Africa Gaming Expo 2025: Industry Leaders Call for Fair Taxation, Stronger Regulation, and AI Integration

It’s hard to believe that the Africa Gaming Expo is only in its second year but drew renowned gaming experts and stakeholders not just from the African continent, but western countries including France, United Kingdom and the United States to mention a few. 

It was a beautiful balance of work and play, from panel discussions to raffle draws and presentations to parties, the 3-day event proved to be nothing short of a worthwhile investment. 

This year's theme was ‘Transforming Africa’s Gaming and Fintech Market with AI.’ 

The Chief Executive Officer of AGE, Dr. Charles Ekundayo explains the rationale: "this theme underscores our commitment to fostering innovation, collaboration and sustainable growth within the gaming and financial technology sectors across the continent."

There were numerous discussions about the prospects which Africa offers to emerging marketers. 

The Head of Department of Technological Innovation & Service Modernization Angola Gaming Supervision Institute, Clesio Dias, explains that it only takes 3 months for an investor to begin operations in Angola, a testament of the friendly business atmosphere in the country. 

Namibia is just as friendly. However, the Acting Chief Executive Officer, Gambling Board of Namibia- John Erastus, explains that there is a need for Namibia to incorporate online betting when regulating gambling, as this aspect was not included. He is optimistic that with a change in government, the laws would be modified to include online betting. 

The Elephant in the Room: High Taxation

Getting into business is one thing, staying in business is another. The panelists may have represented different countries, but they were unified in the perspective that taxes which are ‘punitive in nature’ would lead to a surge in illegal gaming and hurt the legal operators. 

The Head of Legal and Regulatory Compliance for Bet9ja, Adewale Akande, got a standing ovation from the attendees when he said: “let the operators breathe.” 

Akande is interested in seeing tax reforms that “encourage operators to run their businesses in a sustainable way.” 

He also explained that there are certain states in Nigeria that are not receptive towards the gaming industry, which is why they introduce “negative taxes”. 

Akande also made it clear that he is vehemently opposed to the imposition of taxes on players- this was in reference to the withholding tax which was introduced by the Nigerian federal government for implementation from January 1, 2025. 

Speaking of government, Head of Department, Regulatory Compliance, Western Cape Gambling & Racing Board, South Africa, Robin Bennett, explains that the 3 tiers of government in Nigeria- Federal, State and Local are constantly seeking opportunities to collect more tax and he is concerned that there is “no clarity on how the industry should be taxed.” 

As a potential solution, and in comparison to tax formulas in other countries, Bennett recommends that “regulators need to match the pace of the growth of the industry that is specific to their country.” Managing Partner, Velex Advisory, David Moshi, echoes Bennett’s thoughts stating that when taxes are introduced. 

"The practicability of introducing such tax, its relevance and the likelihood of the players compliance should be factored in. otherwise, there will be an exit by the operators from the market."

The rise in illegal betting operations

The Managing Director for GSA Europe/ President of IGSA, Mark Pace, saw no need to mince words when he stated that “no silver bullet can solve illegal gambling.” 

In line with this year’s AGE theme, he suggests that in order to keep up with the ever-evolving threats posed by illegal gambling. 

"AI must be trained to identify such illegal sites. In addition, relationships between the gaming industry and Fintech/ Telecoms industry must be strengthened to fight the menace. For example, Germany is networking with financial institutions to cut off payment options of illegal operators and they’re making headway," he told betting experts SportsBoom.com. 

Assistant Director Gaming and Betting Control Licensing Board, Kenya, Arwings Esther Atieno, shares Pace’s opinion, but is more concerned about the “predatory nature” of these illegal operators. 

Hence, she makes a call for “improved public education for players who make use of illegal sites where they could get zero recourse.’’

In his closing statement, Pace drew a vivid connection between illegal gambling operations and high taxation, thereby making a clarion call to the regulators. 

“The players don’t care about who the operator is, they care about winning and getting paid. Hence, they will work with whoever pays them. The buck stops with the regulators.’’

The Visionary of AGE & CEO of Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LSLGA), Bashir Are, concurred with Pace adding that “taxation must be fair, just and transparent. When it’s too restrictive you end up forcing the players and operators to the black market.” 

Regulators Briefing

The panel discussions continued into Day 2 covering topics from responsible gaming to the rising of E-sports in Africa to discussions on Ethical boundaries. When these crucial discussions concluded, a much needed Awards Night took place and all the attendees got to play as hard as they worked. 

When the party was over, the Regulators from each country in attendance converged one last time for a closed door briefing to put the finishing touches on the next steps that could be taken to strengthen the Africa Gaming industry. 

The menace posed by illegal gambling operators dominated the discussion once more and Pace suggested the need for an “Active Task Force” that could tackle money laundering and terrorism fundings. 

Atieno shared the unconventional methods which Kenya makes use of when addressing this vice- they go to the grassroots. 

"We have a total of 47 counties in Kenya. We have sensitized 12 of those counties by enlightening them on illegal gambling and we discovered that in most cases, our people couldn’t differentiate between the legal and illegal sites."

"As a result, we opened communication channels to make it easier for the players to communicate with the board. As we speak, we have a website of all the legal betting companies that have been licensed by the Kenyan authorities and I’m happy to let you know that the public has helped us to identify a total of 50 illegal gambling sites."

For Zimbabwe, the Interim Secretary for Lotteries & Gaming Board, Dr. Misheck Chinghoza, explains that the use of more coercive means in addressing illegal gambling has proven to be effective. 

He further confirms that the board follows through with penalties for engaging in such activity but admits that Zimbabwe needs to catch up with its East African counterpart- Kenya, when it comes to promoting whistleblowing related matters. 

The Chief Operating officer for Botswana, Mopati Rammekwa, explains that the country applies a combination of the aforementioned methods used by Zimbabwe and Kenya.

"Illegal gambling is not too problematic for us, as we cooperate with law enforcement and also communicate with the illegal gambling operators. We start the communication with the warning shot where we let them know that we’re aware of their activities and attach proof."

"We follow up with subsequent communication if they persist and make sure they are persecuted. We also prioritize public awareness, operate a whistle-blowing line and collaborate with financial institutions."

Dias and Bennett are on the same page when it comes to regional cooperation as they think it would go a long way in tackling illegal gambling and suggest the creation of a portal for sharing the information of licensed operators across borders. 

Bennett is keen on ensuring that these illegal operators don’t continue to “take revenue from the licensed operators.” He also urges quarterly meetings by the regulators, as opposed to annual meetings. 

AGE 2026: High Expectations

2026 is one year away, but the work that must be done to address all the matters outlined is intense. During the official opening ceremony of this year’s edition, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made it clear that he was keen on seeing two things in the near future “a Borderless Digital Industry and another African country hosting the next expo.” 

These are a huge possibility, but what seems more pressing is the work and reflection which regulators have to do.  

As the Chief Financial Officer of PawaPay Markowitz Shulman Aaron said in his closing address. 

“Regulators are only strong when the majority of the market is compliant. Cooperation is crucial. Responsible operators want to work with regulators who make sensible policies."