Nigeria has emerged as Africa’s leading market for online gambling regulation, even as illegal operators continue to dominate the continent’s rapidly expanding betting industry, according to a new report by Gaming Compliance International (GCI).
The report, described as the first comprehensive assessment of online gambling across all 54 African countries, showed that Africa’s online gambling Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) reached $23 billion in 2025. However, only $5.2 billion (23 per cent) came from licensed operators, while $17.8 billion (77 per cent) was generated by unregulated platforms.
In West Africa, online gambling revenue rose from $4.3 billion in 2024 to $4.8 billion in 2025. Licensed operators accounted for $1.5 billion (31 per cent) of the total, while illegal platforms controlled $3.3 billion (69 per cent) of the market.
Despite the prevalence of unlicensed operators, Nigeria recorded the region’s strongest regulatory performance, with unregulated gambling accounting for 56 per cent of its online betting market, the lowest in West Africa. This compares with the regional average of 69 per cent and the continental average of 77 per cent, according to the report.
GCI also found that online gambling participation across Africa increased from 198 million people (13 per cent of the population) in 2024 to 215 million (14 per cent) in 2025, reflecting the continued growth of digital betting platforms.
The report estimated that illegal gambling operators denied African governments about $3.55 billion in tax revenue in 2025. It also revealed that the number of unlicensed gambling platforms targeting African consumers increased from 3,644 in 2024 to 4,129 in 2025.
Commenting on the findings, GCI Chief Executive Officer, Matt Holt, said the report provides regulators with the first continent-wide benchmark to strengthen oversight, improve enforcement and enhance consumer protection.
GCI President, Ismail Vali, urged African governments to develop more competitive and well-regulated gambling markets to encourage patronage of licensed operators, boost public revenue and attract greater investment into the industry.
