Rais Busom on Blockchains, Payments and the Innovations shaping Africa’s iGaming Landscape
At the Gaming Tech Summit Africa 2025, discussions around blockchain, payments, and user engagement underscored the rapid evolution of the gaming industry. Among those contributing was Rais Busom, a seasoned iGaming Consultant and Managing Partner at BeingPartners Consulting. With over 20 years of experience across the global gaming and betting industries, including work in Africa and Canada, Rais shared insights with iGaming AFRIKA on the development of payment systems, the growing role of blockchain, and the innovations poised to reshape the continent’s gaming landscape.
Rais shared how fintech, payment solutions, and blockchains are transforming the gaming industry. He highlighted how payment technologies have grown smarter and more efficient, even as they adapt to evolving requirements like KYC checks and local regulations. These changes, he noted, are opening the door to fresh ideas and faster innovation. “Payments are one of the most dynamic, innovative industries inside the gaming sector. And I think it is quite developed. So probably more solutions are coming on the agility of the process, because now it’s complex for the regulations, the KYC, all that stuff,” he said.
According to Rais, blockchain’s growing role in gaming is about changing how value is created and shared within the ecosystem. “Blockchain is a very disruptive technology. It’s very mature. There are many different solutions. And, as I said, it’s more than payments.” He explained that the technology now supports entirely new models of engagement and reward. “You can build interesting ecosystems in gaming to exchange value,” he said. “For example, rewarding the player in ways that go beyond the classical casino or betting approach.”
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He also pointed to younger audiences as a major force behind this shift, noting how their preferences are reshaping the industry’s direction. Gen Z players, in particular, are drawn to platforms that feel modern, flexible, and decentralized. “The Gen Z audience is more willing to play in crypto casinos, which are becoming more and more important,” he said. Their comfort with digital wallets, token-based rewards, and on-chain transparency is accelerating the adoption of blockchain-powered gaming models and pushing the industry to innovate beyond traditional formats.
Artificial intelligence has become a powerful tool across the gaming industry, driving improvements in personalization, automation, fraud detection, and real-time decision-making. Looking ahead, Rais Busom predicted continued disruption led by both blockchain and AI, driven by a culture of constant experimentation. “This industry is innovation with no permission. So every day is coming more solution, more ideas, so more experiments,” he said.
When asked about standout projects he’s keeping an eye on, Rais pointed to a new wave of platforms that combine gaming and finance in creative, user-focused ways. “The most trending sites are not only where you can play with cryptos, but where the business model is different from the classical casino betting sites,” he said. He mentioned platforms like BetFury and Rollbit, which have introduced tokens and unique mechanics to deepen user engagement.
“They have their own token. People not only play, they can mine the token during the games. They can be owners of the token, invest in pools, and get rewarded beyond cashback, things like token-based tournaments.” He added that this shift is also fueling the rise of a new influencer-driven economy. “Streamers and tipsters are now a very big challenge for the industry,” Rais said. “They’re driving traffic in completely new ways. It’s not just about playing, it’s about excitement and engagement.”
