Individual US states are beginning to legalize iGaming on a case by case basis. Despite the giant US market beginning to come online, the growth predictions for the iGaming industry in Africa are of particular interest to investors.. Gia Janashvili, the co-founder of Veli Services and a major stakeholder in Paridirect, did not say in vain, “I’ve been able to learn the importance of really understanding how unique every market is. Today, Veli Services is helping iGaming companies across Africa put that understanding to good use.”
Most recently, the success of iGaming in Africa has seemed to benefit the most from the partnership between Pragmatic Play and ChampionBet, the incorporation of BetKing into IBIA (International Betting Integrity Association), and Goliath Gaming’s collaboration with Busisiwe “Busi96” Masango Steenkamp.
The Predictions for Growth
Almost all African markets, notably the online-based ones, have been thriving since 2019. The bombastic development of the iGaming industry allows people to assume that things are doing well for all businesses and industries. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy in many ways. The more business people, like Gia Janashvili, believe in this and see the potential in similar lucrative partnerships, the more probable and viable the predictions that the gaming industry in Africa will grow by 12% by 2025 seem.
BetKing and International Betting Integrity Association
The partnership between BetKing and IBIA was announced towards the end of May 2022. It sees the 4-year-old betting giant, with established branches in Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria, accepting to implement the IBIA’s international rules for safe gambling.
In the words of BetKing’s Head of Trading Operations, Karem Fatih, this partnership aims to eradicate all traces of “corruption in sport […] and all associated fraudulent activity.”
Pragmatic and ChampionBet
On the heels of this news came the one announcing the partnership between Pragmatic Play and ChampionBet. Pragmatic Play is already a household name in the international iGaming industry. By making this deal, this software provider has allowed many famous games associated with it, such as Sweet Bonanza, Mega Wheel, Gates of Olympus, and even their newest release, Cleocatra, to become available to African players.
While ChampionBet’s CEO, Pavel Vaniš, claimed that the partnership “will elevate our players’ gaming to deliver a product range they’ll return to time and time again”, Pragmatic Play’s Chief Business Development Officer, Yossi Barzely, sees this as “the ideal vehicle for our growth ambitions [in] the region.”
These words only seem to confirm Gia Janashvili’s expert predictions that Pan Africa’s overall demographic, more than half of which is below 25, provides an ideal opportunity for the easy establishment and rapid development of the iGaming industry.
Paridirect in Congo
Even Congo, which has, so far, mainly remained in the shadows of the online gaming and sports betting circles, has joined in on the “fun” under Janashvili’s personal supervision. His saying that “there’s clearly potential super growth in the marketplace of Congo” was followed by the Paridirect casino and betting platform, of which he is a shareholder, launching in the African country.
The B2B2C professional has, so far, both predicted market growth patterns and personally influenced them to the benefit of the local businesses. There are speculations that the main reason behind Africa’s iGaming industry stalling behind others so far was the limited and comparatively expensive rate of internet connectivity.
Current investors are looking to make internet availability more widespread and affordable, aiding not just the iGaming market but both other African industries and all local companies and businesses.
Goliath Gaming and Busi96
The latest confirmation of this news came just a few days ago, with the announcement of the collaboration between Goliath Gaming, a top South African gaming organization, and the young FIFA superstar Busisiwe “Busi96” Masango-Steenkamp. The 26-year-old Steenkamp became famous during her presence in the FIFA ‘Play Like A Girl’ initiative, where Goliath Gaming also participated.
The signing of Masango-Steenkamp seems like a safe bet that guarantees more than just her individual success. What is at stake is the establishment of an interconnected African gaming industry, which will spread its positive financial influence across business sectors throughout the continent.
Conclusion
With this, Janashvili’s predictions, Vaniš’s hopes, and Barzely’s business ambitions seem to be a given. The African iGaming market is no longer just a promising playground ripe for expansion but a fast-expanding business landscape that’s about to provide countless job openings and abundant international partnership opportunities. This, alongside the other global iGaming trends predicted to revolutionize 2022, makes the overall online gaming and betting industry much more relevant for financial research.
