Africa

East Africa’s iGaming Industry A Prime Opportunity For Growth And Expansion

Published

4 years ago

October 29, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

East Africa is one of the regions in Africa that is garnering the most attraction when it comes to the betting and gambling industry. We meet Alessandro Pizzolotto, STM Gaming’s CEO and Certified Partner of BtoBet in Africa what he thinks about the subject and how the region could further evolve in the short to medium term.

Is it your opinion that sports betting is more rampant in Eastern Africa? Why?

There is no doubt that the popularity of sports betting in the whole of Africa derives from the huge popularity of sports across the entire continent. The popularity of sports, especially football, has been further highlighted in recent years with the huge success of African players in major European leagues. One could make reference to Napoli’s strong Senegalese centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, Arsenal’s Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, amongst many others.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

Nonetheless with numbers at hand, a report published by Dublin based research firm “Research and Report” clearly indicates that the iGaming industry in the Sub-Saharan region is seeing an increase in the number of millenials who make use of mobile phones to place bets. The report states that the eastern region in Africa, with Kenya and Uganda as the primary examples, is at the forefront of the continent’s gambling market.

How did weak laws and regulations offer the perfect environment for the growth of gambling in Eastern Africa?

I wouldn’t state that East African markets are afflicted by weak regulations. The M-Pesa and SMS payments conundrum that resulted in Kenya last year was in effect a demonstration that local regulations do work, and in blocking these vital payment systems to the country’s largest operators the Kenyan government was effectively cutting the operators from millions of customers.

Whilst one can argue to great length regarding the escalating enforcement measures that were introduced by the government, this does not in itself demonstrate a weak regulatory framework that would benefit black or grey markets.

Does East Africa have more nations that participate in sports betting than any other African region?

To understand why the iGaming industry has registered stronger growth in Eastern Africa than in other regions one has to understand the payment gateways and services available, which are fundamental to the industry. East Africa is undoubtedly at the forefront of the entire continent when it comes to payment gateways, especially mobile money. It is a known fact that from a financial inclusion perspective Africa is still lagging behind more established markets, such as Europe.

Yet when it comes to East Africa, the region – with countries such as Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda – is a global leader in regards to the highest per capita registered and active mobile money accounts, and volume of mobile money. The region has the fastest growth in mobile money accounts and in each country the number of mobile money accounts surpassed the number of bank accounts.

The phenomenon of mobile money has been ongoing in the East African region since 2007. The roots of mobile money lie in Kenya with the launch of M-Pesa by Vodacom . With the lack of financial infrastructure in the region and the cost of mobile phones dropping rapidly in that same period, mobile money spread quickly through the rest of East Africa.

If one were to compare two leading markets in Africa – Kenya from the East African region and Nigeria from its Western counterpart – one would find huge discrepancies from this perspective. Whilst in Kenya 56% of the population aged over 15 years have an account with a financial institution, on the other hand 73% report having a mobile money account. At the same time the situation cannot be more different in Nigeria, with 39% of the population having an account with a financial institution and only 5.6% having a mobile money account. This obviously has a very strong impact on the iGaming industry.

Nonetheless this situation is set to change in the short to medium term, especially with the continuous expansion of companies such as MTN Africa and Airtel Africa across the whole continent. Such an expansion will pave the way for a true pan-African payment gateway facilitating money transfers, deposits and withdrawals when it comes to the regional iGaming industry.

Africa

Readen Holding Corp Finalises Acquisition of Morrich Lottery Limited

Published

3 days ago

April 24, 2025

Niji Narayan

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

Readen Holding Corporation, a venture capital specialising in Fintech, Digital Payments and E-commerce, has announced the successful signing of the final agreement to acquire an 80% controlling stake in Morrich Lottery Limited, a fully licensed lottery operator in Nigeria. This milestone marks RHCO’s official entry into the African gaming market — one of the fastest-growing and most promising sectors globally.

With the closing of this acquisition, RHCO now holds active licenses in Nigeria for lottery, sportsbook and casino operations, unlocking access to an estimated $2.5 billion gaming market projected to grow over 9% annually through 2030. This move positions RHCO to become a major international force in regulated gaming, entertainment and fintech infrastructure.

