Zoot eyes Africa for stablecoin-powered igaming
With $6m in fresh funding, former Facebook Game executive Sean Ryan is looking at Africa as its biggest growth opportunity.
Uganda.- As stablecoin adoption accelerates globally, ZOOT, a rising igaming startup helmed by former Facebook Games executive Sean Ryan, is zeroing in on Africa as its biggest growth opportunity.
While the company currently operates in the US market with a focus on sweepstakes-style gaming, ZOOT is preparing to scale beyond American borders. Its sights are firmly set on markets across Africa, where the combination of mobile-savvy users and a thirst for digital entertainment makes fertile ground for disruption.
Alongside Africa, ZOOT has also its sights set on Southeast Asia and Latin America as the next frontiers for stablecoin gambling.
“Blockchain gaming with real currency integration represents one of the most compelling opportunities in digital entertainment today,” said Ryan, CEO and co-founder of ZOOT, in a press statement.
“We’re bringing video game design principles to igaming to create experiences that are not only entertaining, but also transparent and instantly rewarding. With stablecoins eliminating traditional payment friction, we can serve players globally with zero fees and instant pay-outs.”
ZOOT recently raised $6m in a seed round led by crypto investment powerhouse CoinFund, with participation from Griffin Gaming Partners. The funding will fuel platform development and support international expansion, with a heavy emphasis on stablecoin-backed payments to solve the industry’s biggest headaches, including slow transactions and limited geographic reach.
The company was co-founded by John Cahill, a veteran of Sega, Yahoo Games and Shockwave, alongside Ryan, whose résumé includes Listen.com and social casino studio OpenWager, which was acquired by VGW in 2017.
Meanwhile Managing Partner at CoinFund, David Pakman, is equally optimistic.
“We are now seeing explosive growth in stablecoin adoption, and real-money gaming is a trillion-dollar market waiting to be transformed by crypto rails,” he said.
ZOOT’s upcoming global platform aims to reimagine traditional games like Plinko through a modern lens, combining flashy visuals with blockchain efficiency. If their bet pays off, Africa could be where the future of crypto gaming takes shape.
