African iGaming Alliance Launches First Continent-Wide Africa Safer Gambling Week

Nseobong Okon-Ekong reports on a new campaign designed to unite regulators and industry stakeholders around player protection, responsible gambling, and public awareness

The African iGaming Alliance (AiA), working alongside gambling regulators, industry associations, and other stakeholders across the continent, has announced the inaugural Africa Safer Gambling Week, scheduled for September 7 to 11, 2026. The coordinated effort aims to promote safer gambling practices, strengthen player protection, and raise public awareness throughout African gambling markets.

Operating under the campaign banner #PlaySafeAfrica, the five-day initiative will convene regulators, licensed operators, industry associations, responsible gambling organisations, and additional stakeholders around a unified objective: ensuring that the rapid expansion of Africa’s gambling industry is matched by robust consumer protection and responsible gambling standards.

The initiative, supported by the Lagos State Lottery and Gaming Authority under the leadership of Mr. Bashir Are, arrives as gambling markets across Africa continue to evolve, fuelled by increased digital connectivity, advances in mobile technology, and the proliferation of online gaming platforms. Against this backdrop, organisers emphasise that safer gambling must remain central to the industry’s ongoing growth.

Africa Safer Gambling Week will feature a coordinated programme encompassing regulatory and industry engagement, public education, community outreach, and digital awareness activities across participating jurisdictions.

Planned activities include a formal launch and media engagement event, a five-day public awareness campaign, community outreach initiatives, and a continental webinar designed to facilitate dialogue among regulators and industry stakeholders.

Each day of the campaign will spotlight a distinct dimension of safer gambling, covering responsible gambling principles, understanding and setting personal limits, utilising responsible gambling tools, preventing underage gambling, and highlighting the risks associated with illegal and unlicensed gambling operators.

The Chief Executive Officer of the African iGaming Alliance, Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, emphasised that the industry’s commitment to protecting consumers must keep pace with its growth trajectory.

“As Africa’s gambling industry continues to expand, player protection must expand alongside it. Africa Safer Gambling Week brings regulators and industry together around a shared commitment to safer gambling and stronger consumer protection,” Kesitilwe stated.

Kesitilwe further noted that consumers should have access to the information and tools necessary to make informed, responsible decisions.

“We fully support consumers having the tools and information they need to gamble responsibly. This week, like every week, is about ensuring our customers’ safety,” Kesitilwe explained.

Also speaking on the initiative, Olabimpe Akingba, board member of the African iGaming Alliance and Head of Responsible Gaming at pawaTech, characterised the campaign as a practical demonstration of the Alliance’s commitment to cross-border collaboration on player protection.

“At the African iGaming Alliance, we have been committed to moving beyond conversations about collaboration across African jurisdictions towards meaningful action,” Akingba stated. “And what better place to demonstrate that commitment than through player protection?”

She added, “Africa Safer Gambling Week is our collaboration in action.”

According to organisers, participating jurisdictions will receive coordinated campaign materials while retaining the flexibility to tailor public messaging and activities to their respective regulatory environments, communities, and local realities.

A central component of the campaign will be encouraging consumers to engage exclusively with licensed and regulated gambling operators. Organisers noted that illegal and unlicensed gambling can undermine responsible gambling safeguards, consumer protection mechanisms, and regulatory oversight, potentially leaving consumers with limited recourse when problems arise.

The AiA stressed that effective player protection cannot be achieved by any single stakeholder group alone, emphasising that sustained collaboration among regulators, licensed operators, trade associations, and responsible gambling organisations will be essential as African gambling markets continue to mature.

Beyond the 2026 campaign, the Alliance intends to establish Africa Safer Gambling Week as an annual platform for strengthening cooperation, sharing best practices, and ensuring that safer gambling and player protection remain key priorities in Africa’s evolving gambling policy landscape.

Through #PlaySafeAfrica, the AiA and its partners aim to foster greater public understanding of responsible gambling while cultivating a culture in which consumer protection remains integral to the sustainable development of Africa’s gaming and betting industry.

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