It could be said that responsible gaming and compliance are at the forefront of the industry in Europe, but how does that translate into the African jurisdictions?

Taking a central focus on South Africa, a four person panel at this week’s SBC Digital Summit Africa, moderated by Andrew Morgan, director of commercial growth and product strategy at Dam Mad Media Limited, delved into what methods are being used to monitor responsible gambling within the country, and looked at how the COVID shutdown impacted the country.  

“We have always insisted that this is not the sole responsibility of the regulator, it is an industry concern. We always believed that to be truly effective on this front we require involvement from other stakeholders as well, and that was included in the government structures,” began Robin Bennett, head of department: regulatory compliance at the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board.

With Bryan Arumugam, senior manager of corporate government at the National Gambling Board, taking the opening remarks and elaborating: “I just want to highlight that from a national point of view, when we speak of gambling generally, we recognise that the industry is a significant contributor to the overall economy of the country.

“In the last financial year it was ZAR 2.2bn and in terms of the last count 28,500 jobs in direct employment alone, so from that point of view the positive aspects of the industry are great. 

“Punters need to know the risks and what is available to them”

“However, what we try to ensure, in terms of a government perspective, is to ensure that it always strikes a balance between those positive benefits, in terms of the economy and creating of jobs, and balancing that against the socioeconomic impact of gambling, which would be talking about problem gambling and how it affects communities.

“We take in to account that fact that in our country we have a high number of unemployed people, and we have a high number of people on lower income, and it’s very important that in our messaging we constantly make the point for people to understand that in South Africa, and generally in the world, that gambling is not a form of income generation or a way to supplement your income. It’s purely a form of entertainment or recreation.

“So, once people misunderstand that and just think that this is a way to get money they can easily go astray and end up developing a gambling problem. That’s why education and awareness is critical.”

Adding: “Punters need to know the risks and what is available to them, in case they find themselves or someone close to them may have a gambling problem. Who do they refer them to? How do they get help? What help is available to them?

“So that we can deal with these things and nip them in the bud perhaps, and get them the relief before it goes too far. Problem gambling is not a high number in terms of the likelihood of it happening, but in terms of the impact in the few cases where it does happen, it can be quite catastrophic in terms of how it can impact individuals and families.”

As Alan Weinrib, CEO of Web Gaming Consultants, offered one example of an initiative that he believes could pay dividends in the country: “I agree entirely that it’s not the gambling board’s responsibility, problem gambling, however they can’t divorce themselves from the issue.

“…the lockdown situation that we experienced had the potential to be a breeding ground for problem gambling”

“A simple thing, in my opinion, that should definitely be done, is that it should be a licensing requirement for anyone that carries on their business in South Africa that they, have to by law, share self exclusion lists because these are people that are clearly looking for help.”

In light of the current global health pandemic, talk quickly turned to how the shutdown of businesses affected South Africa and it’s punters.

Looking at a situation which saw all land-based gambling activities closed and the only opportunity to legally gamble being online, which subsequently become affected by global sporting cancellations, Arumugam noted: “Obviously as a consequence of that the industry itself suffered greatly, because they’ve had to consider how that would affect their staff, in terms of trying to avoid losing people or dismissing anyone, and trying to reduce the financial pressure on them, whilst we waited to get to a point where they could start generation income again.” 

With many provinces affected from a financial point of view, Arumugam said that support also had to increase to help individuals on a welfare basis, as well as determining if people were becoming agitated because they couldn’t gamble or if illegal outlets have increasingly been accessed.

“From our point of view I do believe that the lockdown situation that we experienced had the potential to be a breeding ground for problem gambling,” Bennett added.

Acknowledging the potential to cross-sell players from one vertical to another, one key concern raised was if sports bettors, whose activity is typically spread across lengthy matches, are introduced to titles that commence new games every few minutes.

“They could certainly learn something from the US”

“The worst thing that could happen is that someone plays for the first time and starts winning, because they believe that’s what it basically is. 

“So, effectively my belief would be that, depending on how people basically handled gambling during lockdown, where they continue with that now, is that it might be a problem at a later stage.”

Bennett then moved on to offer an insight into the thought process behind proposed advertising cuts during the year, another issue that has caught headlines in various jurisdictions during recent times.

