Niger named host of 2027 AES horse-racing betting event

Niger will host the second edition in Niamey in October 2027 after the inaugural event in Mali brought together three national lottery operators.

Key takeaways:

• Niger will host the second AES Confederation Betting Event in Niamey on October 14, 2027.
• PMU Mali, Burkina Faso’s LONAB and Niger’s LONANI are collaborating on the cross-border horse-racing betting initiative.
• The inaugural 2026 event featured a special Quinté bet with a FCFA150m (US$263,000) prize pool and produced two winners from AES member countries.
• The three operators adopted arrangements for the 2027 edition, building on cooperation discussions that began in August 2025.

Niger.- Niger will host the second edition of the AES Confederation Betting Event (Pari Confédéral AES), a cross-border horse-racing betting initiative, in the city of Niamey on October 14, 2027. The inaugural event concluded in Mali, on October 16, 2026, bringing together the national lottery and urban mutual betting operators of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

The participating organisations are Mali’s urban mutual betting operator, PMU Mali, Burkina Faso’s National Lottery (LONAB) and Niger’s National Lottery (LONANI). Discussions on developing the joint betting product began in August 2025, when representatives of the three operators met in Bamako, Mali to discuss cooperation and common products.

The inaugural event’s programme ran from October 12 to 16, 2026. The directors-general of the three operators agreed on arrangements for the next edition during the closing ceremony, according to Malijet. The first edition featured a special Quinté horse-racing bet with a prize pool of FCFA150m (US$263,000). The race produced two winners from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) region, according to AMAP.

PMU Mali director-general Fasséry Doumbia said the objectives of the first edition had been “broadly achieved”, highlighting the participation of delegations, discussions between experts and recommendations adopted by the operators. “It is only natural that we pay tribute to the authorities who conceived the AES. We strongly believe in this space and believe we have a role to play,” said Doumbia.

The event also had a social component, with the three operators donating 20 neonatal incubators valued at FCFA53m (US$93,000) to Mali’s Ministry of Health and Social Development. Five incubators were handed over at Gabriel Touré Hospital in Bamako on October 14.

The initiative forms part of wider efforts by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to strengthen economic, institutional and social cooperation through the AES confederation, established in July 2024.