Why sports betting is prevalent among many African countries
Whenever you are walking around any African school at three in the afternoon, there is a very good chance that you will hear children screaming about sports betting.

Worry not, it’s just games time, and probably the young kids are playing football. If not that, it is running season, and people are just cheating on their favourite runners. Regardless of religion, culture or language, one thing truly unites Africans.

Sports, especially soccer, better known as football. Combine that love and the thrill of betting, then you find a ready market for sports betting.

Well, according to a 2024 report by Statista, the African online gambling market was expected to reach $1.85 billion by the end of the year. The report goes on to project an annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.28% between 2024 and 2028.

Looking deeper, a 2024 Geopoll survey revealed that most Africans had made a run at sports betting or gambling at some point in their lives. In fact, the report shows Kenya stood out with 82.81% of the respondents having made wagers, followed by South Africa with 73.94%, Ghana with 73.03% and Tanzania with 71.13%.

But now the big question remains. Why are so many Africans high on sports betting? And what has made sportsbooks like Betway Tanzania so popular among people? We will try to answer some of these questions in this article.

Internet development

There once was a time when you wouldn’t say that the internet is a basic need. But now, the internet has become so vital that without it, you feel like you are from the cave days. Now, internet penetration in various African countries has made it possible for people to interact with anyone and anything from all over the world. Now, online sports betting has become quite prevalent among African nations, making it easy for punters to make wagers anywhere.

Well, as of 2022, the number of internet users in the continent was around 570 million. This is almost double the number of users in 2015. According to recent data, the number of internet users might actually be over 1.1 billion users by the end of 2029. This is optimistic and very possible. In fact, as of January 2024, Morocco had an internet penetration of roughly 90.7%, closely followed by Libya and Seychelles, with a penetration of 88.4% and 86.7%, respectively. This actually makes it so easy for online sportsbooks like Betway Tanzania to reach various regions. Well, the more the internet is reaching more people, in the same manner, sportsbooks and bookmarkers are getting to their target audience.

The growth in mobile sports betting

It is a fact that the world has become a global village due to the increase in the use of mobile phones. By the end of 2023, close to 70% of the whole world was using smartphones. Actually, recent data show that in 2024, around 74% of all web traffic resulted from mobile devices. Being the forward-minded sector it is, the sports betting industry has capitalised on this fact, making betting even more accessible to people all over. In fact, the TGM Global Gambling & Sports Betting Report 2024 reveals that 92% of Africans prefer to place bets over the internet and on mobile apps.

But again, you might be trying to reason out the reason behind the popularity of mobile betting. You see, sportsbooks like Betway Tanzania have a reputation for having betting platforms that have:

  • Instant responsiveness
  • Intuitive design
  • Live data integration

Now, compare this to going to a physical bookmarker, it is way easier. You can just make your wagers in the comfort of your house. The convenience and speed of wagering are enough motivation to place a bet when your favourite team is playing. And again, many people are increasingly in-game betting to pre-bets, and considering the fact that many football matches are played at night, in African time, it’s more convenient to bet using your phone.

Lenient sport betting laws

We know you have realised that what makes sports betting so difficult in a country is the legal measures at work. For example, the government of China has strict measures against gambling. Therefore, it is very hard for offshore sportsbooks to reach punters in the country. On the contrary, African countries have lenient laws concerning gambling. In fact, South Africa is perhaps one of the few countries with very strict regulations in its market. For most of the others, gambling laws are still new and are not really strict. This has made it easy for Betway Tanzania and fellow online sportsbooks to get to many punters.

As we wrap up

We can’t refute the fact that sports betting stands out as one of the most popular forms of online entertainment there ever was. This statement rings true in various countries globally and even more in African countries. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen this form of entertainment seeping into various parts of the continent, and you can be sure that, in the next few years, the influence will be even bigger.