“What we considered during lockdown, because obviously all we had was online bookmakers being able to operate, there was a query that said what are we going to do about advertising.

“And personally, I would want to say that we were actually going to stop all advertising of online bookmakers during lockdown so as not to promote it, but then the other problem is that we’ve got illegal operators.

“The good thing about the advertising is that you can let the public know who the legal operators are, so we decided not to do that and still allow the advertising, however, we tried to make sure that it was not excessive during that time.”

As the Pronet Gaming sponsored sessions drew to a close, Weinrib swung the conversation back to a potential uptake of illegal operations to issue a warning of a previous lack of control in the US: “They could certainly learn something from the US. The US at one stage prohibited gambling and what happened was, within four months there were over 900 operators operating from the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Ireland and they had no control over it whatsoever.”

SBC Digital Summit Africa (6 – 7 October 2020) is the leading virtual conference and exhibition for the African betting and gaming industry. It features more than 60 expert speakers sharing insights and ideas about the future of markets across Africa, with all 17 conference sessions available both live and on-demand. 

Delegates can also enjoy a programme of networking roundtables and an interactive product display area showcasing the latest industry innovations. Click here to register for your free pass.

The post Problem gambling: <br> The South Africa approach appeared first on CasinoBeats.

During a 40 minute discussion on day two of SBC Digital Summit Africa in a session titled ‘Everything you wanted to know about blockchain gaming but were afraid to ask’ the panel discussed the uncertainty surrounding what blockchain has to offer and how it actually works in a gaming environment.

Speaking on the mentality of regulators in Africa, Kamara believes the industry has started to adopt its approach to blockchain: “We’ve started to see a few more regulators, who have started to think about it more from a centralised platform, so now showing them the power of the blockchain and the incorruptible nature of it means that were now beginning to show regulators that this is better than doing it on a centralised network.”

Harmen Brenninkmeijer, CEO of Quanta, moderating the session, expressed that running a blockchain company, at the moment is ‘quite challenging’ explaining: “Running a blockchain company today is quite challenging, not in the sense that it’s like any other technology that needs to find early adopters, it’s challenging because of all the negativity that hangs around our industry.”

Joining Kamara and Brenninkmeijer on the panel was Ian Sherrington, CPO at Quanta, who explained the importance of educating more people about blockchain. 

“Quanta set itself out to be the first blockchain lottery available to the general public and in order to achieve that a lot of understanding about blockchain was necessary, a lot of experience was needed to be gained and most programmers come back from a standard client architecture and when you’re talking about blockchain you need to throw those old ideas out and you learn some new ways of doing things.” claimed Sherrington. 

“For me the blockchain is the cryptographic proof of a transaction of a digital identity. It’s something that can not be corrupted and something that distributes ledgers, transactions, and value means that the user is maintaining control. 

“When we started out with QuantaPay the very first thing that we needed to do was to create a wallet and why do we need a wallet? A, to store your crypto tokens but secondly to sign transactions. 

“On a blockchain you can’t sign a transaction on a users behalf so an operator that’s running a sportsbook or casino, their used to transferring money or placing bets on behalf of the user, despite the user saying ‘I wanted to do this’ it’s actually the company who is carry that transaction out. 

“In the case of a blockchain, it’s the users themselves who are carrying out the transactions. So the user maintains control over the value that they hold in their balance/wallet.” 

Following Sherrington’s point, Brenninkmeijer asked the question why it’s not more widely accepted by operators at present. Karama responded: “Speaking from a business perspective, it’s a disruption to the way that they currently work and because people think in silos. It’s not a sign of they don’t want to adopt it but it’s a sign of mentality. 

“If I am in silo I can manage competition whereas in this type of network it’s a little bit more thinking for them to understand that it’s a lot more valuable for them and it saves them time and money to generate more revenue.”

SBC Digital Summit Africa (6 – 7 October 2020) is the leading virtual conference and exhibition for the African betting and gaming industry. It features more than 60 expert speakers sharing insights and ideas about the future of markets across Africa, with all 17 conference sessions available both live and on-demand. 

Delegates can also enjoy a programme of networking roundtables and an interactive product display area showcasing the latest industry innovations. Click here to register for your free pass.

