Malawi has the potential to become the next major gaming market.

Malawi, formally the Republic of Malawi (formerly known as Nyasaland), is a landlocked nation in Southeast Africa that is bordered by the Indian Ocean. Malawi is bordered by Zambia to the north-west, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique to the south-eastern and western parts of the country. Lake Malawi is the third-largest lake in Africa and is located in Malawi. The nation is one of the most populous in Africa despite its tiny size.

Despite the fact that the nation has an estimated population of 17.5 million individuals, according to the 2018 Census, the population is predicted to double by 2038. While the official language of Lilongwe is English, the native language of the country is Chichewa. The capital city is Lilongwe. Gaming is legal in South Africa, and a statutory body has been established under the Gaming Act No. 26 of 1996, as amended in 1998, to issue licenses and supervise any gambling operations. Section 4 of the Gaming Act establishes the Gaming Board, which is responsible for issuing licenses and overseeing any gambling operations. The National Lotteries Board was in charge of the administration of the national lottery. However, these two organizations amalgamated to become the Malawi Gaming Board and Lotteries Authority, which is now in charge of overseeing and regulating the entire gaming business in the nation today.

However, as previously noted, since Malawi legalized gambling in 1996 with the passage of the Gaming Act, authorities in the country have been investigating ways in which the government might profit from the associated earnings generated by the activity. Even so, the Malawian government recently released a plan to extend the nation’s gaming environment, with elements of the proposal calling for an increase in the number of casinos, sports betting, and other progressive licenses available in the country in the coming years. Despite the fact that gambling has been allowed in Malawi for more than two decades, there are only three fully licensed casinos in the whole nation. Given the fact that the legislation has only been updated once, in 2015, there is only one sport betting license in the country, which is 12.5 percent of gross revenue tax on all gambling products, which is imposed by the tax law. As a result, these are concentrated in just two cities: Blantyre and the nation’s capital, Lilongwe; and there is only one sport betting license in the country. Yet, there is currently no legislation governing internet gambling; however, given the government’s aspirations to extend its regulatory environment, it is certain that online gambling will get the attention it deserves in the nation. Despite this, Malawian players are permitted to place wagers on overseas betting platforms since there is no legislation prohibiting them from placing bets.

The Economic Situation in Malawi

Despite this, the economic status of a nation, as well as the government’s infrastructure development projects, have an impact on the gambling industry. Indeed, Malawi remains one of the world’s poorest nations, despite the fact that it has implemented important economic and structural changes to promote long-term prosperity. One may argue that this is one of the reasons why the government intends to grow the gambling industry in the nation in order to enhance its income even more. Nonetheless, the Malawi Growth and Growth Strategy (MGDS), a set of five-year plans that contribute to the achievement of the long-term objectives defined in Vision 2020, serves as a roadmap for the country’s development. This year’s MGDS III, which is entitled “Building a Productive, Competitive, and Resilient Nation,” will continue through 2022 and will concentrate on education, energy, tourism, and health. It is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. As a result, according to the World Bank’s statistics report, Malawi’s economic growth is predicted to reach 4.4 percent by the end of 2019, with the potential to increase to 5.0-5.5 percent over the medium term.

The Mobile and Internet Environment

Several recent and continuing increases in mobile user penetration, as well as a competitive mobile environment, have been identified as significant development opportunities in Malawi, according to the 2019 Malawi Digital Identity Country Report. The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA) report, which is the result of a project funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom for the benefit of developing countries, found that the high penetration of foundational identity and the up-to-date customer database held by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) provide strong foundations for innovation. Even though 4G subscriptions in Malawi are still in the minority, the country is considered a moderately mature market in terms of 3G subscription, with a significant growth in 3G subscribers over the last few years. The development of the connection environment since the introduction of 2G suggests that data-driven subscriptions will continue to grow, and that this transformation may have multiplier effects on the country’s gaming business..

Following the establishment of opportunities for more betting companies to invest in the country, it is expected that the country’s gambling industry will experience increased popularization as well as changes to the attitude of punters toward betting by 2020. Furthermore, it is anticipated that mobile betting will experience further growth as well as generate more revenue by 2020.