The popularity of esports betting has exploded in recent months across the globe, with the business being one of the few athletic industries that has not been badly affected by the global epidemic.
Outside of Europe and the United States, however, the industry’s effect on particular areas has yet to be thoroughly investigated. A panel of industry professionals addressed the increasing popularity of esports and related betting business in Africa at the SBC Digital Summit Africa.
The managing director of Paradise Game, Sidick Bakayoko, said that Africa’s esports scene is now undergoing significant changes, owing in part to the impact of COVID-19. As a consequence of this change, the betting scene in the business may gain importance.
“There are going to be a lot of changes in the way people watch video games and normal entertainment,” Bakayoko said. I believe it will have a good effect on our industry as a whole, which is video games. Betting, I believe, will profit much from the current trends.
“In order for esports betting to take off in Africa, you need a large population, and I believe we have that. You also need a population that is expanding, and you need a middle class population that is increasing. I see a lot of similarities between what you see in Europe and what you see in the United States. What you can see here is that it will take a little longer, similar to how the movie business took more than 15 years to get rolling and is now doing extremely well.”
The CEO of Ludique Works, Douglas Ogeto, acknowledged that Africa’s esports and, as a result, betting sectors are growing. According to Ogeto, the continent is still building its own esports specialty, including game creation, as well as moves toward creating a competitive gaming betting industry.
“We’ve seen our studio produce a local version of what other nations would term poker in Ghana,” he said. They essentially took a card game and adapted it to a local setting before turning it into a multiplayer game. This has been warmly welcomed, and with this degree of grassroots acceptance of what works for the local economy, the local market will undoubtedly see additional titles with an esports component.”
Africa is still in its infancy when compared to established esports regions like as Europe; yet, this does not necessarily imply that its betting sector is undeveloped.
The head of the Ghana Esports Association, Kwesi Hayford, said that the continent’s desire for gambling is evident: “We have known betting in gaming at grassroots, but we didn’t even refer to it as betting.” It was a competition amongst the players themselves. It’s called “loser pay and winner stay,” and it can be found at Ghana’s tiny gaming centers.
“It’s a kind of betting where individuals wager on two competitors competing. They may wager money and declare, “The winner who is able to remain and participate in all of the games gets the money.” In Africa, the essence of betting has been inside the ecosystem.”
The panel, moderated by Code Red Esports COO Luke Cotton, included Ryan Macquet, the founder of the Africa Electronic Sports Association, and Emmanuel Oyelakin, the founder and CEO of League of Extraordinary Gamers, with topics ranging from the general state of the esports sector to the region’s popularity with eFootball titles like FIFA and PES.
As the panel drew to a conclusion, the topic of what operators should do if they want to become involved in the burgeoning esports industry was addressed. For a seamless entry into the African esports betting industry, Oyelakin said that businesses must examine the laws and regulations while also coordinating with esports organisers to ensure that the appropriate procedures are utilized.
He added, “I would urge the betting operators to get behind the esports organizers.” “It is what it is, but there is the cultural element and also the religious aspect in Nigeria, so we need to be able to clearly identify the limits and be able to go around them.”
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