The post Blockchain in Africa: Next <br> few years critical in <br> regulatory adoption appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Quanta, the blockchain lottery specialist, aims to address some of those doubts at SBC Digital Summit Africa when it hosts the special ‘Everything you wanted to know about blockchain gaming but were afraid to ask’ session at 11:00 CEST on Wednesday 7 October. 

The AMA-style session will see Harmen Brenninkmeijer (CEO, Quanta), John Kamara (SVP, DappTricity), and Ian Sherrington (CPO, Quanta) answering questions from the audience, who can submit their queries in advance here. 

Ahead of the session, Brenninkmeijer told CasinoBeats about some of the advantages of blockchain and what needs to happen for it to go mainstream. 

CasinoBeats: What advantages does blockchain offer to both local market and international gaming operators? 

Harmen Brenninkmeijer: Player vs casino. This is a never-ending battle, with many people constantly trying to beat the casino, but often not having the trust. Therefore, security and innovation are paramount. With the blockchain, wagers, transferring funds, getting paid and having better escrow possibilities as well as having a blockchain-based RNG (fully on the chain), in combination with many other improvements related to the games and the backend systems, make it easier to be more transparent. 

The conundrum, however, is that as many countries lack clear cryptocurrency regulations, then the industry is pushed into the grey zone, while it actually can be a far more transparent and profitable solution for the governments today.

So in my advice to governments, I stress that if they really want a healthy, honest and transparent igaming industry, they should accept blockchain technology. However, please don’t mix this with the cryptocurrencies as we are talking about two very different things.

Now, just to spend a minute on the land-based side of the business, remember that the technology allows for casinos around the world to better communicate with each other, by stopping foul play.

For example, we can verify the players, link them to their blockchain ewallets, enable better controls and exact compensation for the comps. We can trace the assets of the casinos, we can manage the systems and better secure all that’s to be reported properly.

CB: The public perception of blockchain appears to have been unduly influenced by media reporting of some high-profile cryptocurrency scandals. How can players be convinced to trust a blockchain casino or lottery?   

HB: First, we have to separate the blockchain technology from the use of cryptocurrency. Leaving the crypto aside, we should talk about what the technology can do and how it can provide far better transparency to the players. It will also enable them to feel more secure and we even go as far as offering solutions whereby they can check the outcome of every slot spin with a product called Ginar. 

We have the experience to tie the smart contracts to many more of the industry’s complexities. For example, can you imagine how much better a VIP player can fill up his ewallet and play with clear conditions listed into the smart contract? The level of trust can be increased dramatically and, in my view, it would make many more smaller players far more receptive to placing bets.

CB: How do regulators and governments view the idea of blockchain being used in the betting and gaming industry? Are there any benefits for them? 

HB: This is where the difficulties are. The gaming regulators are dependent upon other areas within government and we all know that finance ministries or some committee has far more power and holds sway over what happens within the gaming industry, despite often not knowing much about the specifics of gaming at all. 

So I can give you an example where we are negotiating with governments to launch a blockchain lottery and many regulators say ‘oh that’s a different licence and needs to be created and charged for’.

That clearly shows that people don’t understand that one can play a blockchain lottery under the same conditions and with the same fiat money as one would do with normal lottery. But maybe the truth is in the middle; often if they can make something more out of it they will. 

At this stage we’re educating gaming regulators of what it is, while spreading the message further up the totem pole.

CB: What do you think the breakthrough product (gaming or otherwise) will be that drives blockchain into the mainstream?

HB: I believe a number of potential breakthroughs could help. First of all COVID-19 showed the power and strength of igaming and the growth in its numbers. But truth to be told, there is more growth in the grey area of this segment than in the regulated area. This means that governments need to wake up and regulate more. 

We can help and create better transparency to make that happen. We can account for every penny being bet when using the blockchain technology, no matter if this is for a lottery ticket, sports bet or casino spin. So governments need to show willingness to regulate the industry and demand this level of transparency.

Secondly, we have the ability with blockchain technology to show more possibilities for the players to be in control and enable them to verify every bet outcome. This means that if the players are more educated and receptive, they should demand this level of transparency. 

Maybe a few more scandals will help to create this movement. With this, I mean can the players really trust the return to player percentage being what it should be? Many people don’t understand that the proper regulated operators run slots that pay back around 95 per cent of the money bet. In my view this is one of the key reasons why the percentage of real money players is still still less than 10 per cent in most countries.

