As the African nations start developing and showing the world that each country has a sense of self, opportunities start appearing in many economic sectors. Football, a sport that many nations of this content love and practice religiously, is one of them.
This article will assess why sponsorships from online gambling operators start to appear more, why football is a marketable ground for them, and why Africa matters in their expansion. Lastly, we will also assess the risks that this shift towards promoting gambling can provoke.
Marketing through football
Marketing endeavours for gambling products are fast risers. We’d say that they’re as present as they’ve ever been. Many deals appear between all kinds of iGaming brands and football clubs around the world. The reason is that this is the most popular product in the world.
Online betting platforms often highlight the favourable odds and incentives available in today’s competitive gambling scene — offers such as no deposit free spins have become increasingly common as brands look to attract new users.As a result, this product is very desirable in many worldwide markets. It’s also becoming more apparent that Africa is one of them.
Why Africa?
Statista’s internet user rate database for African nations shows that an increasing number of citizens have access to the internet. Countries from the Maghrib area, like Morocco (90.7%, Tunisia (79.6%) and Algeria (72.9%), are among the highest-rated countries in this context. Other nations with a history of football, Cameroon (43.9%), Cote d’Ivoire (38.4%) and Nigeria (45.5%), are also rising and improving their digital infrastructures. The best example in this region of Africa is, of course, Ghana (69.8%).
As a result, you see an increasing number of gambling operators willing to take a chance on African clubs. The population is definitely enthusiastic about football in most of these nations. Moreover, the relatively young population is more willing to access such online services.
Given the nascent market that is developing in these nations, operators try to establish themselves in this emerging environment. As such, they are entrenching themselves in African pastime culture, not to mention bringing help to communities that are in need.
Examples of sponsorships
There aren’t many examples at the moment, but their mere existence shows that there is a trend.
Firstly, there is Shabana FC from Kenya, a club from Kisii, a city with a little over 112,000 people. The club was active in the first Kenyan League (FKF Premier League) and has been around since 1980. SportPesa announced the sponsorship agreement in August 2024. The Shabana case is special because of the worth of this contract. The agreement is worth 75 million Ksh, which is around $578,000.
In fact, SportPesa, headquartered in Liverpool, has done a lot of work and successfully helped the interest of Kenyan football. The company has invested major amounts in the Kenyan league, currently sponsoring other clubs, such as Gor Mahia FC (since September 2022) and Murang’a Seal. The company has also helped Kenyan rugby, showing its commitment to helping the entire sports community.
Another team that has been associated with this kind of partnership is AFC Leopards. This is one of the more interesting partnerships because it’s a precursor of many deals of this kind. SportsPro first reported the deal, which was between AFC Leopards of the same Kenyan Premier League and Betway.
Back in 2016, Betway decided to help the Nairobi-based club with a deal that was worth $300,000 annually. The contract, which was for 3 years, was quite groundbreaking in this department. Nowadays, the club is associated with Betika, a company from its home city specializing in the very same online gambling activities.
Valid concerns and possible mitigation
There is ample scientific evidence to suggest and support any concern about gambling's societal impact. In fact, gambling psychology is a well-studied subject with considerable gravitas in academic circles. Most experts agree that gambling has meaning and relevance in the fabric of society, consumerism, and even biochemistry.
The first concern would be the redistribution of funds per capita. Given the low-income average of citizens within many African nations (including those with access to tech), the volatility is higher. A lower income equals fewer disposable funds and a higher risk of tapping into funds for vital expenses.
The important part to remember is that gaming expenses are just a cog. The real springboard to addiction is the consistent and unmitigated exposure. Gambling addiction in Sub-Saharan Africa is, at this point, a reality that even scholars start taking notice of. Why is it so?
It’s because of the neurological shifts in the human brain. We condition ourselves to have a constant flux of instant gratification. Once our brain starts operating with this mechanism, taking it away leads to compulsive actions that showcase signs of addiction.
Responsible gambling must be mandatory
Every jurisdiction with a strong presence of gambling, especially online, has a set of rules to protect consumers from gambling addiction. It gives casino operators the obligation to implement mandatory measures to set up measures of player protection.
Mitigating the effects of gambling is not easy in practice and requires a willingness from the player as well. However, a surveilled and regulated market would definitely benefit from players with enough education to know how to tackle gambling. In this scenario, preventing addiction would be more feasible.
Whether we’re speaking of account limiters that encourage frugal betting, or time-outs, prevention should be the first line of defence for African gambling enjoyers. Moreover, having a centralized self-exclusion program on the Australian model, BetStop is just as important.
Conclusion
Now that we’ve closed our article with a reminder that gambling is a multi-faceted phenomenon, our primary message is simple: gamble responsibly! You never know when you start developing certain signs of addiction, requiring a safe way of enjoying gambling activity!