Experts have urged African gaming regulators to adopt smarter technology to detect risky player behaviour, curb financial harm and protect consumers as the digital gaming market expands.
The experts made the call in a communique issued on Sunday in Lagos after the 17th Annual GRAF Compliance Conference in Maputo, Mozambique.
The recommendation came during a panel session titled, “The Data-Driven Regulator: Utilizing Non-Intrusive Tech to Enforce Responsible Gaming,” which examined how technology could strengthen regulatory oversight without creating unnecessary barriers to industry growth.
The Commercial Director of Evidentia AI, Ms Ajibola Abdulkadir, urged regulators to shift from reactive enforcement to proactive player protection.
Abdulkadir said technology could give regulators greater visibility into player behaviour and emerging risks without disrupting the gaming experience.
She called for API-based transaction monitoring to become a formal ore-licensing requirement for gaming operators.
She said access to transaction data should be embedded in the conditions operators must meet before entering the market.
Abdulkadir also urged African regulators to strengthen cross-border collaboration by sharing practical experiences, regulatory approaches and case studies on responsible gaming.
She said stronger standards, regional cooperation and proactive consumer protection were essential as Africa’s digital gaming market continued to expand.
Mr Didier Bobwa, Head of IT, Gambling and Games Monitoring, Democratic Republic of Congo, said the country was modernising its regulatory framework.
He said the country had established a dedicated monitoring unit and a Central Monitoring System to strengthen oversight of the gaming industry.
Bobwa said the system linked operators, payment providers and regulators through shared data architecture to identify early signs of addiction.
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He said it could also detect unusual financial activity and excessive indebtedness among players.
Bobwa added that server-security testing and incident-response requirements were important components of effective monitoring.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, Mr Bashir Are, said regulators could not adequately assess player risk using data from one operator.
Are said players often spread their activities across different platforms to circumvent spending thresholds and cooling-off periods.
He compared the situation with banking, where a customer’s overall borrowing is assessed across different lenders to establish financial exposure.
Mr Moruntshi Kemorwale, Chief Executive Officer of the Gambling Authority, Botswana, said the country had deployed an AI-powered chatbot.
He said the chatbot enabled regulators to identify consumer concerns that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Kemorwale said interactive technology could provide regulators with direct insight into public sentiment and emerging concerns among players.
The experts agreed that effective gaming oversight required regulators to have timely access to reliable data while maintaining safeguards for privacy and cybersecurity.
They also highlighted the need to balance consumer protection with innovation and sustainable growth in Africa’s expanding digital gaming economy.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Evidentia AI is a gaming revenue intelligence and compliance monitoring company.
It develops AI-powered tools for regulators, finance ministries and gaming boards to monitor gaming transactions and revenue flows.
NAN
