Africa’s betting markets show sharp differences across countries, GeoPoll finds
Survey of 2,866 bettors across six countries finds football remains Africa’s leading betting product, while South Africa favours casino gaming, Kenya leads in crash games and Uganda has the highest-spending bettors.
Uganda.- Africa’s betting markets show sharp differences across countries, with new research finding casino games dominate in South Africa, crash games have gained the strongest foothold in Kenya, Uganda has the highest-spending bettors and football remains the preferred betting product across most other major markets.
GeoPoll’s Betting in Africa 2026 report, based on a survey of 2,866 respondents across Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda conducted between June 24 and July 16, found that while football continues to dominate betting activity overall, player preferences and spending patterns vary considerably across the six countries surveyed.
Industry estimates cited by GeoPoll value Africa’s sports betting market at approximately US$3bn, while the broader gambling industry is estimated to be worth US$17.6bn and serves more than 440 million bettors across the continent.
Football remains the continent’s most popular betting product, accounting for 67 per cent of respondents, followed by crash games such as Aviator at 13 per cent, casino games at 11 per cent and lotteries at 5 per cent.
The findings, however, reveal significant differences between individual markets. South Africa recorded the highest preference for casino games, with 36 per cent of respondents favouring casino products compared with 29 per cent who mainly bet on football and 16 per cent who preferred lotteries.
Kenya stood out for crash games, with 24 per cent of respondents naming Aviator as their preferred betting product, while football remained the dominant choice in Uganda (84 per cent), Nigeria (81 per cent) and Tanzania (78 per cent).GeoPoll said: “Football is the acquisition anchor, except in South Africa.”
Betting habits across Africa
The research also highlighted notable differences in betting expenditure across the six markets. While 58 per cent of respondents spend less than US$10 per month on betting and gambling and a further 24 per cent spend between US$10 and US$25, Uganda recorded the highest-value bettors, with 17 per cent spending more than US$50 a month and 6 per cent spending more than US$500. By comparison, 11 per cent of South African respondents reported monthly spending above US$50, while Tanzania had the highest proportion of low-value bettors, with 67 per cent spending less than US$10.
Mobile betting continues to dominate across the region, with 95 per cent of respondents placing bets via smartphones. Highlighting the importance of mobile platforms, the report noted: “Compete on mobile experience. With 95 per cent of bettors on mobile everywhere, load speed, data efficiency, and app reliability are the real differentiators.”
The survey also found that betting is a frequent activity for many players, with 55 per cent wagering at least once a week and 28 per cent betting daily or more often.
Demographically, bettors aged 25 to 34 accounted for the largest share of respondents at 45 per cent, followed by those aged 18 to 24 at 26 per cent. Men made up 69 per cent of respondents overall, although South Africa recorded the highest proportion of female bettors at 54 per cent.
Summing up the implications for the industry, GeoPoll said: “The takeaway for operators and advertisers is that a single continental strategy will misread most of these markets.”
The findings suggest betting operators will need increasingly localised strategies, with casino gaming in South Africa, crash games in Kenya, higher-spending bettors in Uganda and football’s continued dominance elsewhere highlighting the diversity of Africa’s regulated betting markets.
