The strategic partnership connects Africa’s gaming regulatory community with the wider international industry
SBC and the Gaming Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF) have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening regulatory dialogue, knowledge exchange and collaboration across Africa’s rapidly evolving gaming markets.
Under the partnership, SBC will support the GRAF 2026 Conference, taking place from 14–17 September 2026 at the Joaquim Chissano International Conference Centre in Maputo, Mozambique. GRAF will, in turn, become an Event Partner of the African Gaming Forum, taking place during SBC Summit 2026 in Lisbon.
The partnership creates an important institutional bridge between Africa’s gaming regulatory community and the wider international gaming industry, providing new opportunities for dialogue and engagement between regulators, policymakers, operators, suppliers and other senior industry stakeholders.
Strengthening Africa’s Voice in the Global Gaming Conversation
As part of its participation in Lisbon, GRAF will play a central role in the African Gaming Forum’s regulatory programme, hosting a dedicated GRAF: African Gaming Under the Microscope regulatory panel featuring senior representatives from gaming authorities across the continent.
Taking place on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, at the Myriad Hotel, the invite-only African Gaming Forum will bring together regulators, policymakers, operators and other senior industry stakeholders for a focused day of discussion on the opportunities, challenges and regulatory developments shaping gaming across Africa.
The partnership reflects a shared recognition that Africa’s gaming sector cannot be understood as a single market.
Gaming regulation across the continent is evolving at different speeds and within distinct legal, institutional, economic and social contexts. Strengthening engagement between African regulators and the wider international industry is therefore essential to promoting greater regulatory understanding, responsible market development and meaningful knowledge exchange.
GRAF provides a dedicated platform through which African gaming regulators can collaborate, exchange experience and address shared regulatory challenges.
SBC, meanwhile, is placing an increasingly strong emphasis on Africa as a key growth region within its international events portfolio, creating further opportunities for regulators, operators, suppliers and other stakeholders to engage with the wider global gaming community.
The partnership therefore brings together two organisations with a shared interest in ensuring that regulatory dialogue remains central to the future development of gaming markets across Africa.
GRAF Presidential Participation at SBC Summit
Reuben Mabutho Zwane, President of the Gaming Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF), will attend SBC Summit 2026 in Lisbon, including the African Gaming Forum, as part of GRAF’s strategic engagement under the new partnership.
His participation will provide an opportunity to engage directly with senior regulators, policymakers, operators, investors, technology providers and other international industry leaders on the regulatory developments and market opportunities shaping gaming across Africa and globally.
The engagement forms part of GRAF’s broader objective of ensuring that African regulatory perspectives are represented at the highest levels of international industry dialogue, while strengthening relationships and knowledge exchange between the continent’s regulatory institutions and the wider global gaming ecosystem.
Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “Africa is not one gaming market. Every jurisdiction is developing at its own pace, with different regulatory frameworks, priorities and challenges. If we want to have meaningful conversations about the future of gaming across the continent, regulators need to be at the centre of them.
That is what makes this partnership with GRAF so important. They bring together the people actually shaping gaming regulation across Africa, and through the African Gaming Forum we can create a space where those perspectives are heard alongside those of operators and the wider industry.
We are also very pleased to support GRAF’s own event in Maputo. This is not about a one-off collaboration in Lisbon. We see a real opportunity to support greater knowledge exchange between African jurisdictions and connect those conversations with the international gaming community.”
Reuben Mabutho Zwane, President of the Gaming Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF), said: “This partnership marks an important step in strengthening Africa’s voice within the global gaming conversation.
Africa’s gaming markets are evolving rapidly, but the continent is not a single market and cannot be approached as one. Each jurisdiction has its own regulatory priorities, institutional realities and development objectives. It is therefore essential that African regulators have a strong platform through which to exchange experience, engage internationally and help shape the conversations that increasingly influence the future of our industry.
