Africa: iGaming Market Overview

SiGMA, together with the analytics platform Blask, has released a report on the African iGaming market. The data covers the period from February 2025 to January 2026. The Blask Index measures consumer interest in gambling brands through search activity — the higher the score, the stronger the demand for iGaming in a country.

Overall picture: the market is growing, but unevenly — regulated jurisdictions account for 85−90% of measurable engagement and 80−85% of revenue. At the same time, unregulated markets demonstrate that demand exists regardless of licensing structures.

Top markets by Blask Index

🔵 South Africa — ~90.7M

🔵 Tanzania — ~44.1M

🔵 Nigeria — ~41.3M

🔵 Mozambique — ~35.5M

🔵 Kenya — ~35.4M

🔵 DR Congo — ~29.2M

🔵 Uganda — ~24.6M

🔵 Ethiopia — ~24.5M (unregulated)

🔵 Cameroon — ~16.8M

🔵 Zambia — ~16.6M

Top markets by revenue (peak monthly revenue)

🔴 South Africa — ~$ 215.6M

🔴 Nigeria — ~$ 67.1M

🔴 Tanzania — ~$ 42.4M

🔴 Kenya — ~$ 35.6M

🔴 DR Congo — ~$ 31.4M

🔴 Egypt — ~$ 28.8M (unregulated)

🔴 Cameroon — ~$ 16.1M

🔴 Uganda — ~$ 10.4M

🔴 Zambia — ~$ 9.4M

🔴 Mali — ~$ 4.5M

Regional landscape

🔵 Southern Africa — the most mature cluster: South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia. High revenue concentration and regulatory clarity

🔵 East Africa — Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda: mobile betting, strong sports culture, stable demand

🔵 West Africa — Nigeria: large audience scale and strong conversion of demand into revenue

🔵 North Africa — Egypt: high revenue despite the lack of formal regulation

Unregulated markets

🔴 Egypt ranks in the top 6 by revenue (~$ 28.8M) despite the absence of a licensing framework — outperforming several regulated markets

🔴 Ethiopia is in the top 10 by Blask Index but significantly lower in revenue — demand exists, but conversion is weak

🔴 The gap between demand and revenue in Ethiopia indicates payment and infrastructure limitations

Payments & conversion

🔵 High engagement does not guarantee revenue — payment infrastructure and regulatory clarity are key

🔵 Mobile payment systems and the speed of deposits and withdrawals directly impact conversion and retention

🔵 Nigeria outperforms markets with similar demand due to a more mature payment ecosystem and stronger operator presence

Conclusion

Data from Egypt and Ethiopia shows that iGaming demand in Africa is formed regardless of the market’s regulatory status. The real conversion barrier is payment infrastructure. Markets with developed mobile payment ecosystems effectively convert demand into revenue, while in markets without it, demand remains untapped.