Thirdly, I believe that as the technology is improving, we can come up with more, faster and better games. That’s needed, as at this stage the tech is developed by too few people. That’s changing but takes time. 

As you can see, what we as blockchain technology developers can create will have the ability to get more people to play together and have a trustless way to really bet against one another and not the house. Blockchain technology will make this far easier. 

CB: And finally, could you tell our readers a little about Quanta’s blockchain lottery products and how they differ from traditional lotteries? 

HB: We have several unique products and components. Let’s start with the number draw. We have a system called the Quanta Randao and are able to have, for example, disabled people in Sierra Leone make money by punching numbers and earning money automatically that’s being deposited in their ewallet and which they can exchange. The numbers are being used to determine the outcome of the lottery, which is fully end-to-end on the blockchain, unlike all our competitors. 

This means that we have no weak points and that the contracts are fully transparent determining who the winners are. The players can therefore determine how people played, which prices were hit and what has been paid out. This level of transparency is not found in a traditional lottery. Do you know how many people bought a ticket and which prices are being paid? Yes, they might tell you, but it’s not available at your fingertips as it is with us. 

The SBC Digital Summit Africa virtual conference and exhibition takes place on October 6-7, 2020, and features more than 60 expert speakers sharing insights about the opportunities for the betting and gaming industry in markets across the continent. It is free to attend and passes are available here.

The post Quanta: Everything you <br> wanted to know about <br> blockchain gaming appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The three person discussion ventured down a multitude of avenues when exploring the prospect of VIP programmes throughout the continent, from socioeconomic, religious and cultural differences to learning from European trial and error.

“Europe has been the testing ground and there’s no need to repeat the same mistakes. There are a lot of good things that have come out of the European experience and could be adapted to the market,” Ilze Jansone, managing director of online gambling in the West Africa region for BetBonanza, asserted early on.

As Europe became a central comparative focus throughout, Brad Williams, head of VIP at Bet.co.za, began by advising that companies must, first of all, define what a VIP is to them: “There’s definitely a fair amount of market research and competitor analysis that needs to be done to get an idea of what is expected from you as a company and the standard of VIP within the area that you are operating in.

“Firstly, you need to define what is going to be a VIP. And it’s kind of pointless to just base your opinion on face value as a customer has deposited X amount which makes him a VIP.

“There is so much more that goes into this. There’s behavioural patterns, there’s the longevity of the account itself, one you have determined what makes a VIP you need to move into what kind of promotions and offers you as a company are willing to extend. How much are you willing to put towards this programme itself?”

“There’s so much more work that needs to be done in terms of building loyalty”

Adding that personal touches are what makes the difference: “In my opinion, to ensure that your VIP programme is a success, you need a dedicated VIP team or department,” Williams said.

Talk quickly changed to focus upon hospitality, with several corners of that industry, as well as many cultural events, seeing the emergence of VIP options arise at an increasing rate.

“It’s something that has always been around us and it’s something that is becoming more and more popular outside of gambling, that we as an industry can utilise to our benefit,” session moderator Gali Hartuv, head of VIP at 10Bet, stated.

“It is a dangerous route to go with just a bonusing way, meaning you try to buy your players by constantly giving bonus rewards,” Jansone continued. Stating that player loyalty could drop as a result, with punters willing to switch to a competitor that offers a little more.

“There’s so much more work that needs to be done in terms of building loyalty and brand loyalty. So, I’m a massive supporter of an account management team and building these personal relations with your most important and most valued customers.”

An issue built upon by Williams who suggested that there’s a “massive chunk” of customers who don’t receive the necessary attention that they should.

“Simply because a player in betting on casino doesn’t mean he can be overlooked as as valuable player, I mean, your not going to send him to a sporting event but as you mentioned there’s music festivals, there’s VIP tours, there’s other alternatives that you can explore to reward this customer for his loyalty as well. I feel like that is very overlooked in our industry,” he commented. 

“What are we going to do to make it right the first time without needing government intervention?”

As governments and regulatory bodies in other jurisdictions, particularly the UK, begin to take further action on VIP schemes, Hartuv, in response to an audience enquiry, looked at if a similar situation could manifest in African markets.

