The gaming market in Africa has continued to boom in recent years, with many laying the finger at the increase in technology and the availability of devices available to the continent’s population.
Previously, for the vast majority of the people that lived within Africa, the use of an internet cafe was once the only possible way in which gamers would be able to enjoy their favorite games, however, that has since changed.
Players now have access to games via the use of smartphones where they can access a range of different casino games on prominent gambling platforms, such as Betway, – especially as the iGaming industry continues to be highly popular amongst the country’s people – or play some more traditional video games from their fingertips, wherever they choose to enjoy a session.
Figures behind Africa’s gaming rise
A recent study that was conducted in 2021 by Newzoo, which is a games analytics company, and Carry 1st, which is a South African gaming platform, found that there had been a significant increase in the number of players to have been enjoying games over the last few years.
It was found that the 77 million playing games in 2015 have since jumped to a total of 186 million, with many enjoying their gaming experiences via the use of a mobile device. Extraordinarily, it has been claimed that approximately 95% of gamers are using their smartphones or tablets to play.
Indeed, Kenya appeared on the list as the fourth highest in regard to active gamers, with around 22% of the entire country’s population said to have been participating regularly.
South Africa, though, leads the way in regard to participation, as approximately 40% of its population was found to be playing; a figure that is thought to be around 24 million people. This figure is far greater than Ghana and Nigeria who came second and third respectively, as it was found that they had 27% and 23% of their citizens playing regularly.
Ethiopia was ranked fifth in the list, with 13% of its population found to regularly play their favorite games.
Why have so many Africans started to use mobile devices for their favorite games?
There have been a number of reasons that have been suggested when thinking about why Africa is set to grow within the gaming market, with factors such as the rise of cryptocurrency, the world’s economy, and the increase in digitization across the continent.
The iGaming and sports betting industries have always been extremely popular in Africa with operators including Betway present, but it would seem many more are looking to use these services now for a variety of different reasons, especially as they have become more accessible via the use of mobile devices.
However, the rise of crypto has also played a major role, with the population of many countries in the continent having looked to embrace and adopt virtual currency as a way to generate wealth or to try and protect themselves from inflation that is typically experienced. This has then had an impact on the gaming market, as there have been operators to provide players with games where digital assets can be used.
Conclusion
To conclude, mobile technology including smartphones and the introduction of cryptocurrency appears to have had an apparent impact on the gaming market within the continent, with the industry having experienced a highly positive boom recently. As these technologies improve and become more accessible, it is likely that the market will only continue to grow further in the future, too!
