At the iGB L!VE 2026 Africa Summit, industry experts engaged in panel discussions addressing crucial topics such as localisation, sector collaboration, payments, and the future of sports betting while tackling illegal market operations.
**Panel 1 – Towards Cooperative African Gaming Markets: Enabling Growth through Best Practice**
The summit's opening panel was facilitated by Robin Harrison, Global Content Director of iGamingBusiness. Notable participants included Lungile Dukwana, CEO of the South African National Gambling Board; Bashir Are, CEO of the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority; and Olabimpe Akingba, pawaTech's head of responsible gaming.
The conversation centered on regional harmonisation, regulatory cooperation, and equitable taxation in Africa's gaming industry. Akingba stressed the necessity for operators to adapt, stating, "there's really no one size fit all" across the continent. The panelists promoted collaborative regional networks, with Dukwana suggesting that harmonisation could begin with sharing standards on straightforward issues like consumer protection.
Guga Gotsadze, CEO of SmartSoft, expressed concerns regarding oversimplifying Africa as a single market. He stated, "Rather than building one regional strategy, we develop market-specific approaches. Understanding those differences is what creates sustainable growth."
**Key Quote:**
"Regulators, operators, we need to work together to ensure that the tax authorities, the legislative arm of government, are also knowledgeable about the industry to understand that there’s a level at which you can tax that could completely wipe out the industry." — Olabimpe Akingba
**Panel 2 – The Future of Taxation, Channelisation and Sustainable Market Growth**
This panel brought together Ed Birkin, Managing Director of H2 Gambling Capital; Dan Thomson, CCO of pawaTech; and Dukwana, discussing the balance between tax policy and channelisation. Dukwana highlighted the proactive local enforcement in South Africa, declaring, "There is no illegal operator or offshore operator that should be comfortable in the South African space."
Thomson noted that pawaTech withdrew from three African jurisdictions in the last 18 months due to unfeasible tax rates. He remarked, "This is an industry that could grow for the next 20 years, where there’s a load of operators happy to pay significant levels of tax, but if it’s squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, we are not NGOs; we are commercial entities. We are here to ultimately turn a profit."
Gotsadze underscored the necessity for transparent and balanced regulation to foster investment confidence and sustain a healthy iGaming ecosystem.
**Key Quote:**
"We want to make investments on a three-to-ten-year time horizon, and if we go, ‘well, I just can’t rely on the numbers for the next five years because everything could blow up’… frankly we’re just going to invest less there." – Dan Thomson
**Panel 3 – Localisation & Cultural Considerations of Adapting Global Products for Local Audiences**
Lois Bright, Co-Founder of Gaming Advisory Partners, led a discussion on tailoring products for various African markets with insights from Christian Rajter, CEO of Split the Pot; Gail Odgers, General Manager at Virgin Bet South Africa; and Simon Munsamy, Africa Managing Director at Playtech.
Odgers highlighted the complexities of navigating multicultural demographics, asserting that localisation requires continual evolution based on market insights. Rajter suggested that listening to local players is crucial for effective localisation, while Munsamy cautioned against a one-size-fits-all strategy, advocating for agility.
Gotsadze emphasized maintaining product quality, stating, "Our objective is to preserve the core experience that players enjoy while making it feel more relevant to the local audience."
**Key Quote:**
"Before you even soft launch, make sure that your product is fit for market, fit for purpose, and then get insights to deliver that valuable data so that you can develop and further localise your product." – Gail Odgers
**Panel 4 – Cracking African Payments: Mobile Money, KYC, AML and the Compliance Puzzle**
The discussion shifted to payments with a focus on the impact of mobile money in Africa. Led by Charles Ekundayo, CEO of Africa Gaming Expo, the panel included Anthony Prissman from Super Group, Denis Mudene Ngabirano of the Ugandan National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board, and Conor O’Donovan from Tekkorp Capital.
Prissman noted that mobile money has fundamentally changed transaction dynamics in Africa, emphasizing trust as a critical element in attracting bettors. O’Donovan pointed out the challenges mobile money brings, while Ngabirano revealed how a high gambling age limit in Uganda inadvertently encourages youth to engage in the black market, leading to a shift toward risk-based KYC onboarding.
Prissman commented on the prospect of pan-African KYC technology, stating, "That idea is a long way away."
Gotsadze identified accessible digital payments as a significant factor in Africa’s growth potential.
**Key Quote:**
"If you get your payments, your AML, your KYC right, you build a successful business because ultimately, you reduce friction." – Anthony Prissman
**Panel 5 – Sports Betting in Africa: Combining Local Passion with Product Innovation**
To conclude the summit, Kyle Goldsmith, Emerging Markets Editor at iGamingBusiness, facilitated a dialogue on the sports betting landscape in Africa with Martin Sack, Co-Founder of Gaming Advisory Partners, and William Scott, non-executive director at Ithuba Holdings.
The consensus among panelists was that football drives sports betting growth across the continent. Sack attributed this growth to improvements in infrastructure and payment systems supporting mobile adoption. He warned that mere sponsorship will not resolve underlying product issues, stating, "If you have a bad product, you can’t put lipstick on a pig."
Gotsadze echoed the importance of football in African culture, noting its role in engaging the gaming ecosystem.
**Key Quote:**
"Sustainable engagement to me is not just about responsible gaming. For me, it’s really about creating long-term value for both the customer and the operator… building trust with fair products, CRM, fast payments and responsible gaming." – Martin Sack
