How players pay: deposits in Latin America and Africa, 2026

Players deposit with the payment method they use every day. In Sub-Saharan Africa that is usually mobile money. In Brazil it has been the Pix instant payment system. In Peru and Mexico, players move between bank transfers, wallets and cash.

Payments are also becoming a main tool of regulation. Brazil set strict rules on how players may pay when its licensed market opened in 2025. In October 2026 its Central Bank told banks to block betting payments while Congress reviews a ban on fixed-odds betting.

We recommend that operators choose payment methods market by market, design the deposit page for a low-cost phone, and treat payment rules as part of compliance from the first day.

Figure	What it measures	Source
US$2 trillion+	Mobile money transaction value worldwide, 2025	GSMA
About 40%	Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa with a mobile money account, 2024	World Bank
54.7%	Pix share of Brazil’s payment transactions, second half of 2025	Banco Central do Brasil
R$37 billion	Gross gaming revenue of Brazil’s licensed betting market, 2025	SPA

Players deposit with the method they use every day

More adults now hold an account they can use from a phone. The World Bank’s Global Findex 2025 reports that account ownership worldwide rose from 51% of adults in 2011 to 79% in 2024. In Sub-Saharan Africa it rose from 49% in 2021 to 58% in 2024. In Latin America and the Caribbean, about 70% of adults now have an account.

Worldwide, 86% of adults own a mobile phone, although smartphones are less common in some regions than others. For most players in these markets, the deposit page is a phone screen. Many of those phones are entry-level devices on slower connections.

Cash habits remain strong. In every region, the habit of paying in cash is the most common reason people give for not paying merchants digitally. Payment methods that turn cash into a digital deposit, such as vouchers and agent top-ups, still matter for many players.

For operators. A deposit page that only accepts cards will miss a large share of players in both regions. The right mix starts with how people in each market already pay for phone credit, shopping and bills.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, mobile money is the main wallet

Mobile money passed US$2 trillion in transaction value in 2025. The first trillion took 20 years. The second took four.

The GSMA’s State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2026 counts 2.3 billion registered accounts worldwide in 2025, up 268 million in one year. Accounts used in the last 30 days grew 15% to 593 million. Sub-Saharan Africa was the source of most new registered and active accounts.

The World Bank finds that about 40% of adults across the four subregions of Sub-Saharan Africa have a mobile money account. The region also has the largest share of adults whose only account is mobile money. For those players, a casino or sportsbook without mobile money has no way to take a deposit.

Player safety is part of the payment flow

Only about half of mobile money account owners in Sub-Saharan Africa have a password on their phone. Only half of those who sent money to the wrong person got it back. Clear confirmation screens, the operator’s name on every payment prompt and a simple refund route all help.

Kenya shows how tax follows the wallet

Kenya’s Gambling Control Act 2025 came into force on 26 August 2025. It created the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya to replace the Betting Control and Licensing Board. Under the Finance Act 2025, a 5% withholding tax applies to withdrawals from betting wallets, replacing a 20% tax on winnings. The tax applies whether a withdrawal is profit or the player’s own stake.

For operators. In mobile money markets, the payment flow carries tax, limits and player protection. Show every charge before the player confirms, and check the current rules with local counsel before launch.

In Latin America, instant transfers and cash sit side by side

Brazil. Pix, the instant payment system run by the Banco Central do Brasil, handled 54.7% of all payment transactions in Brazil in the second half of 2025. That was 42.9 billion Pix transactions in six months. When Brazil’s licensed betting market opened, Pix was the method most players already knew.

Peru. Peru’s online gaming law, Law 31557, took effect in February 2024 under the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR). The ministry received 145 licence applications in the first 30 days. Based on the published payment pages of licensed brands, the common options are internet banking transfers, QR code wallets linked to bank accounts, and cash top-ups at agents and shops.

Mexico. Payment providers describe Mexican online payments as split between bank transfers through the SPEI system, cards and cash vouchers paid at convenience stores. Published estimates of each method’s share vary widely, so we do not quote one here.

For operators. Cash vouchers let players without a bank card deposit online. They need clear instructions, a code that is easy to type on a small screen and a fast confirmation once the player has paid.

Brazil shows that payment rules are now regulation

Brazil built its licensed betting market around a short list of approved payment methods. Two years later, the same payment rails became the tool used to stop it.

