The esports vertical could very well be the next evolution of sports betting, but how will that affect Africa? The SBC Digital Summit Africa confronted that question in a panel, and looked at how the coronavirus pandemic forced the industry to explore new sectors, with esports coming out a big winner.

While the impact of esports is yet to be fully absorbed in the African betting industry, the panel took some time to explore the growing popularity of esports in Africa. Managing Director of Paradise Games, Sidick Bakayoko, believes the industry in Africa is going through an evolution right now:

“There are going to be a lot of changes in the way people can view video games and the way they can view regular entertainment. I think it’s going to have a positive impact on our industry, which is video gaming, as a whole. I think betting is going to benefit from the new trends.

“For esports betting to explode in Africa you have to have the population and I think we have the numbers, and you have a population that’s growing, and you have a middle-class population that’s growing. I can see a real big parallel between what you can see in Europe or the US. What you can see here is just that it’s going to take a little bit more time, just like seeing the movie industry more than 15 years ago, which is now starting to work very well,” he added.