It’s been a busy week in the African gaming industry. The continent has been attracting a lot of interest from international firms, with Super Group, Kaizen Gaming and Virgin Bet notable names target markets there, but local companies are also embarking on new endeavours.
With the US and Latin American gold rushes beginning to plateau and Europe posing new regulatory and taxation challenges, it’s not a huge surprise many global companies are taking an active interest in Africa.
H2 Gambling Capital projects that the online betting and iGaming market to be worth up to $22bn (£18bn) by 2029. With this in mind, established African brands Sunbet and BetPawa are looking to shore up their foothold on their home continent.
Sunbet makes Namibia its third market
Sunbet, the online sports betting brand of South African gaming and hotels conglomerate Sun International, has had international expansion on its mind for some time.
The company launched in Botswana in 2024, having established itself as one of the leading online bookmakers in South Africa, competing well with fellow local firms like HollywoodBets and Sportingbet as well as major international players like Betfred and Betway.
This week the company made its debut in South Africa’s neighbour Namibia, with support from Bede Gaming, a UK gaming tech firm and long-time partner of the company which has worked with it in both South Africa and Botswana.
Simon Gregory, Sunbet’s Chief Executive Officer at Sunbet, said: “Sun International is a well respected and trusted brand in Africa, so Sunbet’s intention was always to leverage this good will by expanding into other African markets.
“We experienced significant success after our debut in Botswana, so rolling out Sunbet to the Namibian market was the natural next step for us, especially given that Namibia is one of South Africa’s strongest trading partners.”
Sunbet expects Namibia – a growing economy with growth of 2.8% in 2025 according to the World Bank, albeit down from 3.7% the year prior – to further complement its status in Botswana and South Africa, having earned Sun International R874m (£36.8m) in revenue in the first half of 2025 alone.
Further growth will be good news for Ulrik Bengtsson, who took over as Sun International CEO last year. The Swedish businessman brought his experience of other major gambling stakeholders, notably William Hill and Raketech, to his role at the South African giant.
Singer’s brand betPawa going for growth
Growing rates of mobile phone usage, internet access, and greater economic freedom and spending power across Africa have made gaming on the continent a much more lucrative industry than in previous decades.
This has inevitably led to local entrepreneurs and businesspeople getting involved. One of the more notable novel names to get in on the industry is Nigeria’s Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade – better known as singer and record executive Mr Eazi.
Mr Eazi is chair of Choplife Gaming, a Rwanda-headquartered business operating two brands, BetPawa and ChopWin.
This week, BetPawa made Mali its 10th market, having set itself up in Benin, Ghana, Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Uganda, as reported Business Insider Africa.
Choplife Gaming’s website also states that a Liberian launch is pending, though the list of active markets on there is two shorter than that reported by Business Insider Africa.
ChopWin, meanwhile, is active in Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Uganda, with a launch in Namibia pending according to the Choplife website.
“We are pleased to be going live with betPawa in Mali,” a Choplife Gaming statement read on LinkedIn. “The launch marks a significant milestone in our continued expansion across Africa and further strengthening our footprint in regulated African gaming markets.
“Through this launch Malian customers will gain access to betPawa mobile-first betting and gaming platform, designed specifically for African users with lightweight technology, localised payment solutions, and simplified user experiences.”
South Africa battles against black market … and its customers
Operating in Africa comes with many considerations, as with any continent or local market. Technological ones are pretty important, such as the significance of local telco companies and payments providers.
Regulatory changes are frequent too, as are taxation ones. On top of all this, there is the social responsibility side of things.
While many African economies are experiencing growth, hardship is still common – despite some good progress over the past three decades, some 37% of South Africans live below the country’s Lower-Bound Poverty Line (LBPL), and concerns have been expressed at the growth of the gaming industry there.
And finally, as with any emerging or developing market, there is the lingering existence of illegal gambling activities. South African stakeholders have told SBC News about the extent of the issue in their home market.
This week, the National Gambling Board (NGB) revealed this week that it has claimed some R2.3m (£105,500) in illegal gambling winnings during the 2026/27 financial year, so far.
This is a huge increase from the R775,000 in winnings forfeited to the state during the 2024/25 financial year.
The NGB is empowered to order gamblers to forfeit winnings made from unlicensed online gambling activity under the National Gambling Act of 2004.
Acting CEO of the NGB, Lungile Dukwana, said: “The forfeiture of proceeds derived from unlawful gambling activities demonstrates the NGB’s continued commitment to enforcing the NGA and supporting lawful and accountable gambling practices in South Africa.
“These enforcement measures serve to protect the public and reinforce the consequences associated with unlawful gambling activities.
“This outcome further underscores the importance of a coordinated regulatory and judicial approach in protecting the public and maintaining the credibility of South Africa’s gambling industry.
“We remain committed to ensuring that all gambling activities take place within a legal, regulated, and accountable environment.”
Despite its battles against the black market, South Africa remains one of the most lucrative and attractive markets for companies interested in African opportunities. Neal Menashe, Super Group CEO, explained this to SBC’s iGaming Daily podcast earlier this year.