Throughout the past few decades, the global gaming industry has reached new, unprecedented heights. This progression is evident within Africa’s sector-related statistics. According to a study by Mordor Intelligence, the continent’s gaming market is forecast to register a compound annual growth rate of 12 percent between 2020 and 2025. It is predicted that there will be significant progress revolving around mobile platforms in particular.

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While there are many reasons behind the region’s recent rise to prominence from a gaming standpoint, ensuring locality is undoubtedly one of Africa’s central objectives. Not only does this apply from a development perspective, but it’s also true of the developers’ target audience bases. So, let’s take a look at Zambia’s game-related emergence and consider Africa’s growth more generally.

Africa’s Broader Role in Modern-Day Gaming

In recent times, Africa’s involvement in numerous industries has become increasingly significant. Alongside football – where the Super Eagles of Nigeria have raised the sport’s profile – gaming is another sector that has reached new levels of popularity during the 21st century. Interestingly, the continent’s ever-growing role as a go-to destination for modern-day video games is indicative of this. While Africa boasts a proud, local gaming community, it’s hard to ignore the sheer volume of developers that have sought to integrate various African environments into their titles.

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Following its release in January 2009, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is one of the very few video games that features Zambia as a playable location. The plot sees the futuristic title’s protagonist travel to a refugee camp in the country to engage in combat with various in-game enemies. Outside of Zambia, other world-renowned creators have also set their games in Africa, including Far Cry 2, which takes place in the center of Africa. Moreover, Africa has also been featured in a host of strategic titles, such as Rome: Total War and Total War: Attila.

Furthermore, it’s also a testament to the continent’s expanding gaming industry that diverse markets have been embraced. For example, in South Africa, online casinos have added more options to the country’s game-oriented offerings. Across many of the top online casinos in South Africa, players can experience a host of casino-inspired games. These offerings include live-dealer developments and slots at various bonus-offering operators, including Africasino. From the likes of Far Cry 2 to slot games, Africa is growing an impressive and varied gaming portfolio.

Hands-On Approach to Game Development

As touched upon above, Zambia’s progression throughout the 21st century somewhat relates to the rising numbers of local developers. At the time of writing, numerous Zambian-made video games are available on the market. As per Techtrends, Trevor Sinkala has sought to exploit the surging popularity of the mobile sector. His religious-themed, brain-teasing titles have been downloaded over 100,000 times on the Google Play Store since he became active in game development back in 2014. The undeniable appeal of his phone-friendly games is a testament to the growth of smartphone gaming within Zambia and Africa.

Aside from exploring the potential of the mobile sector, other Zambian-based creators have targeted the PC market. Developed and published by Relentless Studios, Save Our Souls – Episode 1 was released in March 2017. The project was created by Martin Kalimukwa in Unreal Engine 4, according to the developer’s profile at Artstation. The third-person, apocalyptic-themed title takes place in an array of different environments, there are also varied in-game elements, including enemies, vehicles, and weapons.

However, while local development is on the rise, perhaps the most significant breakthrough in African gaming is on the horizon. GamesIndustry.biz reports that mainstream platforms – such as the Apple App Store, Google Play, Steam, and many more – don’t often help local gamers find African-themed titles. This struggle has resulted in the creation of homegrown retail platforms like Bonako Games Arena. In the future, this forward-thinking step will aim to bridge the gap in commercialization in providing a route to newly-released titles that cater to the demands of local audiences.

A Sector Longing for Better Marketing Platforms

Ultimately, there can be no doubt that the gaming industry in Africa has the foundations in place to make significant forward steps in the coming years. With a plethora of local talent seeking to break into the market, progression from a commercialization standpoint could be the catalyst in taking African creations to mainstream audiences. With locality at its very core, the continent will continue to stay true to its roots in its strive for sectoral growth.

With grievances that range from unpaid winning bets to allegations of insidious campaigns to lure vulnerable problem gamblers, complaints against British gambling companies have skyrocketed by at least 5,000% in the span of just five years.

These numbers come from the UK Gambling Commission which show that there were only 169 gambling-related customer complaints in 2013 compared to the 8,266 reported complaints filed with the gambling watchdog in 2018.

Gambling Commission chief executive Neil McArthur, for one, sees the surging numbers as a “good sign”. McArthur explained that the rising number of complaints can be attributed to more consumers seeking accountability from large scale gambling operators. The chief regulator is urging the public to continue reporting the unscrupulous actions of gaming companies to the Commission.

Record £14.5 Billion Lost in 2018

The UKGC said that gamblers are now forfeiting nearly twice as much to gambling companies as they were ten years ago. In 2018 alone, British bettors lost at least £14.5 billion which gives you an idea of how lucrative the gambling market in the UK really is.

The gambling industry has witnessed rapid growth since the UK government eased restrictions on wagering and gaming advertising in 2007. The numbers have been fueled even more in recent years with the rise of online gambling and the wider pool of potential clientele that it brings.

The UK had a reputation for being one of the most lenient gambling markets in the world which helped the market grow exponentially. However, British bettors have suffered due to this as many gambling operators have breached these laws for a number of years. The gambling watchdog has taken a stronger approach to penalising operators who do not comply with gambling regulations in the last couple of years in an effort to offer better protection to UK players.

Consumer Complaints

Gambling Industry Watchdog Definition

One of the more serious complaints that the gambling watchdog will have to look comes from players who have put themselves on the self-exclusion list. Most gambling websites like LeoVegas who have themselves been fined in the past, have responsible gambling policies that allow bettors to voluntarily ban themselves from accessing the online casino. However, complaints have been filed that gambling operators continue to target players who are on the self-exclusion list and entice them with bonus offers to come back and keep playing.

Gambling Industry Watchdog Companies

In July 2019, the Gambling Commission dropped one of its largest fines to date, slapping a £5.9 million on Ladbrokes Coral for failing to protect problem gamblers between 2014 and 2017. With the increase in gambling complaints, the UKGC will have to do more to ensure that British bettors are better protected and operators strive for better compliance.