In the MENA (the Middle East and North Africa) countries, the gaming industry has experienced enormous growth. Aside from the staggering $5 billion predicted from the gaming business by 2025, serious money has been poured into its expansion. With the MENA gaming community having a bright future ahead, it’s only right to try and see what is currently available and what we can expect.
Video Games
Video games have dominated the MENA entertainment industry since its inception in the early 2000s. Today, the MENA region’s domestic market is the fastest growing in the world, touting over 377 million players—this is almost as many gamers as all of Europe combined (386 million) and much more than America (210 million). These figures aren’t just for show; much effort has been put into upholding the MENA video gaming industry to where it is today.
Several e-sport tournaments have been organised in the Middle East in recent years. Bahrain’s government, for example, hopped on the e-sport bandwagon by collaborating with the BLAST Pro series CS to organise a fantastic e-sports tournament that brought together some of the world’s top gamers. In Saudi Arabia, Kafu Games, by Hala Yalla, the top e-sport hosting entity, has sponsored and held several gaming competitions in the MENA region.
In 2018, Kafu held the GSA FIFA 18 Cup, the qualifying round for the FIFA eWorld Cup. The organisation went on to host the PUBG Mobile Star Challenge Cup in 2019, where 32 teams competed for the $267,000 first-place prize.
Going a bit south, Egypt is also at the forefront of expanding its commercial gaming empire. Although the region faces a severe competitive disadvantage compared to its Middle East counterparts, Egypt has seen a sharp increase in the popularity of e-sports. In 2018, the land of sand hosted Insomnia, the trendy internet gaming festival featuring a series of mini-tournaments with a prize of EGP 500,000.
In Morocco, more than a million active gamers and four million play from time to time. The growing trend has resulted in several successful companies in this industry, including the renowned Moroccan Gaming Evolution, a corporation that has established multiple gaming centres in Rabat and Casablanca. Some of the most played games by Moroccans are League of Legends, PUBG and Fortnite.
Online Casinos
Apart from mainstream gaming entertainment, online casinos are a trend that have been continuously on the rise in the MENA region. Due to the stringent gambling laws in the Arabic world, specifically in the Middle East, land-based casinos have been primarily outlawed, leaving online casinos as one of the few options to turn to for entertainment.
Online casino games have become incredibly popular among Arabians, and roulette is their preferred game. You can find several gaming sites that offer online roulette for Arabic speakers. Card table games are also available, including poker, blackjack, baccarat, and several variations. Like many other online casinos, trademark slots are guaranteed to blow you away at Arabic gaming sites. Casinos in the Arab regions provide the same excellent bonuses as other online casinos. Many Middle Eastern online casinos rely extensively on cryptocurrencies as a mode of payment and huge bonuses are offered to consumers who use digital currencies while placing their bets.
As for sports betting, online casino fanatics in these regions can catch their favourite games and even place wagers on them. Like many other regions, casinos in MENA have been certified by necessary authorities and use a Random Number Generator to ensure they’re fair and uphold extreme safety standards. Another advantage of Middle Eastern online casinos is that you can play their games for free. You can learn how to play the demo versions of most games at these online casinos. When you are ready, you can place real money bets.
Conclusion
It’s the age of change, and the MENA region is at the forefront of this hurricane. Gaming and online gambling are slowly transitioning into mainstream entertainment platforms for Arabic residents. How far these nations will advance in the near future is anyone’s guess.