The African iGaming Alliance (AIA) was officially established recently, headed by former Botswana Gambling Authority Director Peter Kesitilwe, aiming to break industry fragmentation, promote cooperation, and unify regulation. The organization has already absorbed leading operators such as Betway, BetPawa, 888Africa, and Sportybet, and plans to further expand its membership.
Kesitilwe emphasized that AIA is not a regulatory body or market competitor, but a bridge between operators and policymakers. He pointed out that the African gambling market faces three major challenges: high banking and payment costs, fragmented regulation, and the infiltration of illegal operators. Currently, the illegal market accounts for two-thirds of the total, causing an annual tax revenue loss of about 20 to 50 billion dollars.
AIA's primary task is to promote responsible gambling to avoid increased government taxation due to problem gamblers. Meanwhile, the alliance will advocate for reasonable tax rates, promote cross-border regulatory standardization, and reduce the cost for operators to reapply for licenses in multiple countries.
At the payment level, bank fees and payment aggregator monopolies are seen as "stumbling blocks" to industry development, with many operators already exploring the use of cryptocurrencies to reduce costs and expand their user base.
With extensive experience in the regulatory field, Kesitilwe hopes to use the AIA platform to coordinate all parties, enhance industry compliance, consumer protection, and sustainable development levels, injecting more certainty and vitality into Africa's rapidly growing iGaming market.
