Media credit; SABC DIGITAL NEWS
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| Start Date of Event | End Date of Event | Country of Event | Location of Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 13th, 2025 | November 14, 2025 | South Africa | Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng |
Africa’s gambling industry is experiencing unprecedented growth. Johannesburg has been announced as the host city for the Responsible Gambling Summit 2025, a pivotal gathering that will shape the future of player protections across the continent. The event, scheduled for mid-2025, comes at a crucial juncture for Africa’s rapidly expanding gaming sector, where balancing commercial success with consumer safeguards has become increasingly urgent.
A Critical Moment for African Gambling
The summit’s Johannesburg location holds particular significance given South Africa’s position as the continent’s most developed regulated market. Recent figures reveal the nation’s gambling industry generated R37.2 billion (≈$2 billion) in 2023, with sports betting accounting for 19% of total revenue—a segment growing at nearly 15% annually. This expansion mirrors trends across Africa, where mobile betting adoption has surged in markets like Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana.
Summit Focus Areas
The Responsible Gambling Summit 2025 will convene regulators, operators, healthcare professionals, and technologists to address these issues through four key pillars:
Regulatory Harmonization
With gambling laws varying widely across African nations, sessions will explore models for cross-border cooperation, drawing lessons from the UK, Sweden, and other mature jurisdictions. South Africa’s National Gambling Board will present its framework as a potential benchmark.
The panels will also explore emerging technologies and innovations shaping the future of responsible gambling, including:
Technology-Driven Solutions
Multilingual Harm-Prevention Tools — Solutions like BetBlocker’s recent launch in Zambia, providing gamblers with self-exclusion options in multiple local languages.
Biometric Age Verification — Advanced identity checks for mobile betting apps, leveraging fingerprint or facial recognition to prevent underage gambling.
AI-Driven Risk Detection — Artificial intelligence systems designed to analyze player behavior in real-time and identify early signs of problem gambling, enabling timely intervention.
These innovations reflect a growing industry focus on leveraging technology to promote safer gambling environments and strengthen player protection across diverse markets.
With over 300 million Africans now living in countries with legal betting markets, the Johannesburg summit may mark the moment when player welfare becomes as central to the industry’s future as revenue growth.
Dr. Thandiwe Mokoena
Why This Summit Matters
The event represents Africa’s first major coordinated effort to address problem gambling a continental scale.
With projected industry growth of 8-12% annually through 2027, proactive measures could prevent a public health crisis while ensuring sustainable sector development.
“Africa cannot simply import Western solutions,” notes Dr. Thandiwe Mokoena, a Johannesburg-based addiction specialist advising the summit.
We need protocols that respect our cultural contexts, economic realities, and technological infrastructure.
