Lottery in Africa

Online lottery is a game of chance in which winners are chosen by drawing of lots from among those who have paid money to participate. Consumers must purchase an entry ticket for a chance to win. Therefore lottery involves three elements – prize, luck and consideration (a purchase or fee). The prize can be a fixed amount of cash or more commonly a fixed percentage of the lottery amount sold.

Major Lotteries in Africa:

The South African National Lottery, established in 2000, is the biggest lottery in Africa continent by value and number of players. Apart from South Africa, lotteries are played in almost all countries in Africa including Morocco, Algeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritius, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Ghana, Cameroon and Namibia.

Africa Lottery regulators:

African Association of State Lotteries (AALE) is the regional association of International Association of State Lotteries (AILE) which was operational prior to the formation of World Lottery Association (WLA).
The South African National Lottery is regulated by National Lotteries Board which was established in 1998. The National Lottery Regulatory Commission is the body that regulates lottery activities in Nigeria. The commission was established through the National Lottery Act of 2005.
Every country is regulated by gaming boards like Gaming Board of Tanzania which was established under the Gaming Act Cap. 41 and became effective on 1st July 2003. It is responsible for overseeing, monitoring and regulating the conduct of gaming activities in Tanzania. National Lottery Authority is a statutory agency of Ghana.

Popular African Online Lottery Games:

Lotteries in different forms like instant card games, lotto, keno, powerball are very popular in Africa.

Popular Africa Lottery Forms:

Traditionally paper lottery and scratch lottery games are popular. But recently even online lotteries are getting popular in African population owing to the convenience it offers. There are many gaming portals launched in continent which allow people to buy lottery online through secure payments.

Africa Lottery Fund Utilization:

Funds raised by the lotteries in Africa are used for government programs and charitable causes. For example, Kenya Charity Sweepstake operates the lottery in Kenya to raise funds in order to assist the government to fight poverty, illiteracy, and disease. The organization raises funds through the sale of instant win scratch tickets which are sold countrywide by KCS agents and post offices on the commission basis. KCS also promotes “Everyone is a winner” to push a message that even if you don’t win a prize someone is benefiting.