(PRESS RELEASE) -- Global betting company
1xBet conducted a comprehensive study as part of its
Global Player Protection Index Reports series, revealing an omnichannel gap — a systemic difference in protecting players betting online and in physical venues. Online entertainment platforms rely on KYC procedures, self-exclusion tools, user behavior monitoring, and other mechanisms to support safe gambling. By contrast, the offline betting sector often undermines the foundations of responsible gambling and requires closer regulatory oversight.
Offline betting as African iGaming market's structural realityIn most countries across the continent, betting shops dominate over online platforms. This reality is shaped not only by player habits and regional culture, but also by infrastructure. Cash transactions and local payment methods are very popular in Africa.
This trend underlies the market's main challenge: a retail-focused model centered on cash. This means it becomes more difficult for regulators and operators to analyze player behavior. Industry experts participating in the 1xBet study emphasize that the absence of real-time user behavioral monitoring complicates the timely identification of risk patterns.
The situation is further intensified by the widespread dominance of SMS and USSD mobile payments in Africa, which are processed through agents. According to findings from the large-scale 1xBet study, 45% of respondents rated the importance of mobile transactions for player protection at 5 out of 10.
Online vs retail: security standards imbalanceAccording to surveys of operators and industry experts conducted as part of the 1xBet study, 75% of iGaming platforms in Africa and 74% in Western Europe use KYC checks to ensure secure gambling. While basic compliance exists, security standards differ significantly between online and retail betting locations.
Data from 1xBet's analytical research, carried out within the Global Player Protection Index Reports series, confirms that the online iGaming segment is far easier to transform into a manageable system. KYC, limits, behavioral scoring, and self-exclusion tools ensure a high level of player protection.
In the offline segment, many of these mechanisms are either missing or applied inconsistently, depending on the betting shop's management and staff.
Omnichannel gap hinders responsible gambling culture developmentAs a result of uneven oversight, betting channels frequently change. For instance, the effectiveness of the self-exclusion mechanisms is substantially weakened, as users can bypass restrictions simply by visiting physical betting shops.
Research by 1xBet shows that around 30% of African iGaming operators warn players with large winnings about additional risks. While many companies follow basic responsible gambling principles, these measures do not yet extend across the entire market.
Unfortunately, this imbalance has practical implications. Nigeria has an effective system for protecting online players, but agents can freely accept bets in betting shops. This undermines regulatory efforts and contributes to the expansion of a "gray" gambling sector. In Benin, for example, among 66 operating providers, only three hold licenses. The 1xBet study shows that the share of illegal companies' revenue in this country is estimated at approximately 30% of the betting market.
Why haven't regulators closed the gap yet?The imbalance between oversight of online platforms and retail betting venues has emerged for several reasons:
- developed cash economy and "gray" markets: cash transactions are difficult to digitize, and the widespread use of mobile payments and agent-based services significantly complicates monitoring;
- low levels of digitalization in land-based betting shops: online control is absent, as is the ability to respond promptly to violations of iGaming regulations;
- lack of operational guidelines: although a regulatory framework exists, there are no effective mechanisms for its practical enforcement. This is partly because regulatory policies were developed decades ago. A clear example is Zambia, where legislation remains outdated and fails to reflect recent technological advances.
The online betting segment and the offline betting niche must be integrated into a single market. Without this consolidation, it is impossible to ensure a high level of player protection. The omnichannel gap is a systemic issue, not a side effect of the iGaming industry development. Excessive regulatory pressure on online platforms does not address the root causes of the problem, but instead encourages players to switch betting channels.
Therefore, the user protection architecture in the betting industry must be based on a unified system in which limits, KYC procedures, self-exclusion, identification, and automated monitoring apply equally to all players, regardless of how they access betting services.
The practical implications of the 1xBet study are relevant not only to regulators and operators but also to the affiliate marketing ecosystem that directs users to iGaming products. This makes it important to examine how these principles are applied in affiliate marketing and audience communications. 1xAffiliates actively employs modern monitoring systems and effective player protection tools. It also promotes a culture of responsible gambling through themed events featuring celebrity ambassadors who serve as trusted role models for users.
1xAffiliates makes a meaningful contribution to building a safe betting environment that meets the expectations of both operators and players.