Walk into any local community in Lagos, Nairobi or Accra and you will see betting shops at every corner. Every year, more of them open, each chasing the same customers walking past. This also translates to digital betting platforms. The platforms keep multiplying, but the crowd does not grow to match the operators. Instead, each new operator isn’t bringing in new players but taking from the same male bettors and paying more to hold onto their share.
A closer look at this reality shows that nearly everyone is holding a phone, and a huge number of them are already playing games. According to Carry1st and Newzoo, Africa has more than 300 million mobile gamers.
As operators look for new ways to expand their player base beyond the 215 million Africans interacting with online gambling in 2025, skill gaming creates an opportunity to tap into this large audience.
What is Skill Gaming?
Skill Gaming relies on the strength of a gamer’s skill to pair them with people at a similar level so they can compete against each other while giving them the opportunity to monetize those skills.
Instead of playing against the house or purely by chance, players can compete in 1v1 games or multiplayer tournaments with winners determined by their performance. This format can turn familiar casual games like Candy Crush, Subway Runner, and more into real-money competitions.
Players already understand how to play these types of games, so there is little learning curve, and more importantly, their performance can increase over time. If they lose a game, they can practice, improve, and come back to compete again, thereby creating room for long-term retention.
An additional benefit is that, in many jurisdictions, Skill Games are treated differently from games of chance because the outcome depends on the player’s ability rather than chance, making it a regulatory advantage for operators in countries such as Brazil, United Kingdom and some states in the USA.
For operators looking to launch a standalone Skill Gaming platform, the relevant gaming regulator in their country should be approached to obtain a Letter of No Objection.
Why Skill Gaming Is the New Growth Category for Operators
Sportsbooks and casino platforms have already evolved beyond their original offerings. Operators that started primarily with sports betting have added casino platforms, live casinos, and crash games to give customers more ways to play on the same platform.
Skill Gaming represents another opportunity to expand offerings beyond the current target audience. It offers a different proposition: games built around skill and competition.
As Skill Gaming begins to emerge as a new category within real-money gaming, Metaverse Magna (MVM) is building the technology to bring it to existing gaming platforms. Its Skill Gaming product, Hyper Games, gives operators a way to add competitive casual games to their existing offering without having to build the infrastructure from scratch.
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It’s already being tested at scale. MVM has processed more than 4 million matches across 100,000 active players through Hyper Games, with a 60% first-time deposit rate and a 70% female player base.
The Business Case for Skill Gaming
Zero House Risk: With skill gaming, players compete against each other in 1v1 and multiplayer tournaments with the house taking a cut of their entry fee. The outcome of each game does not expose the operator to house risk.
Diversified Gaming Portfolio: MVM’s game portfolio covers the most popular casual game titles. They have original games that are similar to Candy crush, Subway Surfers, 8-Ball, and more. This allows operators to tap into already existing fanbases of these games.
A Broader Gaming Audience: Skill Gaming also gives operators an opportunity to reach beyond their traditional betting and casino audience. Casual gaming already has a large mobile audience with players already familiar with its games. By bringing these familiar games into competitive formats, operators can introduce their platform to players including female gamers who would not typically engage with sportsbook or casino products
Easy to Go Live: Operators can go live within 14 days though iFrame & API integration or a white-label solution without needing to build their own gaming product from scratch.
How to Integrate Skill Gaming as a Gaming Operator
IFrame & API Integration: If you already have your own gaming platform and want to add Skill-games to your website. Operators can license the entire game library from MVM via iFrame plus API access.
White-label Platform: For companies looking to launch a standalone skill gaming product under their own brand, without building from scratch. MVM licenses its full platform including the app, website, and operations stack. This allows operators to easily enter the skill gaming market.
Ready to integrate Skill games into your casino? Visit the only skill gaming provider for sportsbooks & casinos to see the product in action or contact sales@mvm.gg