“It is something new, and we are going to see a change in VIP regulation in the UK come into effect at the end of this month. It’s hugely linked to source of funds, it’s very much a compliance shift,” he explained.

“I think up until now from the European aspect, and I believe Africa as a gambling continent can learn a lot from this, which is responsible VIP. Europe for many years dealt with VIP, I would say, irresponsibly. 

“We saw VIPs as a cash cow that was limitless and we took advantage of it, and it has reached a point now where responsible gaming and compliance is at the forefront of our industry in Europe, where governments and society together lobbied against VIP schemes and programmes.

“We reached this point now where we need to present ourselves as responsible, and we need to show the commissions, in this case the UKGC, that we are running ethical VIP programmes, that we are not simply out there to exploit our customers to the point that we develop problem gaming, and we need to utilise this as an opportunity as an African gambling region to take the message that is being delivered in Europe and learn from it before it is even enacted. 

“Why did we get to this point that regulation has to determine the guidelines for responsible VIP, it shouldn’t have reached that point. 

“I would say, to an extent, that this was a long time coming, and it’s for the good. Will Africa and African government reach similar actions eventually?

“I think it depends how we as the African bookmakers and operators act now, so is there need to take such drastic measures in Africa now? I don’t believe so.

“Will there be a need in the future? That is determined by us now.”

Adding: “What are we going to do to make it right the first time without needing government intervention?”

SBC Digital Summit Africa (6 – 7 October 2020) is the leading virtual conference and exhibition for the African betting and gaming industry. It features more than 60 expert speakers sharing insights and ideas about the future of markets across Africa, with all 17 conference sessions available both live and on-demand. 

Delegates can also enjoy a programme of networking roundtables and an interactive product display area showcasing the latest industry innovations. Click here to register for your free pass.

The post VIP: Applying European mindsets in African markets appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Speaking on the first day of SBC Digital Summit Africa, Okeowo, participating on the panel ‘The Challenges of West Africa’ highlighted issues within Nigeria and called on both committees to explore a way to harmonise both state and national regulations.

“The bodies in Nigeria are not in sync,” claimed Okeowo. “We have a national lottery commission, we also have the state lottery commission … and they are not in sync. You have to pay for a national lottery licence yet the state is still going to ask you to pay so it’s a bit costly for a new start up to break into the retail market. 

“Online you’re okay if you just get one licence… you can operate nationally online. Yet if you’re like us we want to operate in the retail space because the retail market is bigger than the online. We then have to get a licence… the costs are very very big and very expensive. 

“I would implore the national regulatory committees and state regulatory committees to find the synergy to syncronise together.”

Joining Okeowo on the panel, sponsored by SB Betting Software, saw the sponsors own director, Michal Glowacki and Adekunle Adeniji, managing director of Betbonanza with Bimpe Akingba, executive secretary at the Association of Nigerian Bookmakers moderating the session.

Starting the session, Akingba noted the benefits of the igaming industry in West Africa: “The gaming industry in West Africa just by being an emerging market has contributed tremendously to the West African economy while providing jobs and increasing capital income. The industry however is faced with multi-faceted regulatory and operational challenges.”

Agreeing with Okeowo’s previous statement, Adeniji claims the current process is a ‘headache’ for operators: “There should be a way to harmonise both state and national together. It sometimes gives the operator a bit of a headache where you have to go to every state and get a licence which is not bad but the issue is you don’t know where to pay your tax to, is it national or is it local?

“Sometimes there should be more harmonisation between these regulators where we can know what to do at every point in time. There should be clear guidelines on what to do every time. Maybe a book, where new regulators come into the industry where they can check what they are able to do and where to go.”

Glowacki, speaking from a technical provider perspective expressed that, from his side of the industry, he hasn’t had that many challenges compared to operator’s yet he highlighted a few issues he’s had to ‘battle’. 

“The biggest problem is that sometimes those regulations, specially from a technical point of view, I would have to report the activity of the clients, they are written by very experienced people who are most probably from Europe which don’t understand the local market, so from time to time we have to discuss it a bit. We don’t have a lot of influence on the regulators…” Glowacki explained.

