H2 Publishes 'The Importance of a Regulated Onshore Gambling Market' the first in a series of 3 reports on the Optimum Gambling Market Structure in Africa
Posted on 30 May 2025 in General
This short report is the first in a new series of independent assessments prepared during 2025 that together aim to provide an up-to-date and informed analysis of an Optimum Market Structure for the Africa online gambling industry. The series is being prepared by H2 Gambling Capital (H2), widely recognised as the lead independent authority regarding market data and intelligence on the online gambling industry worldwide.
This first report provides an assessment of the importance of a well-regulated onshore gambling market today – defined as all betting and gaming activity carried out by African citizens with an online operator licensed within the country where they are located.
Effective onshore regulation promotes responsible gambling to protect consumers from harm, as well as generating tax revenues. By contrast, poor regulation pushes consumers towards unlicensed offshore operators, where there is lower player protection and no tax revenues.
Africa’s online gambling industry has grown rapidly, driven mainly by increasing internet access, mobile penetration, and a younger population demographic. The continent’s online gambling regulation landscape however, rather than respond and thrive, has grown up fragmented and varied. Out of 54 African countries, roughly 40 allow some form of legal gambling, while a handful (often with predominantly Islamic populations) prohibit it entirely. Of those that allow activity however, only c.15 have in place online-specific gambling regulation.
Many of these are based on laws originally drafted with landbased operations in mind, and are now under review or in transition, emphasising the need for a more up-to-date, online-specific approach. This report focuses on the importance of a well regulated online market, the benefits that it can bring, and the risks if regulators get this wrong.