Anastasiia Shcherbyna, CMO of MelBet Partners & Affiliates, presented insights on the MENA igaming market at the MAC Affiliate Conference in Yerevan on May 26-27. The event gathered approximately 5,000 industry professionals to discuss traffic acquisition and regional expansion.
During the session titled "Unobvious MENA Markets: Traffic, Money, and Scale," Shcherbyna addressed the rapid development of regions including Morocco, Jordan, Iraq, and Algeria. She identified the primary challenge as the tendency to view the MENA region as a unified market rather than a collection of distinct economies.
While many teams focus on saturated markets, MENA offers distinct economic opportunities despite the requirement for cultural adaptation.
Regional Market Analysis
The presentation highlighted Morocco as a market characterized by a population exceeding 38 million and internet penetration nearing 95 percent. Shcherbyna noted that this region requires long-term investment and detailed analytics rather than quick volume strategies. Additionally, Jordan was identified as a developing market where betting-related search demand is steadily increasing, driven by growing audience familiarity with digital entertainment.