“It’s very challenging for African bookmakers to gather all the information like session times and collect every detail of information on their profile and computer they are using. It’s probably not the biggest challenge in West Africa… It’s very costly to develop such a service, especially now during COVID, I don’t know if there’s a lot of funds in the operator’s pocket.

“Recently we got a new regulation from Lagos State Lottery Board, this organisation is already very experienced so every new regulation from my experience, it’s more professional, in this case it’s not a challenge but the right direction they’re going to. It’s a good example for the others to build a strong regulated Africa.”

SBC Digital Summit Africa (6 – 7 October 2020) is the leading virtual conference and exhibition for the African betting and gaming industry. It features more than 60 expert speakers sharing insights and ideas about the future of markets across Africa, with all 17 conference sessions available both live and on-demand. 

Delegates can also enjoy a programme of networking roundtables and an interactive product display area showcasing the latest industry innovations. Click here to register for your free pass.

The post Digital Summit Africa: National and state regulators need to harmonise appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Kicking off discussions, David Moshi, managing director of Gaming Advisory Africa, offered his legal expertise when it comes to looking at entering new markets in Eastern Africa, having identified three key areas which must be understood first: company structure, individual regulatory frameworks and tax regimes.

Drawing on his own experiences, he explained why these three areas are key: “We have helped a number of clients when it comes to entering different markets. We also interact regularly with regulators. From that experience, I would say that the key for us when it comes to onboarding clients is to ensure that they understand the various aspects of each market.

“One aspect that is key to consider before you enter a market is how you structure your company. The regulatory framework is also massively important in terms of knowledge, how to interact with different jurisdictions. You must have a good understanding of the regulatory framework that exists in the market you are looking at.

“The other aspect which is very key and every investor should know is understanding the tax regimes and how taxes are applied. Of course, I think this is one area which has seen a lot of changes taking place with different actors being introduced. At some point, everything will balance out. Regulators will be looking at the social impact but at the same time, trying to encourage the growth of the industry in terms of trying to raise revenues.”

Moshi was joined on the Opportunities in East Africa panel by Sab Jhooti, CEO of Bonmoja, Rotislav Kishenkov, head of Africa region at Melbet and Jeff Halloran, managing director of Sahara Games. The discussion was led by panel moderator Ilya Machavariani, CEO of 4.H Agency.

Discussions soon turned towards key advice when it comes to looking at the East African market, which Jhooti succinctly explained why European and North American operators simply cannot ‘copy and paste’ their offerings.

He said: “Don’t think you can copy and paste your European site into Africa – the market is very very different. The other thing you must understand is that customers are also very very savvy, we’ve come to realise this.

“If you’re investing in Africa, to recognise one licence isn’t going to be enough. You can wake up on any given morning and you could have lost your licence and all the investment that you’ve poured into a country. If you’re committing to Africa, you’re going to have to understand that you’re probably going to have to enter a number of different countries.

“The other thing is, if you’re considering the African market, in a lot of countries you need to have local partners. It’s ok when you proactively want to have a local partner, that’s fine. But when you’re forced to have a local partner, you need to tread very carefully. We have been very lucky in terms of our local partners. But most companies have probably had a few close shaves.”

The idea of establishing local partners was something echoed by Halloran, who warned that operators simply cannot survive without that local link. Not only this, but Halloran reiterated the need for operators to gain a thorough understanding of each individual market across the continent, urging them to not brush all 54 countries with the same brush.

He said: “The main thing is, you really cannot survive without a local partner. The two takeaways from what Sab said is to not bring European concepts there – they have their own. A lot of the time, however, suppliers may try to force feed you solutions by saying ‘this worked really well in Germany’ or ‘this had success in Italy or the UK’. However, this doesn’t mean it will work in an African country.

“The other thing is, Africa seems to be the only continent in the world where people seem to paint it as one individual country. It’s 54 individual countries, and you must respect that and treat them independently. Stop brushing them all with the same brush. Having said that, you cannot grow organically remotely, so you have got to have those local partners.

“The African market is not for the faint of heart, you cannot be risk averse. You’re either jumping in the deep end of the pool, or you’re grabbing your towel and staying away from the water because you’re not ready for it.

“Your partners make or break you, and I guarantee that all of the experience I’ve gained in the African market still won’t be enough. There will be a time where I’ll trip over a landmine, because you don’t always see them. Keep your eyes open, make sure you have strong local partners and don’t force feed European and North American tricks and methods down their throat – it doesn’t, and won’t work.”

