According to industry reports, approximately 28% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa is connected to the internet, with 186 million actively engaging in online and video gaming.
Projections suggest that an additional 98 million mobile internet subscribers will join by 2025, positioning the region as a highly promising market for the gaming industry, particularly in countries like Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, and South Africa.
However, despite these opportunities, about 600 million people across Africa, accounting for roughly 53% of the region’s population, lack access to electricity. While this could be perceived as a significant setback for the gaming industry, developers are overcoming this challenge by focusing on creating games that are compatible with mobile devices and require minimal electricity consumption. As a result, this obstacle is being bypassed, allowing for continued growth and accessibility within the African gaming market.
Conversely, most gaming providers have introduced online and offline gaming on smart and feature mobile phones, an aspect that has boosted the gaming industry in the continent. During a recent webinar organised by iGaming AFRIKA and sponsored by Bizin Africa iGaming Consult, the participants ruled that Kenya is among the countries that have highly embraced iGaming through the use of their phones.
“A lot of providers have paid attention to mobile device versions, and this has led to massive growth, especially in East Africa,” said Mr. Artur Harutyunyan, CEO and Founder of BetFounders and SlotPesa.
To bridge the gap between lack of electricity and poor internet connection, Mr. Harutyunyan proposed that providers should introduce offline casino games to ensure the market is tapped where there’s no electricity.
Ms. Danuta Janicka-Mierzwa, Deputy Head of Sales at TVBET, said the African market is growing fast for both online casinos and betting shops. “If well managed, in terms of regulations and responsible gaming, it can bring opportunities both for operators and funders. It can also be a market for job opportunities, especially in betting shops,” Ms. Janicka-Mierzwa added.
Mr. Uros Nikolic, a business development manager at Elbet, on his side, said Africa is a complex market to deal with, citing different countries and markets, differences in demographics, economic growth, and different urban areas where different games are popular and promoted.
“The African market is more competitive, something we’ve witnessed as game providers, as African players become more demanding when it comes to fair games and secure methods of cashing in and out,” pointed out Mr. Nikolic.
Although the market is fast growing, Mr. Harutyunyan further noted that the market is unique with many challenges. “There are unique game features that we are going to introduce to develop and bring efforts to this market,” he continued.
Afolabi Idowu, a Nigerian resident who had joined the session remotely, observed that gender-based targeting towards females in the African market is limited compared to sportsbooks and casinos. According to him, currently there is only one such platform in Nigeria called Betty Bingo, offering slots, virtual, and casino games. Idowu wondered if women outside of Africa have also embraced online gaming.
Ms. Janicka-Mierzwa, being the only woman participant in the webinar reiterated that Women are underestimated in the gaming world, and it is an opportunity to be targeted by the iGaming community. She added that the future is still bright and women will be put into consideration at some point in a bid to popularize iGaming and tap more audiences.
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As Africa seems promising when it comes to online gaming, some of the best-performing game selections and features of casino games in the African market are live sports events, crash games, lotteries, virtual sports, jackpots, simple slots, virtual and instant games.
Referring to the discussion, the participants outlined some of the reasons why the players love these features ranging from the affordability of the minimal bet rates, easy rules to follow, short rounds/breaks, the social aspect of the game, and the chat section.
Africa being a fast-growing market, the participants stated some of the best business marketing strategies to acquire more growth include:
- Ethnicity aspect- If a provider wishes to start a live game casino, he ought to look for a market with the majority of locals and ensure they are represented by a local team.
- Games should be easy to play and interact with – Punters do not have time to follow technical rules and so the simpler the rules, the more the gamers you will attract.
- Instant reward and honesty- Make oneself visible by organizing jackpots, tournaments, and cash back and ensuring the game is visible regularly.
- Ensure the venture is licensed first to gain popularity.
- Ensure steady Internet access.
- Technology- Ensure the games are conversant with top browsers in different countries.
- Research the market- Find out the best-performing games in the market and introduce new measures to better the existing games.
- Think of a game that attracts women, as they are not key players in most games. So far, only a few women within the continent have slowly started embracing online gaming.
- Know the target audience, always engage them, especially on social media, and build trust with them.
- Make games that players like, understand, and enjoy playing.
The discussion also touched on steps to follow to ensure the games remain relevant in the market despite the existing challenges, these include:
- Vast market – Address each country separately.
- If the internet and electricity are boosted in the future, most games will be more popular.
- Educate those in betting shops to contribute to the popularity of the games.
All participants agreed that despite existing challenges, the African market is growing fast, and the gaming industry will stabilise. It was also noted that crash games will dominate the market and in the future once the internet stabilises in all areas, live casino games will gain more popularity.
