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Why your next million players are in MEA and Turkey, and how to access them

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Onur Ergüney – Director of Global Partnerships for Gaming & e-Sports, TPAY MOBILE

COVID 19 has been the catalyst for the biggest transformation to people’s lives in recent history. Little else has brought on such seismic shifts in the way people work, play, communicate and live, since the creation of smartphones themselves.

The fourth industrial revolution has arrived faster than anyone could have predicted, especially in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Turkey. This combined region has a population of over 1.6 billion people, a fast-expanding middle class, and, through the power of mobile technology, is more connected than ever.

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A long-standing barrier for scaled-up mobile games distribution in the region – the lack of access to banking infrastructure for subscriptions and the purchasing of games and in-app-purchases (IAPs) – is falling fast. By 2025, 834 million people across MEA will be mobile internet users, and through direct carrier billing (DCB) technology and eMoney wallets, they will have the freedom to spend on gaming like never before.

Untapped opportunity

A relatively untapped marketplace of a billion+ potential players is powering up and set to flip your revenue forecasts upside down if you play your cards right. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for instance, the games industry is currently valued at $4.5 billion according to Frost & Sullivan. That may be just 4% of the global total, but, it is the world’s fastest-growing region, with a year-on-year growth rate of 25%. On a grander scale, MENA makes up 80% of this growth whilst the other 20% is amassed in Sub Saharan Africa. According to one prediction from GSMA, the region will count for 709 million individual SIM connections by 2025.

In other words, Mobile is everything across the MEA and Turkey, and this should be explored as your next frontier of growth. However, you need to know how to access it.

Access is key, and access is different

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Accessing these new markets isn’t simply a case of re-branding what has worked in the past. Your games may well be attractive in these new markets but the systems and processes that power them, and importantly, monetise them, won’t be the same. There are different rules and regulations for advertising, for example, and variations on what purchases or transactions do and don’t constitute gambling. Direct debits for app stores or card payments for IAPs are not common practice in these territories. Across the 20+ countries that make up MEA and Turkey, there is a rich tapestry of cultural differences that result in different ways of purchasing digital goods like games.

Establish partnerships to access these players

To turn your players into payers, the best advice I can give is to establish strategic partnerships – find experts on the ground that can work with you. You are no longer just a games publisher, with your partner network you become a FinTech, a games publisher, a games developer and even an evangelist for a new world of mobile gaming. Ecosystems are everything.

The global language is APIs, not Esperanto

Each territory has its quirks and opportunities, and only by having knowledgeable inside help will you be able to truly navigate the differences in approaching sales and distributions of your titles. Understanding the common services in territories is key for traction, an example being that the Middle East has widely adopted DCB (Direct Carrier Billing) for mobile payments and subscriptions in recent years, whereas mobile wallets are the transaction tool of choice in Subsaharan Africa.

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Games developers want simple integrations that cover the back-end systems. If you find the team that can provide that, they will keep up with evolving regulations in new territories, keeping your games online. This allows you to do what you do best: making high quality, desirable games.

Games publishers expect great user flows. What makes games more interesting than other e-commerce platforms is that they are live systems. The user makes purchase decisions in real-time, while remaining within the game. This is also what creates complexity when it comes to transactions, but there is an answer. The key is to integrate a seamless payment flow within the game, minimising player disruption.

Find an ecosystem that works across borders. One thing that is global is the API. If you want to successfully break into these emerging markets, you need to build a partnership network that understands the intricacies of these technologies.

Should you wait?

Simply put, no.

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Sub-Saharan Africa is the fastest-growing market of all for mobile-penetration, it would be an oversight to not properly explore the MEA and Turkey as a key element of future games monetisation for the future.

MEA and Turkey host a relatively untapped market for games publishing and eSports monetisation, not to mention a fast-growing pool of local influencers – now is the time to make inroads into the gaming sector in such markets. It has been said that the early bird catches the worm – this wisdom is just as true today.

The previously non-existent infrastructure required to sell and monetise mobile games has been replaced. Suddenly, the opportunity is there for the taking. Venture into these new territories, and the partnerships you form now will help grow your company and its market share exponentially, by creating opportunities to engage new gamers. Whilst boosting your business into the next 50 years, you have an opportunity to entertain many millions of people who are fast to become your next loyal, player base.

