Africa Braces for AFCON 2025 Betting Surge
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Key Takeaways:
- Regulated African sportsbooks report unprecedented pre-tournament engagement for AFCON 2025, highlighting football's dominance in a market with 440 million active bettors.
- UAE's first fully regulated online sportsbook goes live, marking a controlled rollout in Asia-Pacific's emerging 10.9% CAGR jurisdiction.
- Geo Poll's 2025 Africa betting survey reveals 91% mobile wagering penetration and 35% weekly participation, underscoring digital trends across fragmented regulations.
African Bookmakers Anticipate AFCON-Driven Volumes
Regulated sports betting operators across Africa are experiencing record pre-event activity ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, commencing December 21 in Morocco. Industry reports indicate heightened wagering on outright winners, with hosts Morocco emerging as clear favorites, alongside elevated festive-season stakes on qualifiers and club fixtures. This momentum builds on football's 61% share of betting volume continent-wide.
In Africa's $17.6 billion sector—projecting 12.5% CAGR to $37 billion by 2030—this tournament surge offers opportunities to channel offshore flows onshore amid provincial reforms in South Africa and federal pushes for sports betting platforms in Nigeria. Mobile-first platforms, benefiting from 94% smartphone adoption, stand to gain from enhanced integrity monitoring, countering 28 IBIA alerts in 2024 while supporting youth safeguards for demographics where 25% of bettors are under 25. It parallels Europe's €50 billion maturity, where major events drive 40% in-play handle.
UAE Launches Inaugural Regulated Online Sportsbook
Play971, operated by Coin Technology Projects LLC, has commenced full operations as the UAE's first GCGRA-licensed online platform offering betting on different types of sports alongside other verticals. The site, which began a phased rollout in late November and expanded December 16, enforces strict geolocation, age verification at 21+, and prohibits VPN usage, aligning with federal AML and responsible gaming mandates.
This development in the Middle East-Africa nexus accelerates Asia-Pacific's 11.5% growth trajectory toward $60 billion by 2030, integrating tourism events like international football tournaments. Amid Wynn Resorts' integrated project timeline, it establishes precedents for vendor integrations—building on Sport radar's earlier approval—and pressures neighboring jurisdictions toward unified standards, mitigating unregulated youth exposure estimated at 70% regionally.
Geo Poll Survey Underscores Africa's Mobile Betting Shift
Geo Poll's Betting in Africa 2025 report documents 91% of wagers placed via mobile devices, with 35% of participants betting weekly—up slightly year-on-year—and football betting retaining 61% market dominance. The findings reflect deepening cultural integration in a landscape serving 440 million bettors, driven by digital infrastructure gains.
These insights inform regulatory navigation in fragmented markets, from Kenya's digital tax models to Ghana's enforcement upgrades, potentially reclaiming 30% illicit stakes through compliant channels. In Europe, they echo personalization drives amid ad restrictions; for Asia-Pacific, they highlight scalable mobile solutions against 18% manipulation risks per IBIA data, sustaining 8-12% expansion.
Source: African Marketing Confederation
Morocco Positions as AFCON Betting Hub
Host nation Morocco's regulated framework positions it to capture substantial AFCON volumes, with analysts forecasting elevated handle on domestic and continental fixtures. This aligns with North Africa's steady market maturation, contributing an estimated $170-180 million annually to sports betting GGR.
The event reinforces football's primacy, offering integrity partnerships opportunities akin to Europe's IBIA collaborations, while mobile dominance supports inclusive growth across youth-heavy demographics.
