If you are a local, it should come as no surprise, but we Africans like to gamble. In fact, we love to gamble. The fact that you can find something to risk your hard-earned money on in almost every city and village is proof of that. In just a few short decades, gambling grew from a niche hobby to the favorite pastime it is today.

But the boom in popularity was not a good thing. It revealed many underlying issues with Africa’s gambling market, which we still struggle with today. Seeing how local governments try and fail to find solutions on their own, we thought it might be helpful to get an outside expert’s opinion on the situation.

That brings us to our interviewee, Daniel Dolejsi, the Social & Community Manager for Casino Guru.

Hello Daniel, thank you for making time for us. To start with, could you introduce our readers to Casino Guru?

Thank you for having me, it’s a pleasure.

Casino Guru is currently the Internet’s biggest up-to-date database of online casinos and online casino bonuses. But we aim to be much more than just a simple online casino review site. We wish to make online gambling safer, fairer, and more enjoyable for everyone. Because, as our motto says, “Players matter”.

Writing honest online casino reviews is just the start. We want online casinos to do better.

We actively pursue and help solve players’ complaints with specific gambling operators. We carefully evaluate each complaint submitted to us and judge it based on our fair gambling codex. If we find that the casino was objectively unfair towards the player, we try to mediate the communication between the two parties and help resolve the issue.

Besides that, we host an online forum, where gamblers from all over the world can meet and interact. We are particularly proud of our built-in translation feature. With it, players can chat without even speaking the same language!
Last but not least is our “Guide” section, created by our team of experts on gambling-related topics. You’ll find there a variety of topics, ranging from casino game explanations to problem gambling help articles.

All of this is Casino Guru.

What do you think of the current situation of Africa’s gambling market?

It’s evident that the market here is very troubled right now. What the exact reasons behind that are, I can only hazard to guess. If I were to blame something it would be the local market’s rapid growth. Because of its boom in gambling popularity, Africa’s market is catching up to those of North America, Europe, or Asia. On top of that, many industry insiders are hailing it as the “next big thing”.

The issue is that the other countries have had years to figure out their gambling laws. But Africa hasn’t. Compared to other countries, Africa’s gambling industry is relatively young. That means it’s had much less time to experiment with its regulations. As a result, regulators were unprepared to face the problems we see today at such a large scale.

In your opinion, what are the biggest issues governments should focus on right now?

There are three particularly pressing problems. First is the lack of good casino industry regulation and a licensing entity. Second is the general public’s misunderstanding of gambling’s risks and the scarcity of available information on this topic. Third and final are the missing helplines, therapists, and treatment centers for problem gamblers.

How would you recommend governments set up the necessary regulatory and licensing organs?

To start with, governments should go over the regulations currently in place and reconsider them in the context of today’s market. Some might need updating, while others might be obsolete altogether. I would recommend that countries draw some inspiration from well-established markets like the UK, or more locally, South Africa.

Both countries I just mentioned have a unique regulatory body set up to oversee gambling operators, ensuring that they operate lawfully and fairly. The UK has its Gambling Commission, while South Africa has its National Gambling Board.

Speaking of the UK’s Gambling Commission brings me to my point regarding the need for a local licensing entity. There are many benefits to setting one up. Any country can control the entry of new gambling operators into its market through licensing. Unwanted operators can be forced out by not renewing their licenses. Through these legal mechanics, countries have incredible power over the quality control of their markets.

And that’s not where the benefits end. All licensed operators must pay licensing fees and taxes. Additionally, if they break the law, they can be fined or be taken to court. This way, countries have leverage over the operators to ensure that they act in fairness and legality.

Why is it a problem if the general public does not understand gambling’s risks? How would you address this issue?

In many cultures, gambling is often viewed similarly to alcoholism or drug use. It’s taboo and rarely discussed. The unfortunate fact is that this approach to such topics has several negative consequences.

The first of many is the fact new players not understanding the risks they’re taking. The Kenyan student who committed suicide after losing his entire school tuition on a bet is a tragic example of this. Gambling addiction can destroy players’ entire livelihoods and families. Another consequence is that struggling players have no one to talk to about their problems. They are afraid of being shunned by their peers, friends, and family. To top it off, players who somehow manage to notice their addiction often either don’t know that there’s help out there, or they can’t get it.

That is why I think countries should invest in public awareness campaigns. Ideally, they could target particularly vulnerable communities. It could be through targeted online advertising, TV advertising, school curriculums, etc. The main point is to let people know that gambling can be dangerous, but that there is help out there.

Casino Guru tries to inform players as well. Our “Guide” section features many informative articles on this topic. But a single website can only do so much. That is why I think there is a real need for a nationwide gambling awareness effort.

Everything you have mentioned so far is quite expensive. How do you imagine governments funding the activities you recommend?

In truth, the local gambling industry can fund a significant part of the solutions by itself. Governments can cut down their necessary expenses by effectively sourcing and reinvesting the gambling taxes and licensing fees I mentioned before. If done well, this can even help fund helplines and gambling therapy centers.

Through smart budgeting and careful planning, governments will be able to launch even bigger responsible gambling schemes. Like, for example, a nationwide self-exclusion scheme.

Could you please explain what a self-exclusion scheme is?

Self-exclusion is essentially a blacklist, which allows players to ban themselves from gambling venues. It is highly variable as well. It can be either for online or land-based operators. People can self-exclude for a set period of time or indefinitely. It can be limited to a single gambling operator, or it can be nationwide.

Unfortunately, nationwide schemes are notoriously difficult to implement. Only a few countries have managed to do it well. But in my opinion, it is well worth the trouble. That’s why at Casino Guru, we’re planning to launch a Global Self-Exclusion Initiative. We have high hopes for it, as it could potentially radically change responsible gambling for the better.

What motivated you to get involved in the issue of self-exclusion and how do you plan to implement it?

We want to give struggling players a viable way out of problem gambling habits. It’s incredibly simple to fall back into online gambling because it’s so easily accessible anywhere and anytime. A global self-exclusion scheme could help solve that issue.

But that’s not something that any single company or entity can achieve. So, we’ve started reaching out to regulators and other gambling authorities to build a team of highly knowledgeable professionals to help make this ambition into reality.

Thank you for your time, Daniel, and good luck with creating a safer future for the gambling industry.

Thank you, it was my pleasure.