African Gambling Regulators to Develop Joint Cooperation Framework at SiGMA World

The workshop in Rome will build on discussions launched at the GRAF Regulatory Forum during SiGMA Africa 2026 in Cape Town. Delegates will begin drafting a common framework to strengthen regional cooperation while preserving each jurisdiction’s legislative autonomy.

Regulators to Develop the Rome Working Draft

The Gaming Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF) and SiGMA will host a Regulatory Workshop on November 5 during SiGMA World Rome, bringing together gambling regulators to advance cooperation across the African continent.

GRAF, which promotes collaboration among gambling regulatory authorities in Africa, will use the workshop to begin preparing the Rome Working Draft (Version 0.1). The initiative continues discussions initiated at the GRAF Regulatory Forum during SiGMA Africa 2026 in March in Cape Town.

The event will take place at Fiera Roma in Hall 1, Room 1, under the theme “Building an African Regulatory Cooperation Framework: Advancing Harmonisation Through Collaboration.”

The programme will begin at 11:00 with introductory remarks from GRAF and SiGMA, outlining the objectives of the day and explaining how the workshop builds on previous regulatory engagements.

International Models and Cross-Border Challenges

The morning programme will feature two panels addressing the opportunities and challenges associated with regulatory cooperation.

The first panel, “Learning from Global Models: What Could Work for African Regulatory Cooperation?”, will examine international cooperation frameworks, information-sharing mechanisms, joint investigations and enforcement models. Discussions will focus on identifying approaches that could be adapted to Africa’s diverse regulatory environments.

The second panel, “Cross-Border Gambling, Illegal Markets and Regulatory Cooperation,” will address enforcement challenges, information-sharing gaps and responsible gambling. Industry representatives will provide insights into the practical implementation of regulatory measures.

The programme will also include a presentation by Gaming Associates, the workshop’s sponsor, followed by an introduction to the methodology that will guide the drafting process.

Five Working Groups to Shape the Framework

During the afternoon, delegates will divide into five facilitated groups to develop recommendations across key areas of regulatory cooperation:

• Information-sharing protocols.
• Legal and institutional arrangements.
• Operational enforcement cooperation.
• Capacity building and knowledge exchange.
• Communication and stakeholder engagement.

Each group will examine how its recommendations could work in practice. Participants will then present their findings during a facilitated plenary session to identify common priorities and areas of agreement.

Following a keynote address by Jaime Debono of iGaming Academy, the workshop will conclude with a summary of next steps and a commitment pledge. GRAF will consolidate the groups’ recommendations to inform the development of the framework.

Senior Regulatory Representatives to Lead Discussions

The workshop will be guided by Programme Director Bonga Mngoma, Executive for Transformation and Economic Development at South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal Economic Regulatory Authority, and Zoé Siwa, Chief Financial Officer of the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board.

Mngoma will open the session alongside Mabutho Zwane, President of GRAF, and moderate the first panel. Siwa will moderate the second panel, while both officials will jointly facilitate the interactive working groups.

Participants will include senior representatives from national and provincial gambling regulators and government agencies in South Africa, Nigeria, Mauritius, Uganda and Rwanda, alongside representatives of the African iGaming Alliance and iGaming Academy.

Why Regional Regulatory Cooperation Matters

Cross-border gambling, illegal betting operations and money laundering present challenges that individual jurisdictions may struggle to address independently. The proposed framework aims to improve coordination without requiring African countries to harmonise their gambling legislation.

Instead, the initiative will focus on practical mechanisms for collaboration, allowing each jurisdiction to retain its legislative autonomy while strengthening information exchange and enforcement cooperation.

The approach reflects discussions held in Cape Town, where participants acknowledged that fully coordinated licensing systems could be difficult to achieve in the short term. Nevertheless, greater cooperation, information sharing and consistent regulatory principles were identified as achievable steps toward progress.

When the GRAF partnership was announced in February, SiGMA Chief International Relations Officer Heathcliff Farrugia said: “The objective is not simply conversation, but progress”.

The Rome workshop will seek to advance that objective by bringing regulators together to begin drafting a shared framework.

More Regulatory Workshops at SiGMA World Rome

The GRAF workshop will be part of a broader programme of regulatory sessions taking place at Fiera Roma from November 3 to 5.

On November 3, “Regulatory Exchange on Digital Finance, AI, Blockchain, and Crypto” will take place from 11:00 to 12:00 in Hall 1, Room 2. The session will open a business-to-government policy dialogue on how the European Union and the Global Majority—including Asia, Africa, MENA, GCC and Latin America—approach the regulation of digital technologies.

On November 4, “Social Impact: The True Purpose of Lotteries” will run from 12:30 to 13:00 in Hall 1, Room 1. Presented by Gaming Associates, the session will examine how official lotteries channel gaming revenue into public benefits, including education, healthcare and public services.

The full programme is available through the SiGMA World Rome agenda.

SiGMA World Rome 2026: Dates and Key Figures

SiGMA World Rome will take place from November 2 to 5, 2026, bringing together international stakeholders from across the iGaming industry.

According to the event’s promotional information, the conference is expected to attract 30,000 delegates, more than 1,200 sponsors and exhibitors, and over 550 expert speakers, positioning Rome as a meeting point for business development, networking and regulatory discussions.