This year’s event puts a spotlight on the crucial role South African provinces play in regulating casinos and sports betting, ensuring fair operations and protecting residents from harm.
South Africa.- Gaming regulators from across Africa will convene in South Africa’s North West Province on November 17 to 20, 2025 for the 16th Annual Gaming Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF) Conference.
The event, which rotates among member countries, serves as a key meeting point for officials to share strategies on gambling oversight. GRAF, established in 2003, unites regulatory bodies to address shared issues like online betting growth and player protection.
This year’s event in the North West Province puts a spotlight on the crucial role South African provinces play in regulating casinos and sports betting, ensuring fair operations and protecting residents from harm. The North West Gambling Board (NWGB) is responsible for overseeing the region’s gambling sector, which features nine licensed casinos, such as Sun City, generating revenue for local communities through tourism and taxes.
The GRAF meeting is expected to draw participants from several African countries, including South Africa, Ghana, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, based on membership and previous attendance. While this year’s speaker lineup remains under wraps, it would most likely include a top executive of the NWGB. Previous events have featured regulators like Joseph Adongo, former GRAF chair and head of Kenya’s betting regulatory body.
At a previous forum in Swaziland, Adongo explained the need for joint efforts, saying: “The unique regulatory hurdles in African gaming demand collective action to build trust and sustainability.”
Past conferences offer a glimpse into what attendees can anticipate. The 15th edition, held in Durban, South Africa, in April 2024, covered sports betting security and responsible gambling, drawing more than 150 delegates. Speakers from South Africa’s National Gambling Board discussed upcoming policy changes, while Botswana representatives shared approaches to fighting financial crimes. The 14th forum in Gaborone, Botswana, 2023, focused on post-pandemic recovery, with talks on digital migration that helped members like Tanzania update their remote gaming licences.
The importance of conferences like GRAF lies in their ability to facilitate policy discussions and promote responsible gambling practices that prioritise people and communities. Regulators leverage these meetings to update their approaches to combating fraud and ensuring transparency. Outcomes often lead to tangible changes, such as shared guidelines on data privacy adopted after prior events, which help combat illegal sites and support jobs in the industry.
As the host for this year’s edition, the NWGB has begun promoting the conference on its social media pages. The regulator describes the event as “an essential space for progress in regulation” and urges stakeholders to register early.
olanipekunjohn
focusgn.com
