Gambling laws and regulations in Africa

African countries introduce specified gambling laws and regulations

With the intention to prevent illegal gambling activities from becoming prevalent, the African governments introduced gambling licenses and laws. But one thing is still unclear, it is hard to distinguish which countries have embraced gambling and which have not. 

African countries have been categorized into three different distinct parts when it comes to gambling laws and regulations. Which are:  

• Sanction/Approval: These are countries with clear guidelines on gambling with a variation on what is acceptable, sometimes all types of iGaming are accepted in some countries, while in others, only certain types are allowed. 
  These laws vary from region to region within Africa. For example, South Africa, Nigeria, Mauritius, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Morocco, Cameroon, and Kenya all have completely different laws 
• Inadequate4 regulations: These are countries where no laws or regulations have been put in place about gambling, and because of this, there are no limitations on citizens or fines to prevent illegal gambling activities. Example of these countries includes Angola, Zambia, Ghana, Namibia, and Botswana. 
• Bans: These are countries with firm restrictions on gambling activities and have strict laws and regulations preventing operators from offering services within its country’s borders. Example Sudan. 

Some countries in East African has some of the strictest gambling laws. However, some countries such as Tanzania, Uganda, have tried to boost tourism and hence has ventured into gambling. 

Africa is made up of so many diverse countries and it is highly unlikely that the continent will achieve the milestone of having the gambling laws reviewed in a largescale.  

Progressive countries that rely on tourism for a large part of their economy are more likely to introduce legal changes as there is a growth in their GDP and technology, it becomes easier to welcome the finance that is part of the gambling industry. Some of this is becoming a possibility as internet services are becoming more and more accessible, thereby bringing ease with online casinos.