BGaming hosted its first TRUE WAYS Conference, with highlights for our readers from South Africa being BGaming’s plans to target the country.
In its first online summit, BGaming highlighted its plans to increase its focus on the next emerging market in iGaming – Africa.
For us here at Casinoplusbonus and our readers from the Rainbow Nation, BGaming’s particular mention of South Africa’s estimated $3.5 billion Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR).
It is a promising sign for South African players, who have long been able to play online casino games, and for promotions that have traditionally focused on European players.
It has always felt like we’re playing in Europe, and we’re guests. Although we do have local options, for me, and I am sure many of my fellow Saffas.
Now we could see more African-focused games, with games specifically targeting South Africans, plus more mobile-first games as well as promotions we can resonate with.
Speakers attending the BGaming TRUE WAYS meeting noted that Africa’s growing mobile-first market, which includes South Africa, is a key focus for the industry’s future growth.
The exact term used for Africa was an ’emerging region’, and some of the key focal points discussed were offering African players better payment flexibility and enhancing the user’s mobile experience. Additionally, Kate Romanenko of Kendoo shared data-driven strategies to improve casino game lobby positioning and content performance, which would help enhance the iGaming experience for players in Africa, as opposed to European-focused game titles.
As for the TRUE WAYS online conference itself, it is an online event created by the BGaming software provider. It took place on 4 June 2025, and it was the first of many to come. There were over 1,500 registrations and more than 400 external participants, with 47% of attendees holding executive-level positions within their respective companies.
TRUE WAYS wasn’t just about showcasing BGaming’s capabilities. The idea is to create an open platform for operators, software providers and other tech companies in the online gambling entertainment industry niche to share ideas openly. At the heart of those discussions was Africa, with South Africa one of the leading countries on the continent, leading the discussions.
Source: I used the offcial BGaming TRUE WAYS conference report published on the software provider’s website.
How does the TRUE WAYS conference affect you as a South African?
The first point I would like to make is that games are going to be tailored to better reflect your culture. On top of this, as one of the key points made during the BGaming TRUE WAYS conference was the popularity of mobile gaming on the continent, software providers will focus on creating casino games that better suit the demand for the large number of African players who prefer to gamble online while on the move.
Game Themes Reflecting African Culture
In general, games themed on African culture usually reflect the wildlife. Elephants, lions and jungle scenes or themes based on the wide open African plains. I would also expect more themes based on cities, local music stars, the South African sports team, and those reflecting the diverse array of cultures. The conference also mentioned Nigeria and Kenya, so we’ll likely see themes that relate to these countries, plus online casino games based on Africa as a continent. I’ve left you a few free-play demo slots to give you an example of some of the games currently based on African culture already featuring in online casinos.
Improved Mobile-First Gaming Experience For Players in Africa
Another key point made to target the African market as a whole, which will impact South African players, is the focus on creating games that cater to the demand for casino gaming via mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. As a mobile-first market, players will benefit from games and platforms that are faster, lighter, and more responsive on smartphones. Expect less data-heavy designs and smoother performance on mid-range devices, as well as slow internet connections where 3G, 4G and 5G are not readily available or scarce.
Relevant Promotions & Bonuses
Relevance is key, and that means designing promotions that resonate with South African players. We see quite a few games and promotions based on Easter, Christmas, and even seasonal games. The main issue I see as a South African is that these games and promotions mainly target a European audience. It doesn’t snow here in SA unless you happen to live in the Drakensberg Mountains or are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of snow in Matroosberg. For most of us, we don’t see snow or harsh winters the slots and promotions depict.
To truly connect with South African players, software providers should move away from Eurocentric themes and embrace locally relevant designs. That means creating summer-style festive games, featuring regional holidays like Heritage Day, and incorporating familiar elements such as braais, wildlife, rugby, and promotions with seasonal cues. Online casinos could also feature pages dedicated to South Africa and display software provider promotions in Rand instead of Euros.
Are any of these changes likely? Yes, I feel confident they will come. Now that South Africa has been identified as a target for BGaming and others involved in the TRUE WAYS conference, I think we will see more online gambling content focused on Africa. Furthermore, BGaming is connected to SOFTSWISS, which is showing more interest in the African market as per our recent gambling news report – Africa Tech Week.
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