Africa’s betting boom will reward operators that truly understand the market, not just enter it

In the following opinion piece, Jason Gibson, Chief Commercial Officer at SportPesa, discusses why international betting operators must understand local African markets and embed themselves in communities to succeed.

Opinion.- International betting brands are waking up to Africa’s potential as one of the world’s most exciting gaming markets. That is positive for the industry, as more competition will drive investment, better products and higher standards. But the market is more complex than it looks from the outside. A global brand, a big marketing budget and a product that worked elsewhere does not automatically add up to a winning formula on the continent.

That is because Africa is not one betting market. Customer behaviour, payment habits, regulation, sports culture and levels of digital access vary significantly from one country to the next. A model that works in the UK, the US or even one African market will not automatically work in another.  In SportPesa’s view, the operators that succeed will be those that truly embed in their communities from day one and understand the culture and gaming habits of their customers.

Operators therefore need to understand local conditions when developing their products and services. Betting behaviour is shaped by how people access sport, how they pay, what technology they use and what they expect from a brand when something goes wrong. In some markets, the app is everything. In others, SMS and USSD still play an important role.

When SportPesa entered the Kenyan market over a decade ago, the company quickly learnt that mobile money is king. Building its technology around that, SportPesa used SMS betting to open the market to customers without smartphones, reliable data or easy access to traditional banking. That experience reinforced a simple point: growth in Africa comes from fitting into the way customers already live, rather than expecting them to adapt to a model built somewhere else.

“Operators therefore need to understand local conditions when developing their products and services.”

Jason Gibson, chief commercial officer of SportPesa.

Regulation is part of the same conversation. Strong rules are essential, particularly around player protection, responsible gambling, market integrity and keeping unlicensed operators out. But regulation is most effective when it reflects how the market actually works. Operators understand customer behaviour, payments and product use in real time, which gives us a practical perspective on what will work on the ground. Regular dialogue between regulators and industry can help protect customers, make the market more transparent and give responsible operators the confidence to keep investing.

That is why the next phase of competition will be so interesting. International brands will bring more capital, sharper products and sophisticated technology, but African markets are not waiting to be modernised from the outside. Customers already know what good looks like. They notice more than odds and offers, they notice whether a brand understands the sports they follow, the communities they belong to and the realities of how they bet and play.

For SportPesa, sport has always been central to that connection. Sponsorship cannot just be about putting a logo on a shirt. In many African markets, sport is full of talent but seriously underfunded. Clubs, athletes and grassroots teams need support that lasts beyond a campaign cycle. SportPesa has supported activities across football, rugby, boxing, rally driving and athletics, from local teams at the grassroots level to professional athletes winning leagues and titles. Such initiatives can help strengthen a brand’s connection with local communities, provided they form part of a sustained commitment rather than a promotional exercise.

Africa’s betting industry is moving into a new phase. The winners will not simply be the loudest in the market. They will be the brands that understand local realities and invest in the sports and communities their customers care about, because they are part of them too. That is what will separate short-term entrants from operators with the credibility to last.