A fireside chat at ICE Barcelona 2026 saw senior iGaming leaders outline practical strategies for scaling sustainable and compliant businesses across African markets.
SOFTSWISS and KingMakers took part in the session, with Olga Resiga, Chief Business Development Officer at SOFTSWISS, and Ronnie Whelan, CEO of KingMakers, discussing how operators can expand responsibly by tailoring products to local player behaviour, building retention-first models for low-stakes audiences, and staying agile as regulatory frameworks evolve.
Localisation Drives Sustainable Growth
During the discussion, Whelan pointed to Africa’s strong growth potential, supported by rising smartphone adoption, improved mobile connectivity and a young, digitally engaged population. However, he stressed that operators must avoid a one-size-fits-all strategy. Instead, success depends on understanding market-specific player habits and preferences.
Resiga reinforced this view, highlighting the importance of scale combined with personalisation:
“Although the market is largely shaped by low-stakes players, success comes from managing large player volumes through personalised strategies. This requires deep player analytics, precise bonus management and personalised marketing mechanics applied at scale. This is exactly where SOFTSWISS focuses its efforts – helping operators combine volume, efficiency and sustainable growth through technology and expertise.”
Adapting Products and Compliance by Market
The speakers also explored how player preferences vary significantly across the continent. For example, Nigeria continues to lean towards sports betting, while South Africa shows stronger demand for casino games. As a result, operators must adapt their product mix, gamification tools and retention strategies to each jurisdiction.
In parallel, regulation and compliance emerged as critical success factors. Whelan noted that Africa’s evolving regulatory landscape requires close cooperation with local authorities. Operators need flexible systems that can respond quickly to regulatory changes while maintaining strong player protection standards.
“African markets offer strong growth potential, but they reward focus and discipline. Operators need to understand each market on its own terms. That’s the only way to build products that genuinely fit local players,” Whelan said.
Looking Ahead
Whelan also flagged crypto and stablecoins as areas worth exploring, provided operators adopt them responsibly and within regulatory frameworks.
These themes extend beyond Africa and are explored further in SOFTSWISS’ 2026 iGaming Trends report, which examines global developments including regulation, AI adoption, betting formats, cybersecurity and responsible gambling.