An interview with Maxime Lebail, Brand Manager at ChampsBase.com, on regulatory challenges, local trust signals, and why the African iGaming market requires a different approach.

The online gambling industry in Africa is booming. With increasing smartphone penetration, a young population, and evolving regulatory frameworks, markets like Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa have become prime targets for international operators. But as the sector grows, so does the need for reliable, localised information.

We sat down with Maxime Lebail, Brand Manager at ChampsBase.com, a multilingual gambling comparison platform, to discuss the unique challenges of building trust in emerging markets and why a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work.

BusinessPost: ChampsBase is relatively new to the African market. What made you decide to expand here?

Maxime Lebail: Honestly, it started with frustration. When we looked at the gambling comparison space in markets like Nigeria, we found two extremes — either global platforms that barely acknowledged local realities, or local sites with questionable editorial standards. There was a gap for something in between: rigorous, research-driven content that actually speaks to Nigerian players specifically.

The African market isn’t a monolith. A player in Lagos has different needs, different payment habits, different concerns than someone in Nairobi or Johannesburg. We wanted to build something that reflected that.

BP: What does “localisation” actually mean in practice? Is it just about translation?

ML: Translation is maybe five percent of the work. Real localisation means understanding what builds trust in a specific market.

Take Nigeria as an example. Bank transfers and USSD payments matter far more than credit cards. Players want to know if an operator has a local presence, if withdrawals actually work, if customer support understands their issues. These aren’t things you can fake or copy from a European template.

We’ve spent considerable time analysing which operators genuinely serve Nigerian players well — not just who has the flashiest welcome bonus. That research feeds directly into resources like our guide to the best betting sites in Nigeria, which we update regularly based on real user feedback and our own testing.

BP: The regulatory landscape in Africa is fragmented, to say the least. How do you navigate that?

ML: It’s complex, and I won’t pretend otherwise. Nigeria has made significant progress with the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, but enforcement remains inconsistent across states. Other markets are even more ambiguous.

Our approach is conservative. We only feature operators that hold valid licences in the jurisdictions they operate in. If the regulatory status is unclear, we flag it explicitly. Players deserve to know the risks.

I think there’s a tendency in this industry to chase growth at any cost, but that creates long-term problems — for players and for the industry’s reputation. We’d rather build slowly and maintain credibility.

BP: You mentioned trust earlier. Gambling comparison sites don’t always have the best reputation. How do you address that scepticism?

ML: By being transparent about how we operate. Yes, we earn commissions when players sign up through our links — that’s the affiliate model, and we don’t hide it. But editorial independence is non-negotiable.

Every review follows the same methodology. We test registration processes, deposit and withdrawal speeds, customer support responsiveness, bonus terms — the boring stuff that actually matters. If an operator performs poorly, we say so, even if they’re a commercial partner.

I’ve been in this industry for over a decade, mostly focused on European markets like Portugal. The operators who succeed long-term are those who treat players fairly. The same principle applies to comparison platforms.

BP: What differences have you noticed between European and African players in terms of behaviour or expectations?

ML: Mobile is everything here. In Portugal or France, desktop still has a significant share. In Nigeria, we’re talking about ninety percent mobile traffic, often on lower-bandwidth connections. That changes how we structure content — shorter paragraphs, faster-loading pages, information hierarchy optimised for small screens.

There’s also a different relationship with sports. Football is universal, but the depth of engagement with local leagues, with the Premier League, with betting as a social activity — it’s intense in ways that European markets have somewhat lost. That passion is exciting, but it also means we have a responsibility to promote responsible gambling practices clearly.

BP: Speaking of responsible gambling, that’s often treated as an afterthought in emerging markets. What’s ChampsBase’s position?

ML: It can’t be an afterthought. We include responsible gambling information in every guide, every review. We explain how self-exclusion works, how to set deposit limits, where to find help if gambling stops being fun.

Is it glamorous content? No. Does it generate clicks? Not really. But it’s the right thing to do, and regulators across Africa are increasingly paying attention to this. Operators and affiliates who ignore responsible gambling now will face problems later.

BP: What’s next for ChampsBase in Africa?

ML: Deeper coverage of more markets — Kenya and South Africa are priorities for this year. We’re also investing in more educational content. Not everyone who visits a comparison site is an experienced bettor. Many are curious newcomers who need guidance on basics: how odds work, how to verify an operator’s licence, how to manage a betting budget.

If we can be the platform that helps someone make informed decisions rather than impulsive ones, we’ve done our job.

Maxime Lebail is the Brand Manager at ChampsBase.com, a multilingual gambling comparison platform covering regulated markets in Europe, Latin America, and Africa.

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