Entertainment is the Edge: Evolving the iGaming Value Proposition Beyond Sports
- Nengi Akinola
- Aug 4
- 5 min read
There’s a shift happening in iGaming, and it’s not just about better odds or sharper interfaces. It’s about experience. Entertainment is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s the battleground. It’s the edge.
As more players enter the market, the old value proposition of “competitive odds and reliable platforms” just isn’t enough. Today’s users expect something richer. Something that feels made for them. That fits their culture, their humour, and their heroes. That’s where entertainment takes the lead.
From Functional to Emotional
The iGaming journey is often treated as purely transactional. Place your bet, check your result, repeat. But that misses the emotional layer that drives long-term engagement.
When you design for entertainment, you start thinking differently. You build moments, not just mechanics. You create environments that feel alive and interactive. It’s not about adding gimmicks. It’s about deepening connection and creating stickiness.
Consider the success of Danfo Lagos, an exclusive crash style game we developed at BetKing with a local Nigerian lens. It took a familiar urban experience – a ride in a Lagos yellow bus – and turned it into a digital gameplay format. Add Broda Shaggi, a popular Nigerian online comedian, as the in-game face and voice, and a campaign that put real Danfo buses on the streets, and suddenly the game was more than just betting. It became part of pop culture.
Entertainment, in that case, did not dilute the betting core. It enhanced it. It made it stickier, more talked about, and far more local. That’s the power of culturally relevant entertainment inside a betting experience.
Localisation Is the Starting Point
True localisation doesn’t stop at translation. It’s about understanding rhythm, tone, behaviour, and belief. That’s how you create experiences that don’t just feel imported but feel homegrown.
When we rebranded FootballX to JJBallX in partnership with Jay Jay Okocha, we weren’t just attaching a name. We rebuilt the experience around flair and street football energy. The consumer launch included an official Guinness World Record attempt for the most people juggling a football simultaneously, bringing everyday amateur ball jugglers to physically represent what the game was all about while making their dreams come true: playing with Jay Jay Okocha, a Nigerian football legend, on the same stage. That live moment, shared across screens and streets, gave us immediate emotional traction.
The lesson? When entertainment is grounded in local insight and executed with cultural respect, it becomes something users naturally want to engage with. It becomes something they share, something they talk about, and something they come back to.
Why Virtuals Matter
Virtuals have long been seen as filler content. They are there when live sport isn’t. But that mindset underestimates their potential. Virtuals, when designed with the right pacing, local themes, and entertainment value, can rival even live events in engagement.
We’ve found success by styling virtual football to reflect league and tournament-style fixtures, creating a familiar structure that engages users through continuity and competition. Because virtuals run 24/7, they not only offer instant outcomes but also serve as entertainment anchors when live content is sparse. When paired with strong visuals, dynamic motion, and well-paced gameplay, they deliver an adrenaline rush that rivals even the most intense live sporting events.
The Virtuals Jackpot
To deepen this engagement, we introduced the Virtuals Jackpot. Here’s how it works: every game played on the Virtuals League earns the user a ticket. Every week, all tickets go into a draw, and multiple winners walk away with jackpot prizes. It’s simple, exciting, and deeply rewarding.
This system has done more than just improve gameplay metrics. It has created anticipation. It encourages higher session frequency and gives users a compelling reason to return daily. It taps into both personal excitement and communal competition.
More than just a mechanic, the Virtuals Jackpot is an example of how layered entertainment can drive behavioural results while still keeping the fun central. It also gives us a foundation to tell stories around winners, local heroes, and underdog moments.
What Makes Entertainment Work in iGaming?
To evolve the value proposition, entertainment needs to be baked into every layer of your product. It’s not a single feature, but a design philosophy.
Game Design That Feels AliveGames must evolve past static play. The best titles use motion, music, and dynamic feedback. Players should feel tension and release with every tap and spin. Design should invite exploration and discovery.
Narrative-Driven EngagementUsers don’t just want results. They want progress. Missions, leaderboards, level-ups, badges, themed tournaments – all add narrative energy to gameplay. They make players feel like part of a bigger journey.
Human Voices and Local FacesWhether it’s a charismatic live dealer, a regional celebrity, or a cultural icon tied to a product, personalities bring platforms to life. People remember people. They build connection through humour, style, or local language. That human energy is irreplaceable.
Community IntegrationSocial features, chat rooms, fantasy teams, or in-game cheering tools – they transform solo play into group experiences. And in a space like iGaming where social validation fuels competition, community is a key multiplier.
Technology as EnablerArtificial intelligence helps personalise offers, time bonuses, and suggest games based on behavioural data. Augmented reality and dynamic visuals help recreate the feel of a live casino or stadium. Technology allows us to make the experience intuitive and responsive.
The Role of Responsibility
Entertainment and responsible gaming can co-exist. In fact, the more immersive your platform becomes, the more important it is to integrate gentle guardrails. You can build in breaks, visual fatigue cues, responsible play nudges, and cooldown periods without disrupting the experience.
When users feel entertained and supported, they are more likely to trust the brand and remain loyal over time. Trust is not just regulatory. It’s part of your long-term value proposition.
Redefining Value
So what happens when you put entertainment at the core?
You get higher engagement. Users log in more often, stay longer, and participate more fully. You get stronger word-of-mouth. Players share experiences that feel fresh and personal. You get brand differentiation. In a market where many platforms offer the same games, entertainment becomes your voice, your rhythm, your identity.
We have seen it in Nigeria. We have seen it in Ghana. And increasingly, we are seeing it in emerging markets where competition is fierce, and users expect relevance and connection.
Entertainment is not a bonus. It’s your edge.
The brands that invest in entertainment as a core value – through storytelling, local voices, live features, and smart technology – will build deeper emotional relationships with users. And those relationships are the foundation of everything from revenue to brand advocacy.
Reference:
Author bio: Nengi Akinola is a seasoned marketing leader with over a decade of experience building iconic brands across entertainment, tech, and digital finance. As Head of Marketing at BetKing Nigeria, she leads the strategic direction for Sportsbook, Virtuals, and Casino, driving culturally resonant campaigns like JJBallX and Danfo Lagos.
Nengi is passionate about localising global gaming formats to deepen user engagement and grow the African iGaming ecosystem.
Explore these and other topics at Eventus International’s upcoming events: https://www.eventus-international.com/
Comments