Online sports betting is becoming increasingly popular in Africa, with Ghana’s Safaribet now the third most visited site in the country.

Data shows that Africans increasingly devote their time and money to online sports betting, with Google reporting that three of the five most visited websites by Ugandans in 2013 were affiliated with the activity. Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria also reported major upticks in online sports betting.

While Facebook retains dominance over the internet at-large, sites like 256Bet, SafariBet, and Bet2Win are turning up the heat. Ghana’s Safaribet is operated by Africa Gaming and Entertainment Ltd, which also operates 110 retail locations across Ghana.

CEO Halit Karabashoglu plans to increase that number to 250 over the next three months, and hopes to employ as many as 4,000 people by 2017. His sports betting empire offers an alternative to traditional casino strategy games like black jack and poker, and seems to have struck a chord with Ghanaian bettors.

Expanding platforms for sports betting…

The Senegal National Lottery (LONASE) has announced a five-year agreement with tech company Senejeux to provide virtual games covering football, horse and greyhound racing across retail, online and mobile platforms. The partnership will produce a virtual 3D horseracing game that will be available in all of Lonase’s retail betting shops.

In addition to traditional retail betting and online patronage, mobile sports betting has also become extremely popular across Africa, as the proliferation of feature phones has lead directly to an increase in mobile gaming.