2025 was a high-energy year for 1xBet across multiple African markets. The brand combined continent-wide football sponsorship assets with local initiatives, expanded digital activations in GEOs where online remained the primary channel, and continued building offline presence where retail development was available. Alongside marketing activity, 1xBet invested in platform upgrades, payment convenience, and responsible gaming communication – while also supporting community projects with long-term value.
A Pan-African Football Focus: CAF Partnership & AFCON Momentum
African football remained a central pillar of 1xBet’s regional strategy. As an official partner of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the brand continued supporting major competitions across the continent and building anticipation for AFCON – one of Africa’s most watched sporting events. This long-term partnership helped unify communications across GEOs, providing a consistent football narrative that local teams could adapt to their markets.
Promotions & Local Activations
Throughout 2025, 1xBet delivered a diverse and well-structured promotional calendar across multiple markets, combining scalable digital formats with locally adapted activations. A consistent flow of headline campaigns – including CAF Trophy Hunt, Spin and Win, weekly Freebet draws, and other recurring formats – ensured continuous visibility and regular audience engagement throughout the year.
At the center of this promotional ecosystem stood Big Match, the flagship campaign of 2025 and one of the most widely communicated initiatives across markets. Supported by dedicated articles and media coverage, Big Match distinguished itself through its straightforward mechanics, strong football context, and offline prize ceremonies featuring high-value cash rewards. In Ghana, Burundi, Zambia, Congo-Brazzaville, Gambia and others winners were awarded in person, transforming the campaign into a tangible, real-world experience that extended beyond digital communication and reinforced brand credibility.
Alongside global formats, 1xBet actively localized its activations to reflect national context and key calendar moments. Independence Day bonuses in markets such as Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Burundi became important emotional touchpoints, while campaigns like WOW Promo, “Bets for All”, app-focused initiatives, and 1xGames supported reach, creativity, and product visibility across different user segments.
In parallel, 2025 marked meaningful progress in local presence and offline execution in several countries. In Equatorial Guinea, 1xBet strengthened its footprint through sponsorship of football competitions in Malabo, summer promotions at betting locations, and the opening of a new betting shop – a significant step in expanding offline operations. In Sierra Leone, the launch of the country’s first betting shop became a major milestone and a strong informational trigger that supported subsequent social media activity. Zambia demonstrated one of the most active on-the-ground calendars, combining bar match screenings, participation in large local events, PlayStation tournaments at betting locations, and sponsorship of the Drift vs Spin motorsport event.
Together, these initiatives highlighted 1xBet’s ability to scale campaigns across multiple markets while adapting execution to local realities – balancing digital reach with offline visibility, and turning promotions into memorable brand moments supported by both online communication and real-world engagement.
Social Media Contests & Digital Engagement
Throughout 2025, social media contests continued to be one of 1xBet’s most consistent ways of engaging with its audience. In total, the brand delivered hundreds of interactive social media campaigns, with 20–35+ contests per country on average, resulting in well over 5,000 prize recipients across the continent throughout the year.
Many of these promos were implemented in collaboration with local ambassadors, football clubs, and community partners, including joint campaigns with artists, athletes, and social initiatives. Overall, these social media activities ensured stable visibility, regular audience interaction, and scalable engagement across multiple markets throughout the year.
Partnerships & Ambassadors: Sport and Culture, Locally Relevant
In 2025, 1xBet strengthened credibility and local visibility through partnerships tailored to each market’s context:
- Burundi: collaboration with the Burundi Football Federation and local music ambassadors Sat-B and Drama T, aligning the brand with both football and culture.
- DR Congo: ambassador activity with Ferre Gola, paired with major promo delivery and offline prize moments.
- Gambia: ambassador work with Jizzle, including sponsorship support for concerts – connecting sports communities with cultural life.
- Kenya: sponsorship of Waziri 1xCup and partnership with Mathare United FC, supporting grassroots sport and youth participation.
- Cameroon: structured partnerships spanning Tenor, FC Bamenda, and the Cameroon Basketball Federation, creating a multi-sport, multi-channel presence.
- Congo-Brazzaville: continued ambassador collaboration with Tidiane Mario and renewed work with FC Diables Noirs.
Social Impact & Education: Projects with Long-Term Value
Beyond brand activity, 1xBet supported a range of initiatives designed to deliver lasting community impact across multiple regions, with a focus on education, grassroots sport, cultural development, and social responsibility.
