Research Report: Betting in Africa 2026

Betting is one of the most active digital consumer categories in sub-Saharan Africa. In June and July 2026, GeoPoll surveyed 2,866 people across six of the continent’s largest betting markets to measure participation, product choice, frequency, channel, and spend. This report covers the survey questions, with country comparisons.

The headline is a market where betting is mainstream, runs overwhelmingly on mobile, and is played often. Beyond those constants, product choice and spending split the region into distinct markets. Football anchors betting almost everywhere, but South Africa runs on casino games instead. Kenya leans into fast crash-style games. Uganda spends the most per month. The takeaway for operators and advertisers is that a single continental strategy will misread most of these markets.

The findings sit inside a fast-growing industry. Industry estimates put Africa’s sports betting market at around 3 billion US dollars in 2025, with the wider gambling sector valued near 17.6 billion dollars and more than 440 million bettors across the continent. Cheap smartphones, expanding mobile internet, and widely used mobile money have turned betting into a mobile-first habit. This survey continues GeoPoll’s annual tracking of the category, building on our earlier Betting in Africa studies.

How many people bet

Betting participation is high across the region. Asked whether they had placed a bet in the past 12 months, between 54 and 64 percent of respondents said yes, led by Kenya at 64 percent and Ghana at 60 percent.

The rest of the findings in this report are based on people who have placed a bet in the past, so the sections that follow describe the behavior of active bettors

What people bet on

Football is the dominant product overall, named by 67 percent of bettors as what they play most often. Aviator and other crash-style games follow at 13 percent, casino games at 11 percent, and lotteries at 5 percent.

The regional average hides the sharpest divide in the study. Football leads in five markets, reaching 84 percent of bettors in Uganda, 81 percent in Nigeria, and 78 percent in Tanzania. South Africa is the exception: football reaches only 29 percent there, while casino games lead at 36 percent and lotteries draw 16 percent, both far above any other market. Kenya stands out separately for Aviator at 24 percent, roughly double the next-highest market. This mirrors a wider trend: game provider Spribe reports Aviator player numbers in Africa grew about 54 percent year on year, as lightweight crash games win share from traditional sports betting.

South Africa’s product mix reflects the region’s most developed and tightly regulated gambling market. The country’s National Gambling Board reports that online betting now generates about 60 percent of national gambling revenue, and Statistics South Africa has documented a rising national appetite for gambling and betting. The wider range of casino and lottery products available to South African bettors helps explain why their preferences look so different from those in the football-led markets to the north.

How often people bet

Betting is frequent, and the pattern is consistent across the region. Once a week is the single most common answer. Overall, 55 percent of bettors play at least weekly, and 28 percent play once a day or more. Country-level frequency varies only slightly, so this is best read as a regional constant: this is a high-frequency category, not an occasional one.

The mobile channel is universal

There is almost no variation by channel. Across all markets, 95 percent of bettors place bets on a mobile device, ranging narrowly from 94 percent in Uganda to 96 percent in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa. Mobile is not a growing channel here, it is effectively the only channel. Mobile experience, data cost, and app or web performance are the real competitive battleground rather than a secondary consideration.

How much people spend

Monthly betting spend is modest for most bettors and concentrated at the low end. Overall, 58 percent spend under 10 US dollars a month and another 24 percent spend between 10 and 25 dollars. Only about 10 percent spend 50 dollars or more.

Spend is where Uganda separates from the rest. Only 35 percent of Ugandan bettors spend under 10 dollars, 40 percent fall in the 10 to 25 dollar band, and 6 percent report spending above 500 dollars a month, the highest high-spender share in the region. South Africa also skews higher, with 11 percent spending 50 dollars or more. Tanzania is the most value-conscious market, with 67 percent under 10 dollars.

Who is betting

The betting audience skews young. The 25 to 34 age group is the largest segment overall at 45 percent, followed by 18 to 24 at 26 percent and 35 to 44 at 23 percent. Older bettors are a small minority.

Age tilts by market are worth noting. Uganda is the youngest-concentrated, with 59 percent of respondents aged 25 to 34. Kenya has the strongest 18 to 24 presence at 36 percent. South Africa is the oldest, with 38 percent aged 35 to 44 and 11 percent aged 45 to 54, the highest older share in the study.

Gender is the sharpest demographic contrast. Overall, 69 percent of respondents are male. Betting audiences are heavily male in Ghana (82 percent), Tanzania (78 percent), Uganda (76 percent), and Nigeria (73 percent), more balanced in Kenya (61 percent male), and reversed in South Africa, where women make up 54 percent, the only market where female bettors are the majority.

What it means for the market