At first thought, it might be difficult to think of how the two approaches to the industry are similar at all. However, it is important to keep an open mind when it comes to these different systems, and examine a variety of tactics employed by different people to find what works and what simply does not.

Let’s begin by discussing similarities. If we look at the states as their own “countries”, we will be able to draw more similar comparisons with Africa as a whole. Speaking of countries where online gambling is legal, such as Tanzania and Kenya, to mention a few, and comparing them to some of the states that also have the hobby legalized, we can begin to compare their growth, struggles, and strategies to facilitate their own functions in their society.

What Growth Have We Already Seen?

Firstly though, let us take a look at the two premier American states that have introduced online casinos, and the potential successes they have had.

New Jersey has been seeing an overall booming growth in gambling revenue as a whole, bringing in a record breaking $5.21 billion for the state, matching its previous record, and $1.66 billion of which is from online gaming. This income had grown from the previous number by 21.6%. This also means that of their record $5.21 billion,  31.86% was from online casinos alone.

Pennsylvania has similarly been having an exceptional year in 2022, reaching a state record breaking $5.2 billion, with another state record breaking $1.36 billion from online gaming. This sector has experienced an astounding 22.6% growth from just the year before, and is accounting for 26.15% of the total income from gambling in the state.

The level of growth that these online casinos have brought in here, especially in conjunction with the offline casinos is truly self-evident in these states. Both the offline and online casinos seem to work flawlessly together, and compensate for the weaknesses of one another to reach an audience far greater than either one could achieve alone. For clarity, it should be explained that these online casinos allow their users to win real money, much like their physical, offline counterparts. It is not a wonder then that these are already accessible in 2023 in both states previously mentioned and you can find recommendations for real money casinos in business2community.com.

These two states show the power that proper legislation and management can have on the online market. This, coupled with the offline market, can help supplement overall economic growth that may have been previously unprecedented, or stunted for one reason or another. A friendly reminder worth noting is that these online casinos are immune to certain issues, or better yet, thrive in situations where offline casinos may suffer instead.

This does sound quite impressive, but what guarantee do investors and users have that this will translate properly? Thankfully, we don’t have to speculate too much. Tanzania is generally regarded as a pioneer for the online casino world in Africa, with solid regulations from 2012 revisited as recently as 2019, they foster growth in this economic sector, and facilitate the infrastructure required to help its function in the country. Because of this care, they have seen rapid growth in the online gambling sector. In fact, Tanzania saw an astounding 97% increase in its online gaming sector from TZS 7 billion to TZS 13.8 billion in 2022.

How Do Their Situations Compare?

Similar to Africa, while the USA have had land-based gambling available and legal for a while now, online casinos have been having a bit of a rough time getting the same amount of respect, with a vast majority of the states having it be outright illegal. 6 of these states, however, do have it legalized, and legislated.

This situation is quite different to the African countries. While some certainly do have the practice banned outright, it is not a majority. Sadly, many of these countries where it is permitted are still lagging far behind when it comes to proper legislation for this online market environment.

As with the rest of the world, one must account for the growing technological industry in Africa, including things such as 5G and AI, particularly when discussing the future of something such as eGaming. As these technologies become better implemented in the African continent, and access to smartphones, stable connection and better tech become more commonplace, the eGaming industry will have an easier time accessing the large population available to it, to increase its player base at competitive rates.

With these in mind, we can start to understand why Africa’s online casino industry is finally starting to be able to take off. However, it is important to keep in mind the countries which are not regulating it properly, and the positive and negative impacts this may have.

What Issues Have There Been?

While this is amazing news to anyone considering this sector, there is a reason we have mentioned the regulations as well, and specified that many countries are not yet properly regulated. An example of this is the country of Nigeria. In Nigeria, there are the Nigerian national regulatory body, the Nigeria Lottery Regulatory Commission and the Lagos State Lotteries Board. Both of these companies claim the right to impose regulation, and as such routinely have issues with one another. This is just one of the ways in which issues may arise from such ineffective regulations.

The skeptical reader may still be unconvinced. After all, is there anything to say for why the online may be more favorable to the offline? For that, I bring forward the case of Nevada, home of Los Angeles and a state known for its casinos. Nevada  definitely felt the brunt of the effects of the pandemic. Strangely enough, online casinos are illegal in Nevada, and while it has recovered now, casino revenue saw a massive 31.74% dip from 2019 to 2020, going from $12 billion, to $7.8 billion.

Incomparable, Or Closer Than They Seem?

So what does this all mean? While they naturally have their differences in strengths and weaknesses, it turns out America and Africa are closer related than we may have assumed at first glance. We can see that both the USA and Africa have a solid gambling foundation in the offline market, with many people from both places enjoying gambling, particularly betting on sports in their free time.

Even more so, if we take a look at the regulated and legalized locations of both areas, we can see a massive opportunity for economic growth that neither location has fully yet realized. While Africa may allow for the investment at the investor’s own risk, America has only to look to its own success stories to legalize the practice in its other states.