African Responsible Gaming Network Launches To Strengthen Player Protection Across Continent

The African Responsible Gaming Network (ARGN) has officially launched, bringing together responsible gambling organisations, researchers and treatment specialists to strengthen player protection across the continent.

Announced on 21 September 2026, the initiative aims to improve cooperation between organisations operating in different African markets and develop shared principles for preventing and addressing gambling-related harm.

The network has identified four strategic priorities, including continent-wide research, improved access to treatment services, regulatory recommendations and coordinated awareness campaigns.

Lebo Seoheng, Advocacy and Communications Manager at the South African Responsible Gaming Foundation, has been appointed president of the ARGN.

The launch comes amid continued expansion of online betting across Africa and follows the inaugural Africa Safer Gambling Week earlier this month.

Network Targets Fragmented Responsible Gambling Efforts

The ARGN has been established to address what its founding members describe as limited cooperation between responsible gambling organisations operating in different African countries.

Ladipo Abiose Akolade, founder of GamblePause Initiative Africa and a founding member of the network, said existing initiatives have largely developed independently within national markets.

“While many organisations are doing great work, there has been limited opportunity to learn from each other, share research, or work together on common challenges,” Akolade said.

The network intends to provide a platform through which organisations can exchange research, coordinate prevention initiatives and develop a stronger collective approach to player protection.

However, Akolade emphasised that the ARGN will not replace national regulators or existing responsible gambling organisations.

Instead, it will seek to support their work by facilitating cooperation and identifying principles that can be applied across different regulatory environments.

The network's approach recognises that African gambling markets operate under different legal frameworks and have varying levels of industry development.

Consequently, the ARGN intends to promote common standards rather than advocate identical gambling legislation across the continent.

Four Priorities Set Out For Player Protection

The ARGN has outlined four areas that will guide its initial work.

Its first objective is to produce a pan-African gambling harm report, bringing together research, emerging trends and available evidence from different markets.

The network also plans to establish a directory of treatment, recovery and support services, making it easier for people affected by gambling-related harm to identify assistance available in their countries.

A third priority involves developing policy recommendations and practical guidance for regulators and policymakers seeking to strengthen responsible gambling frameworks.

Finally, the ARGN intends to coordinate awareness and prevention initiatives that can be implemented across multiple African markets.

These activities are designed to improve access to information and support while helping participating organisations identify approaches that could be adapted to their respective jurisdictions.

Founders Call For Enforceable Minimum Standards

Beyond research and collaboration, the ARGN wants responsible gambling requirements to be implemented and enforced more consistently.

Akolade identified age and identity verification, effective self-exclusion systems, advertising standards and access to counselling as areas requiring greater attention.

He also called for stronger action against illegal gambling operators.

“We would like to see stronger player protection measures across African markets,” Akolade said.

He argued that responsible gambling frameworks should extend beyond awareness messages and formal regulatory requirements that are not consistently enforced.

“Having a minimum standard in player protection is one of the aims of the network. Our view is that responsible gaming regulations need to move beyond being paper-based requirements to actual standards that are upheld as a regulatory requirement.”

The ARGN's proposed approach would establish shared expectations for player protection while allowing individual countries to determine how those principles should be incorporated into their domestic regulatory systems.

The network has not yet published a detailed implementation timetable or confirmed which regulators have formally committed to adopting its recommendations.

Launch Follows First Africa Safer Gambling Week

The establishment of the ARGN follows the inaugural Africa Safer Gambling Week, organised by the African iGaming Alliance earlier in September.

The campaign brought together industry stakeholders to promote responsible gambling and encourage cooperation across African markets.

African iGaming Alliance CEO Peter Kesitilwe said the event was intended to establish a foundation for longer-term collaboration rather than operate solely as an annual awareness campaign.

“We want Africa Safer Gambling Week to create a platform for ongoing cooperation,” Kesitilwe said.

“The campaign may run for a week, but responsible gambling must be practised throughout the year.”

The ARGN's launch adds a separate collaborative initiative focused on research, treatment provision and regulatory standards, with its founding members seeking to translate shared player protection principles into practical measures across Africa's diverse gambling markets.