🎧 Listen to the full podcast episode here
When you think of casinos, you might picture neon-lit Vegas floors or slick European lounges. But for Josh Jones, founder of Playzuzu, the future is mobile, crypto-driven, and rooted in the hustle of Africa’s emerging markets.
In this special episode of the Casinos.com podcast, Josh reveals how Playzuzu is creating a new blueprint for iGaming that blends blockchain payments, instant rewards, and hyper-local strategies to reach hundreds of millions of players without forcing them to risk a single cent.
From Poker Hands to Platform Builder
Josh’s journey into gaming started not with code, but with cards.
“I started out playing poker with friends, moved into online poker, and then onto casino and sports betting,” he says.
A stint in Malta at Evoke Gaming gave him his first industry role. From there, Josh climbed into senior technology positions including CTO at BET.pt and a key leadership role at Salsa Technology before advising and investing in Jada Gaming, which sold for €30M.
Today, he’s channeling that experience into building Playzuzu: a mobile-first, blockchain-powered casino tailored to Africa’s unique challenges and opportunities.
Why Africa, Why Now?
“Nigeria alone has over 200 million people. Massive mobile use, but low data bandwidth. You have to build for that.”
Africa’s gaming opportunity is huge, but the technical demands are high.
- Scale: Handling millions of transactions in low-bandwidth environments.
- Security: Combating fraud in a market where even a small percentage of bad actors can cause major problems.
- Localization: Hiring local agents, keeping money in the local economy, and designing culturally relevant games.
Josh’s team solved these challenges by building a lightweight, scalable backend, advanced anti-fraud systems, and game mechanics that keep players engaged while ensuring compliance from day one.
The Free-to-Play Revolution
Traditional casinos require you to deposit before you can play. Playzuzu flips that on its head.
“You can play forever without depositing a kobo, and still improve your financial well-being.”
Players start free, earn in-game Bucks by playing and watching ads, and can swap those Bucks for airtime or other rewards. There’s no forced upgrade to real-money play, making the model more responsible and accessible.
The result is longer player lifetimes, stronger trust, and a product that can thrive in markets from Nigeria to Latin America.
Trust is the Brand
For Josh, user trust is non-negotiable.
- Instant payouts: “If you press withdraw and get your reward immediately, there’s no time for doubt to creep in.”
- Data protection: Playzuzu guards user information “at all costs,” refusing to monetize it in ways that break trust.
This player-first approach isn’t just ethical, it’s a competitive advantage. In an industry where slow payments and shady operators are common, instant gratification builds loyalty quickly.
Global Horizons
While Nigeria is the launchpad, Josh has his eyes on Latin America, the Middle East, and beyond. The free-to-play plus airtime model taps into cultural “hustle” mindsets, while the tech stack can scale to any mobile-heavy, fast-moving market.
And the long game?
Josh sees a wave of ethically responsible, hyper-local casinos reshaping the industry and Playzuzu at the front of it.
Advice for Aspiring iGaming Founders
Josh’s parting words from the podcast:
“Be different. Too many casinos are just clones. Put your user first and try to do something no one else is doing.”
🎧 Listen to the full conversation with Josh Jones and hear more about:
- How to balance compliance with speed of development
- Why instant payouts are non-negotiable
- What land-based casinos must do to survive in an AI-driven future
If you like this episode, share it with a friend or colleague in the gaming industry and follow Playzuzu’s journey as we bring a new kind of casino to players around the world.