• April 2024. Ordinance SPA/MF 615/2024 limits betting payments to Pix, TED bank transfers, and debit or prepaid cards. Cash, boletos, cheques, crypto, credit cards and third-party payments are not allowed.
• 1 January 2025. The licensed market opens. In its first year, 25.2 million people bet with 79 licensed companies, and gross gaming revenue reaches R$37 billion, about US$7 billion.
• 25 September 2026. Provisional Measure 1.394/2026 prohibits the operation, offer, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting in Brazil, and amends Law 14.790/2023.
• 2 October 2026. Central Bank Resolutions 595, 596 and 597 require banks and payment institutions to block TED, boleto and Pix transactions for fixed-odds betting. Transactions needed to close operations and return funds to players are exempt for TED and Pix.
• 5 November 2026. Congress has received 99 amendments. The joint committee that reviews the measure has not yet been installed.
• 23 November 2026. The first period for Congress to consider the measure ends. Under the Constitution it can be extended by 60 days.

For operators. We make no prediction about the outcome in Brazil. The lesson for other markets is practical. When a regulator controls which payment methods may reach an operator, payment design and compliance become one project. Operators in Brazil should take local legal advice.

Market snapshot, as of 5 November 2026

Market	Common deposit methods	Regulatory position
Brazil	Pix, TED bank transfers, debit and prepaid cards, as allowed by the 2024 ordinance	Licensed since 1 January 2025. Provisional Measure 1.394/2026 prohibits fixed-odds betting and is under review by Congress. Banks must block Pix, TED and boleto payments for betting.
Peru	Internet banking transfers, QR code wallets, cash top-ups (indicative)	Licensed by MINCETUR under Law 31557, in force since February 2024
Mexico	SPEI bank transfers, cards, cash vouchers at convenience stores	Federal permits under a gaming law from 1947. Rules and taxes changed in 2026, so take local legal advice.
Kenya	Mobile money, with betting wallets funded and withdrawn by phone	Gambling Control Act 2025 in force since 26 August 2025, with a new regulator. 5% withholding tax on wallet withdrawals.
Sub-Saharan Africa	Mobile money is the most common account for many adults	Rules vary by country. Check each market separately.

What we recommend

1. Start with the methods players already use. List the three ways people in each market most often pay for phone credit, shopping and bills. Launch with those, then add more based on your own data.
2. Design the deposit page for a low-cost phone. Test every method on a real entry-level device and a slow connection before launch.
3. Show limits, fees and waiting times first. Tell the player what a method costs and how long it takes before they enter an amount. In Kenya, that includes the tax on withdrawals.
4. Offer a second method when a deposit fails. A failed deposit should lead to another method on the same screen, with the amount already filled in.
5. Treat payment rules as compliance. Keep a dated record of which methods each regulator allows, and review it every quarter. Make sure you can switch a method off quickly if the rules change.
6. Build responsible gaming into the payment flow. Deposit limits, clear confirmations and the operator’s name on every payment prompt belong on the deposit page itself.

To discuss payments for your market, book a 30-minute call with our team.

Sources

1. GSMA, Mobile Money accounted for $2 trillion in transactions in 2025, State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2026, 24 March 2026.
2. World Bank, Global Findex 2025 press release, 16 July 2025.
3. World Bank, The Global Findex 2025, figure list, July 2025.
4. Banco Central do Brasil payment statistics for the second half of 2025, as reported by Band, 8 April 2026.
5. iGaming Business, First year of licensed Brazil online betting generates $7 billion in GGR, 23 January 2026, citing SPA data.
6. Congresso Nacional, MPV 1394/2026, status as of 5 November 2026.
7. BNLData, BC proíbe Pix, TED e boleto para apostas de quota fixa, October 2026.
8. Tozzini Freire, Ministry of Finance regulates payment methods in the betting sector, April 2024.
9. Bowmans, Kenya: The Gambling Control Act 2025, key provisions, 2025.
10. The Star (Kenya), Gamblers hit by new taxes as state looks to raise funds, 13 October 2025.
11. iGaming Business, Peru receives 145 licence applications, 2024.
12. Nuvei, How consumers in Mexico prefer to pay online in 2026.

This report is general information for businesses, published by Secancy on 5 November 2026. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Regulation in these markets changes often, so take local legal advice before you act on it. Figures come from the named third-party sources. Secancy works with operators and does not offer gambling services to players.