The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) views the factors behind match-fixing in betting as not limited to Africa alone. Criminals exploit weaknesses such as poor governance and limited reporting mechanisms wherever they operate. However, the IBIA highlights Africa's rapidly evolving regulated betting market and the differing levels of regulatory maturity across the continent.
In IBIA's upcoming 2025 Sports Betting Integrity Report, estimates from H2 Gambling Capital predict that Africa’s gross gambling revenue from betting will surge from $3.5 billion in 2021 to $19.4 billion by 2030. Online betting is expected to account for the majority of this growth, projected to reach $16.4 billion, with $13 billion or 79% expected to be generated through onshore betting.
Khalid Ali, the IBIA's chief executive, mentions that this growth poses both challenges and opportunities. "That growth presents an opportunity as much as a challenge," he states, noting that digital, account-based betting can produce valuable insights for operators to detect suspicious activities early.
Football continues to dominate the betting landscape, with around 90% of alerts related to football involving accounts based outside the jurisdiction of the sporting event itself. This situation highlights the necessity for a global approach to integrity threats that combines worldwide monitoring with local partnerships. Ali says, "Our approach therefore combines global monitoring with local partnerships, allowing suspicious betting patterns identified across multiple operators and jurisdictions to be shared quickly with the relevant authorities."
When discussing the alert data, Ali cautions against misinterpretation. He explains, "It is impossible, and potentially misleading, to conclude that more alerts automatically mean more match-fixing." From 2021 to 2025, the IBIA reported 117 alerts regarding African sporting events, including 31 in 2025, which accounted for about 10% of all global alerts that year. Furthermore, 17 alerts occurred in the first half of 2026, a figure Ali believes indicates consistency rather than a significant rise.
Several factors could influence the number of alerts, such as increasing betting activity and more Africa-facing operators joining international integrity monitoring networks. "Improved monitoring naturally increases the ability to detect suspicious patterns that may previously have gone unnoticed," Ali explains. He emphasizes that increased alert numbers signify the effectiveness of integrity systems rather than proof of manipulation.
Football and tennis accounted for the majority of Africa-related alerts from 2021 to 2025. Responding to whether this data indicates where manipulation occurs, Ali asserts that it shows the locations of suspicious activity detection instead. "An alert is not proof that a match has been manipulated; it indicates that suspicious betting activity has been identified and that an investigation should be conducted by the relevant authorities," he remarks. The predominance of alerts in football and tennis reflects betting demand and the volume of regulated market activity that IBIA monitors.
Ali points out that many times, betting related to flagged matches occurs outside the host country. "Betting integrity is also increasingly international," he says, noting that alerts linked to African events often involve betting activities from Europe, Asia, or other regions. This international dimension supports the need for comprehensive monitoring across jurisdictions to uncover cross-border betting patterns that might evade isolated national monitoring.
Some federations in Africa have opted to restrict betting on their domestic competitions, citing integrity concerns. While Ali understands their motivations, he questions whether such restrictions effectively eliminate betting or merely shift it to poorly regulated markets. He asserts that licensed operators, who can monitor customer activities and report suspicious betting through established integrity frameworks, stand to contribute significantly to maintaining integrity in sports.
"The strongest integrity outcomes come from well-regulated, competitive markets with high levels of channelisation," Ali states, advocating that regulated betting should be seen as part of the integrity solution.
IBIA faces challenges not just in identifying suspicious betting but also in ensuring effective investigations follow. "An alert is the beginning of an investigation, not the end of one," Ali says. The success of investigations relies on the integrity ecosystem involving regulators, law enforcement, and sports governing bodies having the right legal powers and cooperative frameworks to act on intelligence.
Ali notes the complexities involved in international betting and how alerts may connect various global jurisdictions. To close the gap from detection to enforcement, he argues for enhanced legal frameworks and cooperation in cross-border information sharing, as well as bolstering investigative capabilities. "Technology has significantly improved our ability to identify suspicious betting activity; the next step is ensuring that investigative processes evolve at the same pace," he emphasizes.
IBIA’s collaboration with the African iGaming Alliance aims to facilitate structured engagement with regulators and operators across over twenty African jurisdictions, tailoring discussions to recognize Africa's diverse betting markets. Moving forward, Ali envisions sports betting integrity as a formal component of regulatory frameworks across Africa, reflecting on the need for clear reporting protocols and integrity monitoring arrangements in many jurisdictions.
He cites Ontario and Alberta as models to emulate, where licensed operators are required to adhere to formal integrity monitoring standards and establish clear cooperation channels. The current momentum presents a valuable opportunity; establishing integrity measures from the regulatory outset could fortify both sports and consumer confidence in the long run.
