Economics and statistics

Malawi's gambling economy is compact and concentrated in Lilongwe, Blantyre and tourist areas near Lake Malawi.

The turnover structure is formed by sports betting and lotteries; "casinos/slots" remain niche, adding margin via F&B and VIP.

The main driver of frequency is mobile money: micropayments support a high flow of transactions and "mobile-first" behavior, while retail outlets remain an important channel in cities and along highways.

For the budget, the industry gives stable revenues through licenses and fees/taxes on GGR/turnover, plus corporate taxes; increasing compliance increases collection.

Seasonality is pronounced around the football calendar (weekend/prime time) and holidays.

Contribution to employment - retail network, security, contact centers, IT and marketing.

Key KPIs: Number of licensed operators and POS/agent outlets, online share of turnover, average check and betting frequency, payout/take rate, live vs pre-match, ARPU/ARPPU, device stack and mobile money share, GGR by product (sports/lottery/slots/live), tax revenue and valuation "gray" segment.

Risks - offshore traffic, payment failures and currency volatility; growth factors - digitalization of reporting, partnerships with telecoms and the development of responsible play tools.