Gaming Realms Enters South Africa via Hollywoodbets with Slingo Launch
Gaming Realms has taken its first step into Africa’s iGaming sector with a strategic launch in South Africa, partnering with leading operator Hollywoodbets to introduce its Slingo portfolio to the local market.
Strategic Entry into South Africa
Gaming Realms has officially entered the South African market through an agreement with Hollywoodbets, one of the country’s largest betting and igaming operators. The deal marks the supplier’s first expansion into the African region and further extends its regulated global footprint within the broader iGaming industry.
The rollout includes established titles such as Slingo Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania, Slingo Sweet Bonanza and Slingo Xxxtreme. Integration was completed via Light & Wonder’s aggregation platform, enabling streamlined deployment across Hollywoodbets’ online iGaming offering.
South Africa represents one of the more structured and commercially developed gaming environments on the continent, making it a logical entry point for suppliers seeking regulated market expansion into Africa.
Why South Africa Matters for Suppliers
South Africa operates under a provincially regulated framework, with licensed operators driving one of the continent’s most mature betting ecosystems. While online casino regulation remains nuanced, the market has demonstrated consistent digital growth, strong brand consolidation and high mobile penetration across its iGaming verticals.
For international content providers, entry into South Africa offers both scale and regulatory credibility within a recognised regulated market environment. It also provides a testing ground for localized product performance before broader continental expansion.
Executive Perspective on Expansion
Gareth Scott, Chief Commercial Officer at Gaming Realms, described the launch as a strategically important step in expanding the company’s regulated market footprint. He noted that continued entry into licensed jurisdictions remains central to the supplier’s long-term iGaming growth model.
Scott added that Africa represents a long-term growth opportunity, particularly as regulated online iGaming markets across the continent continue to mature and attract increased supplier investment.
Wayde Dorkin, Head of Product at Hollywoodbets, welcomed the partnership, positioning Slingo as differentiated content within the operator’s portfolio. He highlighted the hybrid format’s blend of slot mechanics and strategic elements, which has delivered consistent engagement in other international iGaming markets.
Commercial and Strategic Implications
The launch expands Gaming Realms’ presence to more than 30 regulated markets worldwide, reinforcing its strategy of scaling through licensed operators in established and emerging regulated market jurisdictions, following recent entries in Switzerland and North America, including Ontario.
For Hollywoodbets, the addition of Slingo content enhances portfolio diversification in a competitive domestic iGaming market where differentiated mechanics can support player retention and cross-sell performance.
More broadly, the move reflects growing supplier confidence in regulated African iGaming markets, with South Africa increasingly viewed as a gateway jurisdiction for continental expansion. As global competition intensifies, partnerships with established local operators and aggregation platforms remain critical for accelerating compliant market entry and reducing integration friction.
What Comes Next in Africa?
With Africa emerging as a strategic priority for several international iGaming suppliers, Gaming Realms’ entry signals the beginning of what could become a more active expansion phase across the region. Future growth will likely depend on regulatory clarity in additional jurisdictions, operator partnerships and the performance of localized content formats such as Slingo within diverse player bases.
Source : gaming realms
