Antigua and Barbuda has a very special place in gaming history thanks to it being the first country to legalize and regulate iGaming, but that was almost 30 years ago, and, as you’d expect, a lot has changed in that time. So let’s take a look at the state of gaming in Antigua and Barbuda to see how the industry differs today.
iGaming
Today, we often take for granted that it’s possible to play our favorite card games like poker from just about anywhere. Over the last couple of decades, companies like PokerStars have helped to make them more accessible by creating guides and other educational content that teach players the rules and mechanics of poker, in addition to developing innovative ways for them to play online.
But that wasn’t always the case. Before the mid-1990s, iGaming was just a hypothetical concept. Antigua and Barbuda is credited with giving birth to the industry when it passed the 1994 Free Trade and Processing Zone Act. This law made it possible for international companies to operate card rooms, casinos, and betting websites from its shores.
Within a very short space of time, Antigua and Barbuda began generating huge tax revenues from the industry that it helped to create. In 2001, seven years after the act came into force, the country had almost 60% of the world’s iGaming companies operating from its territory. As a result, around $2.4 billion flowed into the coffers of the Inland Revenue Department.
That first-mover advantage was eventually lost as other countries began to pass similar laws to regulate iGaming. This happened in two ways. Firstly, other island nations like Curaçao and Malta began issuing licenses for international operators while some countries like the United Kingdom and Sweden legislated for primarily domestic markets.
Despite this, the archipelago continues to have a thriving iGaming industry, with many companies still basing their operations here.
Video Gaming
With a population of just 93,000 people, Antigua and Barbuda isn’t going to be challenging the United States or China for one of the top spots in the world video gaming market rankings.
But with more than 80% of that population aged below 54, there is a very high proportion of the country that falls into the prime video game demographic. Across the Caribbean, around one-third of people play video games, so there are around 30,000 gamers across the islands.
It’s hard to get market statistics just for Antigua and Barbuda, but in the wider region, revenues are growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.73%, with forecasts suggesting they could reach $463 million by 2027. Sales are limited to just a handful of local stores like Select Start Gaming and Radioshack, but the numbers are trending upwards.
Esports
The world has been embracing the esports revolution over the last 10 years or so, and Antigua and Barbuda has not been left behind. Given that the country has proven itself to be a trailblazer in the gaming space before, few would have bet against the nation lagging behind on esports.
Many of the video game stores where you can buy the latest titles have repositioned themselves as being ‘geek spaces’ where people can come to play video games together. Just as we’ve seen in other countries, this has helped to create a culture of esports.
Due to Antigua and Barbuda’s small population, it’s unlikely that we’ll see many of the country’s esports athletes competing on the world stage but 2022 was the first time that citizens represented the country at an international event. This happened at a Caribbean event in Guadeloupe that saw two Antiguans face off against other talented gamers.
The Antigua and Barbuda Public Library also hosts an Esports Group with organizers hoping to create a larger interest in competitive gaming and also technology in general. There’s also an annual Esports College Fair that is run in conjunction with US universities.
Overall, the gaming landscape in Antigua and Barbuda is much like it is in the rest of the world. iGaming continues to be strong, demand for video games keeps growing, and esports are becoming more popular among gamers.
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