Peter Kesitilwe, CEO of the African iGaming Alliance (AiA), expressed optimism about the inaugural Africa Safer Gambling Week, which he sees as a catalyst for collaboration within the continent's licensed gambling sector.
This week-long initiative, hosted by the AiA, gathered various stakeholders—including regulators, operators, and industry associations—to tackle crucial issues surrounding safer gambling. Kesitilwe emphasized that a primary objective has been turning discussions about safer gambling into tangible actions.
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."
Africa's Safer Gambling Week is set to become an annual event, though Kesitilwe noted that the emphasis on player protection should be a continuous commitment. "We want Africa Safer Gambling Week to create a platform for ongoing cooperation. The campaign may run for a week, but responsible gambling must be practiced throughout the year," he stated.
Every day of the event addressed different aspects of player protection, including responsible gambling practices and the prevention of underage gambling. Kesitilwe recognized the continent's diversity, highlighting that while Africa is one geographic entity, it consists of varied markets with different regulatory and social realities.
Instead of striving for a unified regulatory model, the focus is on fostering collaboration that accommodates local messaging and measures. "We respect those differences. 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," he explained.
A key aim of the initiative is to enhance awareness, with Kesitilwe reporting that the campaign has generated over a million online impressions, indicating a significant interest in developing safer gambling practices in Africa.
Underage gambling has emerged as a pressing concern. Kesitilwe pinpointed the rise of mobile technology and the prevalence of gambling advertisements in sports content as particularly troublesome. "During a break or at half-time, you see 10 to 20 gambling adverts," he noted. "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?’ Our position is unequivocal. Betting is an adult activity. Operators must maintain effective age verification, marketing must not target or appeal to children and regulators, parents, schools and communities must reinforce the same message."
The AiA has also spotlighted the illegal gambling market, which Kesitilwe believes undermines player protection efforts. He explained that offshore operators do not adhere to established regulations, which compromises player safety. "Oftentimes when you see governments increasing taxes or banning iGaming, it’s mainly because of illegal operators that 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 mentioned a recent study estimating that around 77% of Africa’s gambling market consists of offshore operations. He emphasized that the impact of Africa Safer Gambling Week would eventually be measured by whether there is a reduction in this unregulated market's size by the next year.
The AiA's long-term vision for Africa Safer Gambling Week extends beyond curbing the illegal market. Kesitilwe stated they aim to better understand the prevalence of problem gambling across Africa to inform policies and foster collaboration with governments. "We also intend to conduct Africa-wide studies around the prevalence of problem gambling in different markets, obviously working with regulators and associations," he said.
The AiA hopes to learn from the inaugural event to encourage broader participation and solidify the campaign's status on the African gambling calendar. "Our ambition is to expand participation each year and make the week an established feature of the African gambling calendar. 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."