Ridzky Berg, CEO of RHCO, said: “This is more than an acquisition — it’s a strategic launchpad into one of the most dynamic gaming markets in the world. Nigeria’s youthful population, expanding internet access, and growing appetite for digital gaming make this a prime market. With our proven fintech backbone and seasoned leadership, we’re ready to set a new standard for integrated, secure, and user-friendly gaming platforms across the region.”

The post Readen Holding Corp Finalises Acquisition of Morrich Lottery Limited appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Africa

Gaming Corps Expands African Presence with KingMakers Partnership

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2025

George Miller

gaming-corps-expands-african-presence-with-kingmakers-partnership

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Gaming Corps signs a deal with leading African gaming platform, KingMakers.

Gaming Corps, a publicly listed game studio based in Sweden, has put pen to paper on a content distribution deal with KingMakers, a leading sports betting and gaming platform in Africa. This new strategic partnership will help cement Gaming Corps as one of Africa’s most dynamic game studios while enhancing the game offering across KingMakers’ platforms.

The deal will see Gaming Corps’ diverse online slot and casino game portfolio integrated into KingMakers’ platform. This includes popular titles like Gates of Hellfire, Wet and Wild Beavers, and Snoops’ High Rollers, each of which showcases Gaming Corps’ commitment to innovative gameplay, creative bonus features and big winning potential.

KingMakers’ customers will also enjoy Gaming Corps’ selection of industry-leading crash and instant-win games and hits from the Smash4Cash™ selection, including its flagship title, Piggy Smash.

The move will see Gaming Corps significantly enhance its position in the African market, with KingMakers marketing itself as ‘Where Africa comes to play’. KingMakers’s leading brand, BetKing, is one of Africa’s most in-demand online gaming sites, ensuring Gaming Corps reaches more players on the continent than ever.

Danielle Calafato, CCO at Gaming Corps, said: “A key part of our global expansion strategy is to work alongside the biggest and best names on each continent. KingMakers is a major player in the African market with a strong reputation among players, and this partnership provides us with major exposure there.

Our games have always been well-received by African audiences, and with KingMakers, we can continue to cement our status as a must-have game studio in the region.”

Kaan Bulakeri – Head of Gaming at KingMakers noted: “In our clear vision to be the home where Africa comes to play, we as KingMakers believe in strong business partnerships to bring the most innovative entertainment content to our customers.

Our business strategy is to create this customer value together with global partners as well as locally focused game providers to enhance our rich and diverse offering combined with best user experience.

Gaming Corps is one of the game studios that resonate with our vision and strategy, therefore with their innovative approach we eagerly continue to provide our customers with tailored and localized first-in-class entertainment.”

The post Gaming Corps Expands African Presence with KingMakers Partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Africa

INCENTIVE GAMES SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, SOUTH AFRICA AND UK WITH LIGHT & WONDER

Published

2 weeks ago

April 14, 2025

George Miller

incentive-games-signs-exclusive-distribution-deal-for-north-america,-europe,-south-africa-and-uk-with-light-&-wonder

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Leading B2B games provider, Incentive Games, today announced its new agreement with premium gaming company and content provider Light & Wonder, Inc.

Through this agreement, Incentive Games will distribute its premium pay-to-play games – including new arcade-style titles – to key global regulated markets including the USA, Canada, South Africa, UK, and within Europe via Light & Wonder’s extensive operator network. Additionally, Incentive Games’ popular free-to-play content will be made available to a wider audience through Light & Wonder’s content marketplace.

The agreement brings together two industry leaders in iGaming and the strengths of both companies to deliver exceptional player experiences and elevate customer engagement.

Ahmed Baker, Chief Commercial Officer at Incentive Games said, “This agreement is a landmark moment in our company’s history. Previously, we’ve worked directly with major operators such as bet365, FanDuel, and Sky Bet. Now, we can distribute our games via Light & Wonder, an exceptional aggregator that we trust will handle our games with care.”

Steve Mayes, Senior Director of Partners at Light & Wonder, said: “We are excited to work with Incentive Games, a leader in gamification solutions. We look forward to leveraging their innovative platform and bringing their customisable crash and fast game content to all major regulated markets.”

The post INCENTIVE GAMES SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, SOUTH AFRICA AND UK WITH LIGHT & WONDER appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.