Kenya continues to stand out as the market with the largest betting engagement, as a new study by GeoPoll reveals that gambling activity across the continent is spiking at a rapid rate.
The report detailed that 82.81% of its respondents in Kenya had engaged with gambling products previously. This number was closely followed by South Africa, where 73% of individuals had engaged in gambling activity.
It underpins the potential of both markets and the value in navigating tricky regulatory frameworks in either region as they endure something of a transformational period.
The data also shone a light on the opportunity in Tanzania, which also experienced a significant upward trajectory in terms of player engagement.
There is also a shift in the frequency in which players are gambling now as opposed to when stats were previously recorded in 2022.
A growing number of players in those key African markets are now gambling weekly as opposed to monthly. Something that, according to Akeem Odukoya of GinjaBet, is fuelled by technological advancements and increased mobile penetration across the continent.
Speaking on the SBC Digital Day Africa, Odukoya stated that the evolution of payments and fintech in Africa, across a variety of countries, has also significantly bolstered engagement when it comes to betting enabling players, with e-soccer really taking centre stage in tapping into players’ desires.
Furthermore, player trends were also shifted as a result of the pandemic, with players moving towards virtual sports and casino games in the absence of football.
Odukoya emphasised that virtual sports play a key role in the market as players transition from sportsbook engagement to the wider iGaming portfolio of an operator.
We are approaching a pivotal period for the growth of virtual sports as the gap in the football calendar could well lead to increased engagement in virtual football amongst players in the market.
Nonetheless, as players embrace casino games, specifically crash games, the importance of simplification remains key, enabling players to quickly adopt game mechanics and understand the logistics of a game.
As technological advancements grow, Odukoya revealed that there is an appetite for gamification across Africa.
The size of the market was also highlighted by Odukoya, who assured operators that there is a slice of the pie for everyone, but stressed the importance of not using a copy-paste approach to the various markets in the continent.
