eliminate.

Echoing this sentiment, Claudio pointed to Angola’s tax reforms as a case in point. By reducing its gross gaming revenue (GGR) tax from a steep 45 per cent to a more competitive range of 18–20 per cent, the country has taken deliberate steps to encourage compliance and formal participation.

Empirical evidence further underscored the scale of the challenge. A 2025 study conducted by the Botswana Gambling Authority in collaboration with the University of Botswana revealed that the country’s illegal gambling market has grown to approximately 500 million Pula annually—nearly double the size of its licensed counterpart.

The social implications are equally concerning. According to Kemorwale, problem gambling rates are notably higher within unregulated markets (6.7 per cent) compared to licensed ones (3.5 per cent), highlighting the human cost of regulatory gaps.

Compounding the issue is the increasing sophistication of illegal operators. As panellists noted, technological agility allows them to swiftly bypass enforcement measures—such as IP blocking—while leveraging aggressive digital marketing strategies and diverse payment channels to sustain their operations.

In light of these realities, a central theme emerged: collaboration is non-negotiable. Are advocated for reciprocal enforcement mechanisms among African regulators and, crucially, for tighter oversight of payment platforms, which he described as the “jugular veins” of the black market. By ensuring that payment service providers engage only with licensed operators, regulators can strike at the very heart of illicit gaming networks.

Ultimately, AGE 3.0 did more than spotlight Africa’s gaming ascent—it issued a clarion call. For the continent to fully realise its gaming potential, growth must be matched with vigilance, innovation with regulation, and opportunity with accountability.