more than 20 African jurisdictions<\/strong>, and employees over 5,000 people across the continent and our members contribute US$500m in annual tax revenues across Africa, which gives us genuine continental reach from day one.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe have prioritised building trust with regulators and policymakers<\/strong>: this year alone, AiA has engaged directly with authorities in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Benin, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and others to understand their priorities and share practical industry perspectives on tax, enforcement and responsible gaming. Internationally, we have become a recognised counterpart for organisations such as EGBA, IBIA, GRAF, ARSO and Clarion, and we have joined global conversations around igaming regulation, for coordinated industry voice focused on long-term, sustainable growth rather than short-term wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow has the landscape of igaming regulation evolved in key African markets this year, and what role has the AiA played in harmonising standards and best practices among member countries?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAcross the continent, we\u2019re seeing a clear shift from treating online gambling as a grey area to actively designing frameworks that recognise digital reality. A number of regulators are reviewing tax models, tightening licensing requirements, strengthening AML\/CFT controls and updating advertising rules to reflect the speed and reach of mobile betting. There is also a stronger recognition that if regulated channels are not attractive and predictable, players will simply migrate to offshore and illegal operators. AiA\u2019s role has been to support this transition with comparative insights and a platform for structured dialogue. Rather than pushing a \u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d blueprint, we\u2019ve focused on core principles: evidence-based taxation, clear rules on marketing and sponsorship, robust KYC and data standards, and practical enforcement cooperation against unlicensed operators. We have done this by speaking at regulators\u2019 forums such as GRAF, working with ARSO on standards discussions, sharing European learnings through our relationships with EGBA and IBIA, and preparing material that regulators can use as a reference when they draft or amend laws. The direction of travel is positive: African regulators are increasingly talking to each other and to the licensed industry, and AiA is helping to connect those dots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“Across the continent, we\u2019re seeing a clear shift from treating online gambling as a grey area to actively designing frameworks that recognise digital reality.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, CEO of the AiA.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Given the rapid growth of mobile and digital gaming platforms in Africa, what are the primary challenges African operators face regarding compliance, consumer protection, and responsible gaming?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe first challenge is fragmentation. Operators are dealing with very different rules, tax structures and interpretations of online gambling across markets, which creates complexity and sometimes conflicting obligations. The second is keeping compliance and consumer protection tools ahead of the pace of mobile adoption. Africa is a mobile-first region<\/strong>, so issues like real-time affordability checks, protection of young adults, and the safe use of mobile money and alternative payments are front and centre. <\/p>\n\n\n\nOperators are investing in KYC systems, transaction monitoring, self-exclusion and safer-gambling analytics, but the expectations are rightly rising as more regulators move toward a public-health framing. A third challenge is the scale of the offshore and black market<\/strong>: unlicensed operators can ignore local rules on advertising, product design and player safety, which puts compliant operators at a competitive disadvantage while exposing consumers to harm. Finally, there is a skills and capacity gap in some markets \u2013 both in industry and in regulators \u2013 when it comes to data, AI-driven monitoring and cyber-security. AiA\u2019s members are trying to address this by sharing best practices, supporting training, and being open about where the industry can and should do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat initiatives has the AiA spearheaded in 2025 to promote player safety and combat illegal online gambling, and how do you evaluate their effectiveness?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nFrom the outset, we made it clear that AiA is not a lobbying club for lighter regulation<\/strong>; it is an alliance for better, more effective regulation. In 2025, we focused on three practical areas. First, we have consistently framed our public positions around player protection \u2013 for example, in our contributions to global discussions, AiA aligned is advocating for evidence-based, proportionate measures that genuinely reduce harm rather than simply pushing players to unregulated sites. Second, we have used every platform we participate in \u2013 including GRAF, IAGR, etc events, regulators\u2019 and industry conferences \u2013 to promote concrete safeguards such as robust KYC, age verification, self-exclusion mechanisms, data-driven early-warning systems and clear rules on advertising and sponsorship. Third, we are supporting regulators in their fight against illegal operators<\/strong> by sharing market insight, explaining how offshore sites are reaching African players, and highlighting tools that can be used to improve channelisation into the licensed market. It is early days, but the effectiveness is visible in the quality of conversations we are now having: regulators are asking more detailed questions, operators are more open about their systems, and there is a growing shared recognition that we must tackle illegal gambling and player safety together, not in isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n“From the outset, we made it clear that AiA is not a lobbying club for lighter regulation; it is an alliance for better, more effective regulation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, CEO of the AiA.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Looking forward to 2026, what are the critical priorities and emerging opportunities for the AiA to foster sustainable industry growth and innovation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nLooking ahead to 2026, our priorities are very clear. First, we will deepen our regulatory engagement \u2013 not just through one-off meetings, but through structured programmes that bring African regulators together with licensed operators, data experts and public-health stakeholders to co-design practical solutions. Second, we want to help create more certainty and predictability<\/strong> in tax and licensing models so that governments can plan their revenues and operators can invest for the long term. Third, we will continue to elevate Africa\u2019s voice in global conversations by working closely with partners such as EGBA, IBIA, GRAF, ARSO and major conference platforms like Clarion ICE and the Africa Gaming EXPO, Gaming Tech Summit. On the opportunity side, Africa is uniquely positioned to lead in areas such as mobile-first responsible gambling tools, AI-enabled compliance, and the integration of fintech and gaming in a way that is safe and transparent. If we get the foundations right \u2013 strong regulation, clear standards and a serious commitment to player protection \u2013 igaming can be a meaningful contributor to jobs, innovation and tax revenues across the continent. AiA\u2019s role is to make sure that growth is not only fast, but sustainable and socially responsible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, CEO of the African iGaming Alliance (AiA), discusses the association\u2019s milestones in 2025 and its priorities for advancing regulation across the continent in an exclusive interview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":15305,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":true,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"The African iGaming Alliance (AiA), under CEO Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, transitioned into a fully operational pan-African industry body in 2025, engaging regulators across over 20 jurisdictions. The Alliance is focused on shaping emerging regulatory standards, promoting evidence-based taxation, and strengthening compliance frameworks to support sustainable, well-regulated iGaming growth in Africa's mobile-first market.","focusai_entities":"Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, African iGaming Alliance (AiA), Focus Gaming News, Betway Africa, 888Africa, SportyBet, betPawa, EGBA, IBIA, GRAF, ARSO, Clarion","focusai_location":"Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Benin, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.9), operator_casino (1.0), affiliate_publisher (0.7), tech_data (0.7), marketing_crm (0.7), payments_fraud_aml (0.9), investor_analyst (0.9), supplier_vendor (0.9), journalist_researcher (1.0)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"AiA's 2026 Regulatory Focus","query":"What specific legislative or policy changes will the AiA prioritize advocating for in 2026 to further harmonise iGaming regulation across its member jurisdictions, particularly concerning cross-border licensing or shared enforcement mechanisms?"},{"label":"Impact on Unlicensed Operators","query":"How will the AiA's engagement with regulators and its focus on 'practical enforcement cooperation' against unlicensed operators translate into measurable reductions in grey market activity and increased channelisation rates for licensed entities in key African markets?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60301],"tags":[60512],"class_list":["post-15304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","tag-african-igaming-alliance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/176"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15304"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15320,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15304\/revisions\/15320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}