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Shaden Dre Shabalala (Captain of the MSSA Protea Esports Team for MLBB) will lead his brave, and dedicated, team against Madagascar on 23 July 2025 at 19H00)

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With the South African Protea Esports Team for the Mobile Legends Bang Bang title having laid waste to all its opponents in its group (Namibia and Congo), the Proteas now have to do battle against Madagascar.

Madagascar has also won all its matches in its group having beaten both Mauritius and Zimbabwe.

Thus to see which country earns its place to represent Southern Africa at the prestigious IESF World Esports Championships – WEC25 – the two titans will meet on the field of battle.

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The winner of this clash on 23 July 2025 will see only one country emerge to represent Southern Africa at IESF’s WEC25.

Thus, there is much at stake, honour, prestige, and a nation’s pride!

The match is a thrilling best-of-five games in which, all MSSA is confident that the Proteas will emerge victorious!

As usual the dedicated team from Waylander Gaming will stream the match on https://youtube.com/@waylander_gaming at 19H00.

The battle hardened veteran team of Protea athletes for the Mobile Legends Bang Bang esports title are:

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Name Club Nick Province
Shaden Dre Shabalala (Capt.) King of the Hill SUPER Shady Gauteng
Mogamat Junaid Ismail King of the Hill JụjuMC.♡ Western Cape
Slindokuhle Ndlovu King of the Hill lindo Gauteng
Umer Ali Khan King of the Hill VeloTzy. Gauteng
Schalk Rademeyer Paradox SUPER Light Eastern Cape

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Altenar appoints Brendon Jeacocks as Regional Director in South Africa

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Sportsbook provider hires respected industry consultant to fuel growth during its first year

Altenar, a leading sportsbook and iGaming software provider, has invested in its presence in South Africa with the appointment of Brendon Jeacocks as Regional Director.

Jeacocks brings more than eight years of experience in the online gaming industry, primarily in finance, regulation and compliance. He joins Altenar after working as an independent consultant for South African iGaming brands, before which he worked as Financial Manager at African operator SportPesa.

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The move follows Altenar’s receipt of a National Manufacturer licence from the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board in December 2024, which paved the way for the company to supply its sportsbook technology to licensed operators in South Africa and other African markets.

In his role, Jeacocks will drive growth for Altenar in South Africa, where it already offers its tailored premium data providers, localised sports offering and mobile app aimed at players in the mobile-first market.

John Quaye, CFO at Altenar, said: “We are delighted to welcome Brendon to the team as he builds our on-the-ground presence in South Africa. His expertise in the market will undoubtedly help us achieve strong growth in our first year as a licensed provider in the country.

“He is well-positioned to forge partnerships and help us tailor our product to meet the region’s growing demand for localised sports betting solutions.”

Brendon Jeacocks, Regional Director at Altenar, said: “I’m pleased to be joining Altenar at such an exciting time for the company’s ambitions in Africa. I’m currently based in Cape Town and will serve as the local point of contact for our operations here.

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“I look forward to helping to develop Altenar’s presence in South Africa and connecting with the rest of the industry.”

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Africa

TigonBet Enters Kenya’s Betting Market

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TigonBet, a digital sportsbook and casino platform, has officially entered the Kenyan Betting Market.

With gamified features, swipe-to-bet tech and lucrative tournaments, this new platform is putting the fun back in betting, offering speed, interactivity and mobile usability.

TigonBet is backed by a bold brand identity the “Tigon,” a hybrid of lion and tiger. The platform is aiming to blend entertainment with strategic play, catering to both sports bettors and casino enthusiasts.

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At the core of TigonBet’s user experience is a Tinder-style swipe feature that allows punters to scroll through match options and betting markets quickly. Built for mobile-first users, the interface reduces friction and aims to make browsing and betting more intuitive.

TigonBet also introduces a tournament system where players can compete in live leaderboards. Whether betting on sports or spinning in the casino, users can climb rankings and win prizes from airtime and smartphones to consoles and TVs. The system is performance-based, meaning consistency is rewarded over high spending.

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