Poor retention strategies driving churn in African betting market, warns expert
Ondela Vundisa from Gamanza Engage indicated that improving operator knowledge will be critical to market sustainability.
Nigeria.- African betting operators are underinvesting in player engagement tools, leading to avoidable customer churn, according to Ondela Vundisa, Head of Operations for Africa at Gamanza Engage.
Speaking in an interview at Africa Gaming Expo 2026, Vundisa said many operators continue to prioritise acquisition campaigns while neglecting retention strategies driven by player behaviour insights. She noted that this imbalance is contributing to declining player loyalty and reduced lifetime value.
The African gambling market has seen rapid growth in recent years, driven by mobile penetration and increased access to online betting platforms. However, Vundisa explained that operational strategies have not evolved at the same pace. She pointed out that while operators run acquisition and retention campaigns, these efforts often lack a data-driven understanding of user behaviour.
According to Vundisa, a key issue is limited awareness of the commercial value of behavioural analytics. Without investing in tools that track and interpret player activity, operators are unable to personalise experiences or respond effectively to changing user patterns. This gap, she said, results in missed opportunities to retain active users and re-engage inactive ones.
She added that her role increasingly involves educating operators before introducing engagement solutions. She said: “Before even selling what I’m coming with, I have to first educate… about player behaviour, about how important it is to know their player behaviour.”
Industry data shows that mature betting markets rely heavily on customer relationship management (CRM) systems, segmentation and real-time engagement tools to maintain user activity. In contrast, many African operators are still developing these capabilities, which affects competitiveness as new entrants enter the market.
Looking ahead, Vundisa indicated that improving operator knowledge will be critical to market sustainability. As competition intensifies, operators that adopt structured engagement strategies are more likely to retain users and stabilise revenue.
The shift towards data-led engagement is expected to become a priority as regulators and stakeholders push for more responsible and sustainable gambling practices across Africa.
