What is the sports betting market size in Africa and the DRC?

About 3 billion US dollars in 2025, but that is a third-party estimate, not a measurement. GeoPoll writes that industry estimates put the market at around 3 billion US dollars in 2025, with the wider gambling sector near 17.6 billion USD (GeoPoll, 16 July 2026). GeoPoll points to external sources and does not publish how the figures were calculated.

One regulator benchmark: South Africa’s National Gambling Board shows 59.3 billion rand of gross gambling revenue for FY2023/24 (NGB homepage, opened 6 October 2026). This covers the whole gambling sector, not sports betting alone.

Two other regulated markets offer comparison: Ghana had about 90 licensed operators in June 2025 and levies 20% of gross gaming revenue; Nigeria had about 70 licensed operators in July 2025 (EY, 22 August 2025).

Almost nothing is measured: the only figures are official statements, and they diverge sharply from tax receipts. Finance Minister Doudou Fwamba said on 29 September 2025 that studies indicate the total revenue of companies in the sector exceeded 1.6 billion dollars in the last fiscal year (Ecofin, 11 March 2026). iGaming Business (12 January 2026) reports an estimate of nearly 1.7 billion dollars in annual operator revenue, against only about 1 million dollars in taxes collected. Neither source gives a method; it is unclear whether the figures mean stakes or gross gaming revenue.

An advisor quoted by iGaming Business says no accurate estimate exists. Ecofin recalls that former minister Nicolas Kazadi cited, in 2023, 139 illegal operators active in 2022, with no revenue data, and sector tax receipts that year of one billion Congolese francs.

The sources point to three drivers, all measured outside the DRC: football, a young customer base and the mobile phone. GeoPoll surveyed 2,866 people in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda between 24 June and 16 July 2026, by SMS, WhatsApp and its app (GeoPoll, 2026). The DRC is not in the sample.

• Participation: 54 to 64 percent of respondents said they bet in the past 12 months, Kenya highest at 64 percent (the methodology note refers to football betting).
• Product: 67 percent of bettors play football most often.
• Channel: 95 percent of bettors bet on a mobile device.
• Age: those aged 25 to 34 make up 45 percent of bettors, 18 to 24 year-olds 26 percent.

Limit: GeoPoll calls this a rapid survey without strict quotas, not adjusted to national populations.

On mobile money, the GSMA (2026) counts 2.3 billion registered accounts worldwide in 2025, with Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for more than two thirds of the growth. In the DRC, iGaming Business names four operators (M-Pesa, Airtel Money, Orange Money, Africell Money) and quotes an advisor who calls mobile money the “backbone” of iGaming there: an opinion, not a measurement. For population, GDP and networks see the DRC economy in numbers.

There are two routes: a licence of one’s own or a partnership with a licence holder; then retail agencies or an online offer. According to iGaming Business (September 2026), Ordinance No. 25/293 gives regulation to the Ministry of Finance. For procedures, deadlines and open questions see our page on gambling law in the DRC. A bill is still before Parliament; the sources we opened publish neither a timeline nor a licence cost.

• Own licence: the operator registers itself with the Ministry of Finance.
• Partnership: the operator works under a licence holder’s licence; the model is described in setting up a betting business in the DRC. Check current conditions with the Ministry of Finance and legal counsel.
• Retail or online: we found no data on the share of bets placed in agencies in the DRC.

The main risks are a regulatory framework in transition, disputed levies, player protection and a partly informal market.

• Regulation: according to Ecofin (11 March 2026), the minister calls the framework insufficiently modernised and inadequately digitised; a bill is pending.
• Levies: winnings are taxed at 10% and the operating licence tax is capped at $100,000 (ministerial order of November 2019, per Ecofin); the state lottery SONAL reportedly demands 7% of operators’ gross gaming revenue monthly (iGaming Business, January 2026), legal basis unconfirmed.
• Player protection: we found no study on gambling addiction in the DRC, and the GeoPoll 2026 survey does not cover the topic.
• Competition: the sources we opened name no DRC operators.
• Infrastructure: an advisor doubts the regulator can monitor mobile money flows (iGaming Business).

Woobet Betting Solutions (Kinshasa) states on its website that it holds an official DRC licence for sports betting, casino and lottery; proof is provided in the data room after a non-disclosure agreement. It is looking for B2B partners and emerging markets investors, not players. See what is Woobet and becoming a partner.

None of the figures above is an audited revenue figure for the Congolese market. In Kenya, the regulator BCLB called the reported 766 billion shillings of gambling spend in 2024 “sensational and inaccurate”, saying it likely inflates the regulated market by including offshore platforms (BCLB, 20 April 2025, reported by Citizen Digital). This text is general information and does not replace legal or investment advice. As of 6 October 2026.