For operators eyeing African iGaming growth, regulatory volatility remains one of the biggest barriers — and South Africa’s long-promised online gambling regulation is a prime example.
“Everyone’s been talking about it for years,” said Schmidt “The makeup of the South African government — because it consists of so many parties — is arguably less stable than others.
“When it comes to gambling regulation, that means it could either take five years or be added into law tomorrow,” Schmidt said when asked about the country’s gambling reform plans.
For context, in April 2024 the Democratic Alliance (DA), then in opposition, introduced new online gambling legislation to the country’s parliament.
Following elections in May, South Africa formed a 10-party coalition, with the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance being the two strongest parties.
Expanding in Africa – but not everywhere
Despite the legislative limbo, EveryMatrix is doubling down on Africa. The supplier recently opened a new office in Ballito, on South Africa’s east coast, and is hiring across commercial and management roles.
Schmidt, currently the sole team member on the ground, expects staff numbers to grow to eight or 10 in the short term. But he’s quick to point out that EveryMatrix isn’t chasing scale in every corner of the continent.
The company is focusing on markets with strong omni-channel potential and player familiarity — particularly in Francophone West and Central Africa.
Relationships first, products second
Doing business in Africa, Schmidt emphasised, is all about relationships.
“It’s not transactional — you need face-to-face interaction, and you have to understand the culture,” he said. Operators face unique challenges: even small tasks like cross-border invoicing can be time-consuming and complex.
The product, too, must be tailored. Sports betting, both pre-match and in-play, remains central. Casino offerings need to be localised — featuring games built specifically for regional markets.
“Your platform has to be robust and stable — it needs to handle millions of bets each day without crashing,” Schmidt warned.
“Because the one thing in Africa: if your platform goes down, players will jump ship quickly and won’t come back,” he added.
Consolidation ahead?
In competitive or mature markets like South Africa, building from scratch doesn’t always make sense.
“Hollywoodbets and Betway control between 80% and 85% of the market,” Schmidt noted.
“They’re not going anywhere. Everyone else is chasing the remaining 15%, and many of those operators are family-run businesses that started at horse racing tracks.”
For these operators, keeping up with tech demands is a struggle. Schmidt believes consolidation is inevitable.
“There are a few brands in South Africa, especially family businesses, that are primed for acquisition,” he said.
“If you want to be a Tier 1 operator, you need serious funding. Otherwise, organic growth is incredibly difficult and takes years.”
He added: “That’s why acquisition is usually the smarter move. You get the player base and the backend.”
Outside South Africa, the acquisition landscape is murkier.
“In many markets, reporting is poor and player value is low,” Schmidt said. “You can end up overpaying for bad data—or underpricing an asset you didn’t understand.”
One major hurdle is the lack of clean, reliable player data. “A lot of these businesses haven’t been around long enough to build proper reporting systems,” he explained. “It’s often a guessing game.”Retail isn’t dead
While the future is digital, retail betting still holds sway — especially in South Africa.
“Look at Hollywoodbets,” Schmidt said. “They’ve got around 100 shops, and each one has a restaurant, a bar, in-house security — it’s an amazing setup, but the overheads are high.”
Still, Schmidt said, mobile-first experiences are key to reaching the next generation of punters.
“We have a full omni-channel solution that works whether an operator is online-only or wants to combine retail and online,” said Schmidt.
“That ability to cover the entire market is something few of our competitors can offer.”
RG falling behind
One area desperately in need of improvement, Schmidt noted, is responsible gambling (RG) infrastructure.
“Someone told me they had to print a self-exclusion form, sign it, and then wait for a response by post,” he said. “Even worse, if you exclude yourself in one province, that exclusion doesn’t apply nationwide.”
With high unemployment and social vulnerability, the need for effective RG measures is urgent.
“I’ve seen the problems firsthand. It’s something that really needs to be taken seriously,” he added.
Crypto: “Spiralling out of control”
Moreover, illegal crypto casinos are cutting into legitimate operators’ revenue — and the tax base.
“South Africa is losing 40% to 50% in tax revenue to untaxed operators,” Schmidt said. “Some of the biggest operators on the top 100 list are crypto casinos operating without a licence.”
“It’s something that’s spiralled out of control,” he warned. “With crypto, you’re no longer dealing with international bank transfers. It’s made everything far easier for these illegal operators.”
He added: “If I’m paying tax and you’re not — you’re going to win. That’s the way it is, but I don’t see much being done to stop it.”
A word on Kenya
Beyond South Africa, Kenya stands out as one of the continent’s more advanced markets.
“In of payments, it’s world-class,” Schmidt said. “Withdrawals are instant. If it takes more than 30 seconds, something’s wrong.”
Kenyan platforms are also incredibly data-light but content-rich — perfect for mobile.
“Technically, they’re miles ahead of the rest of the continent,” he said. “South African operators often think they’re the leaders, but Kenya is arguably first-world in this space.”
Still, Kenya isn’t without risk. “Taxation is always changing depending on who’s in power,” Schmidt explained. “The companies that succeed there are locally owned and culturally fluent.”
Localisation is key
Ultimately, what sets EveryMatrix apart in South Africa — and across the continent — is a deep commitment to localisation and a clear-eyed view of what African players actually want.
Through its SlotMatrix platform, EveryMatrix offers branded, low-data games designed specifically for regional tastes.
“A lot of products from Europe don’t work here. Some of the games we tested take up to a minute and a half to load — that’s way too long,” Schmidt explained.
“We work with local studios that know what works. A game that’s popular in Nigeria might not work in Ghana or Uganda. That nuance matters.”
With major operator gs in the pipeline and a flexible omni-channel offering, EveryMatrix is positioning itself not just as a tech provider, but as a partner that listens, adapts, and delivers.
