Africa
Outlook on Africa’s Gaming Industry 2020-2025 – Mobile Gaming Will Hold a Major Market Share
The “Africa Gaming Market – Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2020-2025)” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.
The gaming industry is expected to register a CAGR of 12% during the forecast period (2020-2025). The most recent trend is the growing availability and popularity of multi-functional gaming console, which is emerging in the market and helping in growing the market of video games in the region.
Africa is the only region in the world where the youth population is increasing. By 2050 Africa’s young people, i.e., those aged between 0 and 24 years old, will increase by nearly 50 percent. Africa will have the most significant number of young people. Africa’s youth are critical to the continent’s future when it comes to mobile and gaming as a whole.
African studios are making new inroads by launching original locally produced content on Netflix. Several local content productions have been nominated for several global awards, including the Oscars. The Annecy Festival in 2020 will be focusing on animation from Africa. In addition to this, government initiatives in the region are adopting gaming solutions for educational purposes. Developments such as these will provide opportunities for the gaming industry in the area.
During the lockdown, the Entertainment streaming and gaming industries are thriving. The global suspension or cancellation of most sporting events has left punters without live games to bet on, aside from re-runs of filmed matches. The knock-on effect is that sports betting, which accounts for most of the industry’s revenue, has crashed to almost nil.
While the traditional gambling industry is facing unparalleled losses, online gambling sites have reported a surge in activity since the national lockdown came into effect on 27 March 2020. While online casinos worldwide have reported a sharp increase in gambling, as lockdown periods are extended, and financial stresses intensify, people may become increasingly hesitant to spend money on non-essential pastimes, such as gambling.
Key Market Trends
Mobile Gaming Segment Expected to Have Major Market Share
- Mobile gaming generates close to half of the revenue that the gaming industry gets annually. More than 200 million Africans are below 35 years, and this figure might double in a decade. Africa has a huge market for gaming and smartphone companies.
- Mobile gaming is gaining popularity in remote parts of Africa. For example, more than 290 million people in North Africa use mobile phones. The mobile market in the region generates $90 billion annually.
- One of the major drivers for the growth of mobile gaming is the potential to spawn a massive real-money gaming industry around the continent. Mobile tech spreads around the continent, large swaths of Africa are also paving the way for legal betting and gaming.
- However, acceleration in network rollouts by mobile operators in Sub-Saharan Africa has been a vital driver of the reduction in the coverage gap. Infrastructure deployment in Sub-Saharan Africa increased 3G coverage from 63% in 2017 to 70% in 2018, extending access to more than 80 million people. 3.3 billion people live in areas covered by mobile broadband networks but do not use mobile internet – this usage gap’ is more than four times greater than the coverage gap. Such factors might harm gaming companies operating in the region.
Issues Such as Piracy, Laws & Regulations, and Concerns Relating to Fraud During Gaming Transactions will Impact the Growth of the Market
- Most African countries have gaming commissions and laws that regulate gambling. South Africa has clear gaming laws and regulations. It was the first country to create gambling regulation in the continent. Also, online casinos are popular in the country.
- In South Africa, several legislative attempts to further restrict online gambling and payment transactions of unlicensed operators have been postponed in recent years. However, some legislators and regulators at the provincial level have called for a less restrictive regime.
- There is currently an ongoing political and religious debate on the perceived high number of minors accessing gambling. As a result, in May 2019, the minister of finance urged the National Gaming Board (NGB) to stop issuing gaming and betting licenses immediately. The government restricted gambling advertising as of January 2019. Additional measures to ensure responsible gambling and revenue collection to the state budget are on the list.
- A new advocacy organization designed to collaborate, coordinate, partner, build and sustain the growth of esports on the continent has been formed. ESFA or The Esports Federation of Africa is established by a community of both private esports entities, and national federations. WESCO affiliates it. With the launch of the ESFA, African gamers now have a voice, an advocate, an organization with grassroots developments of players at its core. These will provide better opportunities and therefore strengthen the local market in the region.
Competitive Landscape
The gaming market is fragmented as the demand for online games, and increasing penetration of mobile applications across the region will help attract new players in this market over the next few years. Recent developments in the market are:
- In May 2020, Sony announced new PlayStation Studios branding for its first-party PS5 games. Sony will be using the new PlayStation Studios brand for its first-party exclusives going forward as a way to let customers know that a game comes from one of Sony’s in-house development teams.
