Innovations that will disrupt Africa gaming space 2020s

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Africa youth population is growing rapidly and is expected to double to over 830 million by 2050. these is coupled with infrastructural developments, both in technology and high rate of internet penetration and connectivity in the continent and the economy is expected grow by 2020 after the recently signed African Continental Free Trade (AfCFTA).

The agreement between 27 Africa union members state that is expected to boost the economy and help build a strong tier between Africa countries. Intra Africa trade is expected to grow by 21.9 percent by 2022, while at least 53 percent by 2040 thus, effectively contributing in the region of $70 billion to the continent GDP. This growth will ensure that an increasing proportion of Africa’s more than $2 trillion economy traded internally.

Further, technology is expected to experience rapidly growth in Africa, particularly the mobile internet and smartphone usage is expected to grow even more quickly than overall mobile usage in the next few years, while it is predicted that by 2025 mobile internet will have a 40 percent rate in West Africa only. However, new generation of digital consumers of 44% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population equivalent to just over 450 million people, majority of these people owned a smartphone in Sub-Saharan Africa

Another technology to look out for in Africa it is the impending the fifth generation technology called 5G.

5G is set to disrupt the gambling industry and will be lunch in Africa by 2020s. Thus countries like Nigeria, and South Africa will put it on trial by 2020 and while it will be widely deployed by 2021 in Africa, and the impending 5G mobile phone that is set to lunch in Africa in 2020s as well. However, the fifth generation technology will be able to support a wide range of devices and services, and delivered through Internet of Things (IoT) use. 5G will provide much higher data throughput, enabling a significantly better customer experience coupled with faster speeds are not the only determinant of overall customer experience.

In particular, the reduction in latency (delay) for data’s transit across the 5G network and to end users, it will play a major role in unlocking new use case by enabling new capabilities and the flexibility for mobile betting and to better serve the specific needs of punters. As such, 5G will be key enabler of the Fourth Industrial Revolution as technology is seamlessly embedded within society and especially the gambling industry. While 5G subscriptions are projected to account for 17 percent of mobile subscriptions by the end of 2024, about 1.5bn subscriptions out of the total 8.9bn globally expected, albeit in Africa deployment in the region will be unevenly balanced, with many areas still in the exploration stage.

Though, majority of bookmakers in Africa are now offering live betting, live streaming on their online platforms a very good example is Betway offer customers the opportunity of live streaming on their platform and live betting. The fifth generation will definitely improve customers experience in Africa, as online gambling is definitely for African markets in the 2020s.

Further, Big Data its undeniable, that online operators are collecting and generating volumes of data from mobile devices and computers, whenever we go online to place bets, that moments you could say we leave a footprints with everything we do that involves a digital transaction, which is almost everything on top of this, the amount of machine generated data is rapidly experiencing growth.

Thus, operators are using this technology to their competitive advantage. For instance, the data operators collect can be analyze to improve customer service, determine and evaluate player’s behavior. Another very good thing how this technology is shaping online sector, Big data can provide insight on punters behaviors based on trails of what punters has done in the past on gaming platforms and with an improved customers experience that includes what’s the player might like, Big data also tailored customers experience and keep the player hooked based on what the bettor likes and provide suggestions of top picks of other punters or other the betting options that is trending.

Further, Artificial intelligence is right here in Africa and it is set to disrupt the online gaming platforms, more operators will adopt this new technology in Africa gambling industry. For instance let us take a look at how this technology is changing the gaming space and how major bookmakers are adopting this innovation. Moreover, online gambling is a great example of how technology can create problems and solutions. However, Artificial intelligence technology is changing the online gambling, with the unique features to create a better in-game user experience and how to better serve ads to current or potential customers through real-time personalization, thus this unique feature is an enhancement of user experience through providing human-live customer service powered by machine learning. AI technology also process a quick user queries, automated customer support can be quick, efficient and human-like. For instance, imagine asking a question to chatbots that actually respond like a human, responding precisely based on your profile.

Another solution AI technology can profound is gambling addiction, this technology detect addiction problem; particularly gambling addiction is a serious problem and can lead to depression, and suicide. However, there has been a reported case of suicide based on gambling addiction in Kenya, in 2016 of a young man that strangled himself after placing bets with his School fees of $800, a student of Kenyata University. Though, with this technology gambling addiction can be curb in Africa.

Therefore, gambling industry will continue to experience rapid growth both in online and retail. And it will coupled with infrastructure developments, economy growth, and technology and while the industry will benefit from the impending innovations that are set to lunch in the continent in 2020s.

Written by Adeleye Awakan
Associate/Editor www.gbc.ng Africa’s leading digital gaming magazine. For consultant on gaming in Africa, Marketing, PR, Advertising, and Thoughtful leadership article contact: [email protected]