Through the SiGMA Foundation, 1xBet contributed to long-term educational projects in Uganda and Ethiopia, supporting the modernization of learning facilities and community infrastructure. In Uganda’s Kasese region, the initiative is creating a safe and sustainable educational environment for around 300 people, while in Ethiopia the focus included education and women’s empowerment through structured community centers.
In Guinea, social engagement was delivered through the 1xImpact program — a year-round platform supporting vulnerable groups via humanitarian and family-oriented initiatives. In Zambia, the Safety on the Road project promoted responsible behavior among drivers and pedestrians using educational content, media formats, and interactive engagement.
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Sport-driven impact played a central role in Nigeria and Kenya. In Nigeria, 1xCup supported grassroots football through large-scale amateur tournaments combined with digital visibility, while 1xWoman focused on empowering women in sport through education and mentorship. In Kenya, the Waziri 1xCup combined multi-sport competition with tangible community support, strengthening youth sport and local infrastructure.
Additionally, 1xBet received the Best Sponsorship Programme Award at the Gaming Operators’ Gala & Award Night for its contribution to sports development in Nigeria through the 1xCup project. The award highlighted the brand’s structured approach to football sponsorship, youth competitions, and compliance with regulatory standards, reinforcing 1xBet’s reputation as a long-term partner in the development of African sports.
Cultural initiatives expanded the brand’s social footprint in Congo Brazzaville and Ghana. In Congo, 1xBet supported FESPAM, Africa’s largest pan-African music festival, contributing to creative industries and youth engagement. In Ghana, participation in Dashiki Festival 2025 connected sport, culture, and community through environmental action, football competitions, and cultural celebrations.
Together, these projects reflect 1xBet’s long-term approach to social impact — supporting education, inclusion, safety, sport, and culture across diverse markets.
Product & Platform Development: Performance, Payments, Local Relevance
Across markets, 1xBet’s 2025 product focus emphasized speed, convenience, and locally relevant content.
- Platform upgrades: multiple markets upgraded the platform, improving performance and overall usability (e.g., Zambia, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Guinea, Mali and others where noted).
- Payments & cashback: local payment convenience expanded through cashback and integrations, including examples such as Orange cashback increases (e.g., 5% to 10% where implemented), and Airtel cashback introductions (e.g., Gabon; Chad referenced Airtel 10%).
- Local content expansion: in Burundi, the sports line added matches from the local League A, improving relevance for domestic football audiences.
- App and channel development: DRC highlighted the launch of an iOS app; other markets expanded content distribution and owned channels (e.g., Telegram relaunch where noted).
Sports Interest: What Fans Followed
While each market had its own nuances, audience interest across the portfolio consistently centered on football, with strong additional attention to basketball, tennis, and esports depending on the GEO. Major drivers of attention included CAF competitions, top European leagues (EPL, La Liga, Serie A), and the UEFA Champions League Final, with globally high-profile fixtures frequently acting as key content peaks.
Responsible Betting: 1xBalance Campaigns
Responsible gaming remained an important communication direction across multiple markets in 2025. The 1xBalance initiative continued to develop through ongoing social media campaigns, featuring educational formats, awareness-driven content, and practical guidance aimed at supporting a more informed approach to betting behavior.
The 1xBalance campaign remains active across the brand’s social channels and will continue into 2026. In January 2026, 1xBet also plans to launch a dedicated 1xBalance website, which will offer structured advice, practical guides, and responsible gaming tools designed to support conscious and balanced play.
Global Recognition: SiGMA Africa Awards Finalist
On the international stage, 1xBet continued to receive industry recognition. Last year, the brand was named Best Sportsbook Operator in Africa at the prestigious SiGMA Africa Awards 2024, a mark of true industry excellence. This year’s highlight came as 1xBet was named a finalist in the SiGMA Africa Awards 2025 in two categories: Best Sportsbook Operator 2025 and Best on Mobile 2025.
These nominations, alongside international wins like “Mobile Sports Product of the Year” at the International Gaming Awards 2025, confirm 1xBet’s position among Africa’s elite gaming brands.
Looking Ahead
By the end of 2025, 1xBet had strengthened multi-market execution through a balanced mix of digital activations, offline steps where available, product improvements, and community projects. With AFCON momentum, ongoing platform development, and new market initiatives taking shape, 2026 is positioned to bring fresh formats and expanded activity across the portfolio – built on a foundation of consistency, local relevance, and long-term investment.