- In August 2019, Konami Digital Entertainment BV announced that the mobile version of e-Football PES 2020 would be released in October, and it represents a complete overhaul of the current PES 2019 mobile game. The latest major update to the PES Mobile series, which celebrated over 200 million downloads earlier this year, brings many of the critical features and licenses already announced for e-Football PES 2020 on PC and console.
Africa
Hub88 partners with LiveGames to enhance content offering
Hub88 has partnered with live casino supplier LiveGames, further strengthening its product offering by adding a unique range of content to its platform.
LiveGames provides fully customisable online live dealer games and branded tables including the first vertical roulette table in the sector, along with crash games and the widely played Tombola.
The supplier delivers experiences with a player-focused design, easy to use mobile interface, and high-resolution broadcasts.
The partnership will support LiveGames’ goal to further expand in international markets, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America where Hub88 has a strong presence.
The deal showcases Hub88’s commitment to grow its ecosystem of partners, offering a diverse portfolio of products and content.
Ollie Castleman, Head of Hub88, said: “We’re thrilled to unveil this strategic partnership with LiveGames which sees us add a great provider to our platform, one that utilises modern technology to offer bespoke and personalised gaming experiences to players.
“We are looking forward to collaborating and strengthening our content library with their diverse games.”
The LiveGames Team said: “Our journey started in a small studio and as a team, we are excited about now expanding to every corner of the world together with Hub88 and their extensive operator network.
“We are committed to promoting innovation in the industry and this partnership will support us on that mission.”
The post Hub88 partners with LiveGames to enhance content offering appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Africa
NE Group powers 888bets launch in Angola
NE Group, a leading B2B iGaming software supplier, has teamed up with online gambling operator 888 to launch 888bets for the Angolan market.
888Africa was originally set up to operate 888 brands in online betting and gaming markets across hand-picked regulated countries within Africa. Angolan sports bettors will now have seamless access to online sports betting through 888bets.co.ao
NE Group specialises in offering innovative, lightweight front-end solutions for best-in-class iGaming experiences. An extensive localised knowledge is the inspiration behind a platform that is renowned for flexibility and adaptation for unique African preferences. Together with 888, the platform delivers smooth gameplay across diverse data speed environments – essential for broad accessibility in Africa.
For the first time in the country, Angolan bettors will have the opportunity to experience the acclaimed Aviator crash-game on the platform. Additionally, the new site incorporates built-in features and tools for Responsible Gaming teams to monitor and support safe gaming practices
NE Group CEO Imran Bukhari said: “It’s brilliant to see the 888bets sportsbook launch in Angola to bring sports betting fans an experience they deserve. Our specialised sports betting platform and lightweight frontend solution for Africa allows 888bets to quickly scale.”
888bets added: “As a country with huge potential, we expect big things from our launch in Angola. Working with NE Group has enabled us to deliver an experience that sports bettors will love and that is enriched with engaging products.”
The post NE Group powers 888bets launch in Angola appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Africa
BMM Testlabs Continues Its Expansion in Africa with New Licenses in Botswana and Nigeria to Test Land-Based and Digital Products
BMM Testlabs (BMM; or the Company), the world’s original gaming test lab renowned for exceptional product compliance and certification services, today announced that it has been approved to provide compliance testing, inspections, and certification services for the African countries of Botswana and Nigeria.
The Botswana Gambling Authority and the National Lottery Regulatory Commission in Nigeria, the official gaming regulatory bodies in those states, granted BMM licenses for the land-based and digital gaming markets in the two African countries.
BMM, which opened its office in South Africa in October 2004, is now able to provide comprehensive compliance testing and inspection services for most regulated markets across Africa.
BMM`s Senior Vice President, Africa, Zeena Rossouw said, We are honored that the gaming authorities in Botswana and Nigeria have demonstrated their trust in BMM to license us for product testing and certification. As regulation gains momentum across the continent, the African gaming market offers even more promise for BMM. With a focus on safeguarding the African gaming industry and all its stakeholders, BMM looks forward to working with suppliers and operators to accelerate the deployment of new technologies and products.
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