BetKing Bets Big on Local Games
L-R: Chairman of Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government, Prince Usman Akanbi Hamzat; Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Lagos State, Hon. Mobolaji Ogunlende; Chief Executive Officer of KingMakers (BetKing), Mr. Gossy Ukanwoke; and Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Mr. Lekan Fatodu, during the official commissioning of the KingMakers (BetKing) Ifako-Ijaiye Sports Facility, as part of KingMakers’ ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in Lagos State.
While Nigeria’s betting boom runs on foreign-made games, BetKing is rewriting the rules with ‘Danfo Lagos’, ‘JJ BallX’, and a bold plan to “keep the Naira at home,” write Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Iyke Bede
The effort to promote home-grown games may seem like a tiny drop in the gaming bucket, but BetKing CEO Gossy Ukanwoke has set his sights on the future, almost able to touch the palpably bigger picture. He believes it marks the beginning of locally made games with global potential.
With the expansion of the sports betting market, punters are gradually shifting their favour to online games provided by operators, sidestepping the expertise required to predict live matches. Crash games such as ‘Aviator’ and ‘JetX,’ and number games such as ‘Lucky 7’ have widespread appeal.
“A lot of the content that comes into gaming in Nigeria is all imported. It is actually all. We have also decided to take a lead on that to start to localise a lot of that content,” said Ukanwoke, revealing BetKing’s move for developing games made by Nigerians, inspired by Nigerian stories, with an eye for global impact. “Last year, we built a crash game called ‘Danfo Lagos.’ Broda Shaggy is who we used—his avatar and image—to create that crash game. Because it’s locally relevant, it is something people know, people can relate to it, and it’s a crash game, people know how to play it.”
“So why don’t we start to build and bring back a lot of knowledge, a lot of technology, a lot of design?” he asked rhetorically, musing on the potential of a Nigerian games market. “At least on the design side, we have started to localise that. The technology still has a long way to go because the talent is also not there, which is also one of the things that we’re investing in at the moment by starting to invest in local talent that can build these casino games.”
Recently, the operator partnered with legendary Nigerian football star Austin Okocha, popularly known as Jay-Jay, to launch a football crash game that not only celebrates his illustrious career but also helps Nigerians connect with a sports figure they idolised, personalising their experiences and bringing them closer to the game they love.
“Because it’s locally relevant… people can relate to it. Football is something that brings us together in Nigeria. It is a unifying factor and no other person in my opinion says football and the excellence of football more than Jay-Jay. So we are very lucky that we have that relationship with him to be able to immortalise him,” Ukanwoke noted.
So far, BetKing is one of the few Nigerian gaming operators pioneering proprietary games on its platform, with hopes of redefining gaming companies beyond mere betting, into brands synonymous with entertainment, culture, and technology.
However, more important, BetKing is positioning itself as a truly Nigerian company, invested in returning value and revenue to Nigerians. Because these foreign-built games are sourced with foreign currency, a significant portion of the revenue is sent outside the country. With its gradual adoption of proprietary games, Ukanwoke says these economic gaps will be bridged.
“If we start to have locally built games… Naira stays here, value is created here, jobs are created here and it gives a much longer-term value to people who are here. Then even if the games become really good, you can export them. BetKing is a very proud Nigerian company,” Ukanwoke asserted.
He added, “We are a very proud Nigerian company that is invested in this community, that is doing business in this community, that is very compliant, that pays taxes and contributes to the overall success of the country. We’re not a company that is hiding the work that we do. We understand the risks that exist because of the business that we do, which is why we take several steps to ensure that as much as we can support.”
Post-COVID-19, the last three years have been a transitional period for BetKing, marked by an overhaul of its marketing messaging and aesthetics, with equal priority given to all stakeholders—from regulators to punters. In terms of market share, it has become one of the most recognisable bookmakers, attracting major players like MultiChoice as shareholders further boosting its appeal and credibility among punters.
“We want to be the number one player in this market, and we take steps every single day to be that number one player in this market, whether it’s with our investments in technology, our investments in the community, our plan here is to stay for the long run,” Ukanwoke explained.
