Peter Kesitilwe, CEO of the African iGaming Alliance (AiA), expressed optimism that the inaugural Africa Safer Gambling Week marks the beginning of significant collaboration within the licensed gaming sector across the continent. The AiA organized this pivotal event, inviting regulators, operators, and industry associations to engage in discussions centered on promoting safer gambling practices.
Kesitilwe emphasized a central goal of the initiative: transforming discussions about safer gambling into actionable steps. He remarked, "The initiative demonstrates that cooperation does not have to remain at the level of conference and policy discussion. It has to translate into practical action, educating players, engaging communities, protecting young people and highlighting the dangers of illegal and unlicensed gambling."
While the Africa Safer Gambling Week is set to be an annual event, Kesitilwe noted the importance of ensuring player protection is a year-round concern. "We want Africa Safer Gambling Week to create a platform for ongoing cooperation," he said. He added, "The campaign may run for a week, but responsible gambling must be practiced throughout the year."
Each day of the week addressed different aspects of player protection, including responsible gambling and preventing underage gambling. Kesitilwe acknowledged the continent's diversity, stating that while Africa is one region, it presents varied markets with distinct regulatory frameworks and social contexts. The goal is not to enforce a uniform regulatory model but to encourage collaboration that allows for tailored messaging and strategies.
"We respect those differences," he explained. "At the same time, many of these risks cross borders. We do not need identical laws in every country, but we do need greater cooperation. Africa Safer Gambling Week will create a common continental platform. It’s more about cooperation, information sharing and agreement on important principles of consumer protection."
Raising awareness is another critical goal, and Kesitilwe revealed that the campaign has generated over a million online impressions, which indicates a significant interest in advancing safer gambling measures in Africa.
Highlighting a pressing issue, Kesitilwe pointed to underage gambling, particularly concerning given the rising mobile usage across the continent. He is particularly worried about the prevalence of gambling advertisements in sports media, stating, "At a break or at half time you see 10 to 20 [gambling] adverts. It’s come to a point that oftentimes I even hear my kids singing [gambling adverts]. They’ll just keep asking, ‘But Daddy, what is this? What does this mean?’” He emphasized that betting should be reserved for adults, calling for robust age verification protocols and marketing strategies that do not target children, alongside efforts from regulators, parents, schools, and communities to promote this message.
As part of the initiative, the AiA also focused on the illegal gambling market and the detrimental effects it poses to player protection. Kesitilwe stated that unregulated offshore operators jeopardize the safety of players by failing to comply with age verification and responsible gambling practices. He remarked, "Oftentimes when you see governments increasing taxes, banning iGaming, it’s mainly because of illegal operators because they don’t comply. An illegal operator may not provide age verification, responsible gambling tools, secure treatment of player funds, or an effective complaints mechanism."
Kesitilwe pointed to a study from Gaming Compliance International, which estimates that approximately 77% of Africa’s gambling market is unregulated and offshore. He believes that the effectiveness of Africa Safer Gambling Week will be measured by whether efforts result in reducing this unauthorized market by the next event.
Moreover, Kesitilwe indicated that governments and policymakers often misinterpret the root causes of problem gambling, leading to regulations that adversely impact licensed operators while neglecting the illegal market.
The AiA's vision for Africa Safer Gambling Week encompasses more than just cutting down the offshore betting market. Kesitilwe noted the intent to gather data on the prevalence of problem gambling in Africa to better inform governmental and policymaking initiatives. "We also, from the point of view of the Alliance, intend to do Africa-wide studies around prevalence of problem gambling in different markets, obviously working with regulators and associations," he stated.
Looking ahead, the AiA aims to build on the success of the inaugural event, expanding participation and establishing Africa Safer Gambling Week as a prominent feature on the continent's gambling calendar. Kesitilwe concluded, "Success should not be measured only by whether all countries participate in one year. It should also be measured by whether we have created a credible foundation that more can join."
