Tanzania’s football federation moves to monetise betting rights, starting with Kariakoo derby pilot on 1 March

The TFF says domestic fixtures should be treated as monetisable IP assets, with licensed betting firms invited to bid for official partnership rights and the federation planning a data-driven valuation of its competitions.

The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has unveiled a strategy to formalise and monetise betting rights linked to domestic competitions, positioning match fixtures as intellectual property assets in a fast-growing wagering ecosystem.

According to The Citizen, the pilot phase will focus on the high-profile Kariakoo derby between Young Africans and Simba, scheduled for 1 March at Zanzibar’s New Amaan Complex, with licensed betting companies invited to bid for official partnership rights tied to the match.

TFF sources said the purpose of the pilot is to collect key market data — including the number of bettors and total wagering revenue generated around the game — and use those insights to inform a wider valuation process for the federation’s leagues and football assets. The same reporting says TFF is expected to run a live auction format to award the partnership rights.

Beyond revenue, TFF is framing the initiative as a way to build a regulated framework where betting operators can access official data and branding via structured agreements, with proceeds potentially supporting grassroots football, refereeing standards, women’s football programmes and national team preparations.

The Citizen also noted TFF’s view that the Mainland Premier League’s growing profile strengthens the commercial case, and pointed to South Africa’s PSL as an example of leagues defending fixture-related rights and quantifying betting-linked value.