Through this partnership with SBC, GRAF will further strengthen the bridge between Africa’s regulatory community and the wider international gaming ecosystem. Our objective is to promote meaningful dialogue, knowledge exchange and responsible engagement between regulators, policymakers, operators, technology providers and other stakeholders.
We are particularly pleased that the partnership creates a two-way platform: SBC will support the continued development of GRAF’s work in bringing African regulators together, while GRAF will contribute directly to the international dialogue through the African Gaming Forum at SBC Summit.
This is not simply about events. It is about building stronger relationships, improving regulatory understanding and ensuring that Africa participates meaningfully in shaping the future of a rapidly changing global industry.
We look forward to working with SBC and regulatory colleagues across the continent to advance that shared agenda.”
Senior African Regulatory Leadership Confirmed
The African Gaming Forum has already confirmed participation from senior regulatory representatives across several key African markets, including:
Further regulatory representatives from across the continent are expected to join the Forum.
• Moruntshi Kemorwale, CEO of the Gambling Authority Botswana;
• Lungile Dukwana, CEO of South Africa’s National Gambling Board;
• Emmanuel Siisi Quainoo, Acting Commissioner of the Gaming Commission of Ghana;
• Peter Maina Karimi, Director General of Kenya’s Gaming Regulatory Authority; and
• Bashir Are, CEO of the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority.
The regulatory programme will provide a platform for senior decision-makers to engage directly on some of the most significant developments shaping African gaming markets.
Discussions will address issues including:
• market entry and expansion;
• evolving regulatory frameworks;
• taxation;
• regulatory cooperation;
• responsible gambling;
• emerging technology; and
• opportunities across both established and developing African markets.
The objective is to create meaningful engagement between those responsible for regulating gaming markets and the wider ecosystem of businesses and stakeholders participating in their development.
A Two-Way Partnership
The strategic partnership extends beyond a single event.
SBC’s support for the GRAF 2026 Conference in Maputo will assist in bringing together gaming regulators and other key stakeholders from across Africa for dialogue on shared challenges and emerging opportunities.
At the same time, GRAF’s participation in the African Gaming Forum in Lisbon will ensure that African regulatory perspectives form an integral part of the wider international discussion taking place during SBC Summit.
The partnership therefore creates a two-way bridge:
AFRICA → THE GLOBAL GAMING COMMUNITY
and
THE GLOBAL GAMING COMMUNITY → AFRICA
This engagement will support a deeper understanding of the diversity, complexity and potential of African gaming markets while creating opportunities for greater cooperation and knowledge exchange.
About the African Gaming Forum
The African Gaming Forum will take place during SBC Summit 2026, SBC’s flagship global event, which will welcome 40,000 industry professionals to the Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) and MEO Arena from 29 September to 1 October 2026.
The invite-only Forum will bring together senior regulators, policymakers, operators, investors, suppliers and other industry leaders for focused discussions on the future of gaming across Africa.
GRAF President Reuben Mabutho Zwane will participate in SBC Summit 2026 and the African Gaming Forum as part of GRAF’s strategic engagement with the wider international gaming community.
GRAF’s participation will place African regulatory leadership at the centre of these discussions, ensuring that the perspectives of the institutions responsible for developing, implementing and overseeing gaming regulation across the continent are directly represented.
About GRAF
The Gaming Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF) is a platform dedicated to strengthening cooperation, dialogue and knowledge exchange among gaming regulatory authorities across Africa.
GRAF provides an opportunity for regulators to engage on common challenges, share regulatory experience and contribute to discussions on the continued development of effective, responsible and sustainable gaming regulation across the continent.
Through strategic partnerships and international engagement, GRAF seeks to strengthen the connection between Africa’s regulatory community and the wider global gaming ecosystem.
About SBC
SBC is a leading international events, media and industry networking organisation serving the global sports betting and gaming sector.
Through its international events and industry platforms, SBC brings together senior decision-makers, operators, suppliers, investors, regulators and other stakeholders to discuss the developments shaping the future of the global gaming industry.
