The inaugural iGaming AFRIKA Summit opened in Nairobi on Monday, bringing collectively regulators, operators, traders and know-how companies to debate the way forward for Africa’s fast-growing gaming trade.
Held on the Sarit Expo Centre, the three-day occasion runs from Might 4–6 and is concentrated on alternatives, regulation and taxation in a sector seeing speedy enlargement throughout the continent.
Jeremiah Maangi, chief government of iGaming AFRIKA, stated Africa’s gaming market had advanced right into a key development sector pushed by rising cell penetration, a younger inhabitants and growing client spending.
“Africa’s gaming trade is now not a frontier market; it’s a development market,” Maangi stated, including that the summit goals to advertise structured and inclusive growth.
Kenya’s regulator struck an identical tone, positioning coverage as central to trade enlargement. Peter Karimi, director basic of the Playing Regulatory Authority, stated efficient regulation was important to make sure sustainability and investor confidence.
“Efficient regulation isn’t the enemy of development. It’s the basis upon which sustainable development is constructed,” Karimi stated, pointing to reforms aimed toward strengthening licensing, tackling unlawful operators and enhancing client safety.
Karimi additionally highlighted ongoing adjustments underneath Kenya’s new regulatory framework, noting that up to date legal guidelines would prioritise participant security whereas adapting to speedy technological shifts.
Joseph Kirui Limo, chairperson of the Playing Regulatory Authority, warned that poorly designed tax regimes might undermine the sector’s potential.
“When tax constructions are punitive or unpredictable, they drive operators underground and deprive governments of income,” Limo stated, calling for aggressive and clear taxation frameworks throughout African markets.
Knowledge from the Kenya Income Authority exhibits the federal government collected about $240 million from betting and gaming within the 2024/25 monetary 12 months, reflecting the sector’s rising financial significance.
Panel discussions on the summit highlighted regulatory fragmentation throughout Africa as a key problem. Denis Mudene Ngabirano, head of Uganda’s Nationwide Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board, stated nations with clear regulatory and tax insurance policies had been extra prone to appeal to funding.
Audio system additionally known as for higher harmonisation of licensing and tax reporting requirements throughout the continent to cut back compliance prices and assist cross-border operations.
The summit comes as African governments search to steadiness income technology with client safety in a sector more and more formed by digital platforms and cell know-how.
