From an African betting perspective, the World Cup, much like the teams representing them, is on the up. Africa has become an exciting breeding ground for sports betting over the past few years, particularly in Nigeria and South Africa.


Te 2022 World Cup in Qatar is in full swing. Tirty-two teams from six continents started on the journey to football’s most prestigious trophy on 20 November and it will be left to just two teams to do battle for the Jules Rimet Trophy on 18 December. Starting out on that voyage to dreamland are five teams from Africa – Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, Tunisia, and Morocco – and all set their sights on being the first nation from the continent to lift that most coveted of prizes.


African teams have only had glimpses of success at the World Cup since Egypt became the first representative from the continent in 1934. Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010 are the only nations to have reached the quarterfinals and at the last World Cup in 2018, no African country reached the knockout stages.


With the group stages now in the past, it is hoped that at least one of the quintet have advanced to the last-16. Of those teams, Senegal looked to have the strongest chance. Tey are the current holders of the Africa Cup of Nations and with players such as Bayern Munich star, Sadio Mane, to call upon, they could raise a few eyebrows as the tournament reaches the business end.


Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Congo are also advancing in the right direction so it looks like the African betting markets’ popularity may peak over the course of the tournament.


Africa multi-bets and accumulators are big, so margins are high. African operators are generally operating at a higher margin than the UK, US, and Europe and that is all down to boosts, special bets and accas.To the punter – they want to see value in their bet, and they are not going to bet unless the juice is worth the squeeze.


Take a 20-fold accumulator for example – orders of groups, who the top two will be – that’s where they’ll get value at the price. At the end of the day, the average stake is $3-$4, so it can be very volatile given betting habits.


Whilst the World Cup is a hugely popular tournament around the world - betting will be popular throughout the four weeks it is on - it won’t hit the heights of betting on the Premier League. It is not on the same level. Yes, it is obviously popular – but when it comes to volume and scale of betting that takes place week in and week out, then it can’t compete with those leagues across Europe.


We know Africa loves football – they keep a close eye on European soccer and want to see the players in action, especially local superstars, so there is a keen interest, and this tournament happens once every four years, so it is a unique event. In terms of popularity as a


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product, it does do well and there is big hype. Five African countries are taking part this year so that is a combined population of close to 100 million, so it shows that there will be plenty of people watching.


Brandon Walker Business Development Manager Amelco


“Africa multi-bets and


accumulators are big, so margins are high. African operators are generally


operating at a higher margin than the UK, US, and Europe and that is all down to boosts, special bets and accas.To the punter – they want to see


value in their bet, and they are not going to bet unless the juice is worth the squeeze.”


Will there be different pricing for international games? Yes, it is always harder for a bookmaker to price up knockouts, different coaches, teams only come together a few weeks before – one injury can change everything. So, it is very volatile pricing so there’s a lot of unknowns. For example, how much do bookies know about Canadian and Moroccan national teams? Tere are lots of variables at play so of course this is all reflected in the pricing.


Tere is a lot of value in betting on World Cup games for punters in this instance – as they can get an edge over the market as long as they take the time to the analyse teams. For example, Serbia and Switzerland are in a group with Brazil and Cameroon. Apart from Brazil, you would say the other teams are evenly matched so that could be a very interesting group in terms of different types of bets.


Trow in the weather too – and who knows? Tere are so many factors at play that make this a more volatile betting event. Tis is the first time that the World Cup is being held in a desert. If you factor that in, that brings an advantage to teams like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. I think we’ve got plenty of potential for upsets and surprises during the tournament and we could see big teams going home early.


Along with South Africa, Nigeria is also at the forefront of sports betting in Africa. Nigeria, even though both they and South Africa didn’t make it through qualifying, will be very active in throwing their betting hat into the ring. Tey are the second biggest market in Africa barring South Africa so expect them to bet big.


“With five African sides lining- up, each of them has played at a World Cup before. Since 1998, Africa has had five nations represent the


continent at each tournament except for 2010 when six


teams took part (South Africa were hosts so automatically qualified). Although the five nations don’t have a serious betting output in their own jurisdiction, interest levels will remain high.”


I would expect them to bet on a lot of multiples and accas, so they will be seeking that value. Also, there are other markets to keep an eye on such as Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Congo so it will be interesting to see how they do.


With five African sides lining-up, each of them has played at a World Cup before. Since 1998, Africa has had five nations represent the continent at each tournament except for 2010 when six teams took part (South Africa were hosts so automatically qualified). Although the five nations don’t have a serious betting output in their own jurisdiction, interest levels will remain high.


Tere are five teams so obviously I expect interest and the betting volume will be high. South African and Nigerians, for example, will look to back these five countries ahead of European nations because of continental pride.


Te data and technology for sports betting is improving so fast and I expect to see an all- time record for betting volume at this World Cup. I think it is safe to say that the future of sport in Africa is in good hands, both on and off the pitch.


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