{"id":27687,"date":"2026-06-29T03:51:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T06:51:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=27687"},"modified":"2026-06-30T04:18:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T07:18:44","slug":"north-africa-joins-menas-mobile-betting-boom-as-sports-wagering-surges-70-per-cent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/north-africa-joins-menas-mobile-betting-boom-as-sports-wagering-surges-70-per-cent","title":{"rendered":"MENA sports betting surges 70% as mobile usage dominates, report finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
New research from BettingRanker shows mobile platforms now handle most regional wagers, with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt driving a young, smartphone-first betting boom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) sports betting market has grown 70 per cent, while mobile betting app downloads climbed 60 per cent between 2023 and 2026, according to research published by BettingRanker<\/strong>, part of the CasinoRank network. Smartphones now account for more than 70 per cent of wagers placed across the region, compared with around 60 per cent in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BettingRanker’s research centres on three markets \u2014 the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, referred to in the report as the “MENA-3”, which it identifies as the demographic core of the region’s mobile-betting growth. Tablets, by contrast, account for less than 5 per cent of betting sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to BettingRanker, 76 per cent of gamers across Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are under the age of 35, while 73 per cent participate in esports, reflecting a young, mobile-native user base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Broader regional forecasts also point to sustained expansion. Data Bridge Market Research projects the Middle East and Africa sports betting market to grow from $6.86bn in 2024 to $12.08bn by 2032, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Data Bridge’s publicly available market summary, online betting accounted for 57.9 per cent of the market in 2024, while non-racing sports, including football, basketball and cricket, generated 62.4 per cent of market revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BettingRanker attributes the shift to smartphone penetration, faster e-wallet payments, Arabic-language interfaces and the dominance of Android devices, which account for 82 per cent of the region’s mobile market. Operators are responding by investing in mobile-first products and live betting features as competition intensifies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Football remains the region’s most popular betting sport, with the report identifying the 2026 FIFA World Cup <\/strong>as a major catalyst for wagering activity. As fan engagement increases during the tournament, more bettors are placing wagers before and during matches through mobile platforms. <\/p>\n\n\n