People all across Africa love to have fun and find ways to relax in their spare time. Alongside the usual choices, such as listening to music and meeting with friends, online gaming is becoming very popular. From Kenya to Nigeria and South Africa, playing games online is a way for millions to spend their spare time.
This is quite amazing when you consider that the online gaming industry in Africa only really got going less than 30 years ago. Since then, it has reached over 30 countries in the region and generates many billions in revenue per year. This growth can be seen in how the whole online gaming sector in Africa expanded by over $460 million from 2014 to 2018.
Mobile gaming is a major factor and this way of enjoying games online is thought to make up around 50% of the total revenue made each year across the continent. The use of smartphones, in general, has exploded across Africa and more than 300 million Africans now use them. This growth has been boosted by the great value of smartphones to buy online in Kenya and other African nations. Due to this easy access to affordable handsets, mobile play is a very lucrative market across the continent.
With a youthful population and growing demand for online games, Africa should see this part of its economy continue to rise as we move forward. But why is online gaming so popular?
Growing choice of secure sites to game at
There would be no online gaming sector in Africa without internet casinos to play games at. Countries such as Kenya and South Africa have seen lots of reputable sites spring up in recent times for players to use. This gives the average African more choice in where they can play and the confidence that the site they use is trustworthy.
Most internet casinos also offer attractive welcome bonuses to players. These free bonuses give you more money to play with and allow you to enjoy online games with no risk. Finding out how to claim a free bonus is wise as this will mean you get straight into the action, without having to put your own money down first. All decent online sites have a huge choice of top games too, which helps them appeal to more people.
Changes to the legal landscape
A major reason behind the rise of online gaming in Africa has been the changes to laws made by countries in the region. This has allowed people to legally head online to play games, where they could not before. As a result, the potential market has grown massively for online operators and seen many more people enter the sector.
Online gaming in Africa has also benefited from more modern laws being passed and the security that legislation brings. Clear laws to regulate this industry in South Africa, for example, mean that players have the confidence to play games online, without the fear of being scammed. Modern laws, such as the proposed updates to Kenya’s 2019 Gaming Bill, keep the sector moving forward and make it more appealing for people to enter.
Better internet connectivity in the region
There is no doubt that the telecoms infrastructure around Africa is significantly better now than in the past. This has seen improvements to internet connectivity in Africa rolled out across the continent – much of it to places that had none before. It is thought that around 30% of Africans now have internet access and this has enabled more to play games online. As a result, the whole online gaming industry in the region has received a major boost. When you also add in the fact that more Africans are becoming tech-savvy, it is easy to see why playing online games has exploded there.
High levels of unemployment
This may not be a positive reason behind online gaming’s success in Africa but it is valid. Unemployment rates in some parts of the continent are still high and finding a job is tough. This has resulted in a greater number of people turning to win money via online games for their main income. Much of this can be seen in the youth of Africa who have the know-how and technology to do this. Many young people in Africa now also see playing online games for money as a more enjoyable and safer career path than dangerous manual labor jobs.
Online games are fun
Of course, the other reason so many people in Africa love to play online games is that they are lots of fun! Whether you go for bright, colorful slots or dramatic casino table games, you are sure to have a great time. When you combine this with the above factors, it is no wonder this sector is thriving across Africa.
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