African gambling markets may be moving toward common self-exclusion rules after experts presented a standards proposal at the 32nd General Assembly of the African Organisation for Standardisation in Kenya.
The proposal, introduced during the Aug. 24-28 gathering, called for clearer and more consistent rules on how online self-exclusion should work across jurisdictions. The assembly was organised with the Kenya Bureau of Standards, and the gambling industry was treated as a new track alongside sectors that have traditionally been standardised.
According to KBC’s report on the meeting, the push comes as online betting expands quickly across the continent. The report said current estimates put the number of Africans gambling online at more than 200 million, or 14% of the population. As covered in July, Kenya’s draft gambling regulations had already proposed self-exclusion tools and account-freeze powers.
Dr Margaret Carran of St George’s, University of London, and Šimon Vincze, head of sustainable and safer gambling at Casino Guru, presented the Self-Exclusion Standards Project. The project aims to set clear guidelines for implementing online self-exclusion systems, which let players ask to be blocked from gambling services for a set period.
The report described several ways such schemes can work, depending on the market. They may cover a single operator, multiple operators, or different forms of gambling. Operators are expected to respect the player’s decision and deny access during the chosen period.
The problem, the report said, is that rules are often vague on implementation. It identified possible failure points around communication to players, the operator’s responsibilities, how self-exclusion is initiated and how funds are returned to excluded accounts.
The project’s authors said they used a three-stage methodology that combined a systematic review of international literature, an assessment of self-exclusion requirements in five jurisdictions, consultation with a working group and broader external feedback. They also analysed almost 600 complaints posted on Casino Guru.
The working group had 10 members from six states and three continents, and broader consultation produced almost 60 submissions from around the world. The final recommendations were said to provide a framework covering communication with players, operator duties and procedures for managing excluded accounts.
Vincze argued that protecting people at greater risk is essential to a prosperous gambling industry. The experts also said common standards could reduce harm, build trust and help regulators show a stronger commitment to safer gambling across different countries and regulatory environments.
