Experts from the news agency iGaming Afrika identified 3 key regional markets that demonstrate similar development dynamics despite differences in control structures. The analytical pool includes Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Cameroon.
Throughout 2025, demand curves across these states showcased a consistent pattern. There was a decline in H1, followed by a recovery mid-year. Finally, steady growth, with a peak in activity in December, concluded the period.
Nigeria: Significant Surge and Competitive Shifts
The country continues to balance the scale of reforms with the speed of their implementation.
In terms of the Blask Index, the market demonstrated the expected seasonality:
- an April-to-June decline following the conclusion of the NPFL and EPL active windows;
- stable growth since early summer amid the return of high-frequency sports content;
- coming back to a steady cycle in August with the start of the new Premier League’s dynamics;
- a rapid surge in H2 2025 due to the FIFA CWC, World Cup’s qualifiers, and the Africa Cup of Nations.
Against this backdrop, a significant restructuring of the competitive landscape has occurred. In November 2025, SportyBet surpassed its rival Bet9ja in the Brand’s Accumulated Power (BAP) indicator. By March 2026, the gap had widened to 40.13% versus 32.23%, respectively.
Meanwhile, BetKing remained the fastest-growing local bookmaker. The platform’s peak performance grew by up to 289% YoY.
DRC: Projected Development and a Leadership Change
The demand curve in the nation mirrors the dynamics of the Nigerian market. Nevertheless, the country has seen a significant transformation in its commercial structure.
The core shifts were as follows:
- betPawa overtook the largest competitor, NgeNge, and increased its share to 54.91%, while the former leader’s reach declined to 23.12%.
- Winner Bet lost the 2nd position in the rankings, dropping its BAP score by almost half to 12.66% and ending up 3rd.
- Betika maintained its 4th place and ended the reporting period with a slight decline in performance to 7.11%.
Outside the Top 4, no operator in the state exceeds 1% of the total industry share. At the same time, the competition expanding from 3 to 4 leaders demonstrates the flexibility of this African gambling market segment.
Cameroon: Sector Growth in a Near-Monopoly Realm
The country is experiencing demand dynamics similar to those in Nigeria and the DRC. Structural causes explained the decline in activity at the beginning of the year. It gradually fell, with minor, short-term surges during the World Cup’s qualifiers and the Champions League’s final.
Since the beginning of July, steady growth has been recorded. The reason was the expansion of the sports event pool with the AFCON and Europe’s major football tournaments.
The local vertical is greatly dominated by the betPawa brand. In March 2026, it reached 88.22% of total turnover, creating a de facto monopoly. Other players in the niche remain marginal.
Even the global operator 1xBet was unable to maintain a stable share, hitting 5% only once, in July. Then, its figures dropped to 3.29% in March this year. By the same period, the 2nd-place Premier Bet's result accounted for 3.86%.
Summary of Africa’s Key Online Sports Betting Markets
In terms of user activity, all the mentioned countries continue to demonstrate comparable dynamics. Nevertheless, the share hierarchy landscape and brand structure vary significantly.
Essential differences:
- Nigeria’s competitive shifts;
- the DRC’s dramatic change of the leader;
- Cameroon’s de facto monopolisation of the local sector.
Similar trends are expected to continue in 2026. At the same time, the jurisdictions proceed to evolve, strengthening their positions on the continent and maturing in approaches and structures.
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