SBC Digital Summit Africa (6 – 7 October 2020) is the leading virtual conference and exhibition for the African betting and gaming industry. It features more than 60 expert speakers sharing insights and ideas about the future of markets across Africa, with all 17 conference sessions available both live and on-demand. 

Delegates can also enjoy a programme of networking roundtables and an interactive product display area showcasing the latest industry innovations. Click here to register for your free pass.

The post Jeff Halloran: Your local partners will make or break you appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The online event on 6 – 7 October will take an in-depth look at every aspect of the future of the industry in Africa, with invaluable input from senior executives with on-the-ground experience of working for operators and suppliers in markets across the continent. 

Ahead of the event, SBC asked those experts which African nation offers the best prospects for online operators. Nigeria came out on top with 31 per cent of the vote, just ahead of South Africa on 28 per cent , suggesting that there is still opportunity for significant growth in two of the continent’s most-established regulated markets.

A number of speakers were excited about the potential of online gambling in Ghana and Kenya (12 per cent each), while there were also votes for the emerging markets in Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

The future of many of those markets will come under scrutiny on the first morning of the conference. After the opening keynote interview with Nigerian football legend and Interwetten brand ambassador Yakubu, the agenda features sessions on Opportunities in Eastern Africa, The Challenges of West Africa, and Tales from South Africa.

Jeff Halloran (MD, Sahara Games), Rostislav Kishenkov (head of Africa region, Melbet), Adekunle Adeniji (MD, BetBonanza), Ibukun Okeowo (CEO, Gibet), Tyrone Dobbin (MD, Sportingbet South Africa), and Simon Munsamy (business partner, Hollywoodbets) are among the speakers set to share their experience of and ideas for those markets.  

In the afternoon, there are sessions evaluating the future of the lottery and online casino verticals in the region, together with expert panels on practical issues such as the most effective marketing strategies in various African markets and tackling the challenges around payments. Experts taking part in the panels include Dmitry Belianin (CMO, Parimatch International), Tunde Aremu (CEO, Konfambet), Candice Moodley (finance manager, Gbets Online), Sean Coleman (CEO, South African Bookmakers’ Association), Dan Phillips (CEO, NEL Advisory), and Youssef Kaado (CEO, Lottomania Nigeria). 

Looking ahead to the opening day of the event, Phillips said: “The African betting and gaming market is burgeoning with great people, innovation and a can-do attitude across the continent. SBC Digital Summit Africa is a must attend for those in the space, those looking to join it, or if you just want to find out more.”

On day two, attention turns to choosing the right content for success in each market, with sessions about football betting, virtual sports, and esports. Panellists include Neil Wilkie (CEO, LPB), Jimmy Keneth (chairman, Tanzania Sports Betting Association), John Gordon (CEO, Incentive Games), Kwecy Hayford (president, Ghana Esports Association), and Douglas Ogeto (CEO, Ludique Works).

There are further panels about implementing effective KYC checks, tackling problem gambling, the changing profile of players in Africa, and the future of retail bookmakers. The experts ready to share their valuable insights include Tayo Atoloye (country manager Nigeria, Marathonbet), Dotun Ajegbile (chairman, Betland Gaming), Hilton Hassan (director, World Sports Betting), Kwadwo Amaning-Kwarteng (general manager, Betyetu), and Robin Bennett (head of department: regulatory compliance, Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board).

Ahead of his participation in the Analysing the African Sports Consumer panel, Amaning-Kwarteng said: “The sports betting industry in Africa is fast growing and you need to be aligned with all the innovations and changes happening. You need to join the SBC Digital Summit Africa to hear directly from the major stakeholders and experts in the African sports betting industry, to help you make that important game-changing decision.”

In addition to the conference, SBC Digital Summit Africa will also feature an interactive product display area with leading suppliers showcasing innovations tailored for local markets, together with a programme of networking roundtables to make it easy for delegates to connect and talk business with other decision makers. 

Click here to register for your free pass for SBC Digital Summit Africa.

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The interview on 6 October 2020, the opening day of the virtual event for the African betting and gaming industry, will see the former striker discuss his playing career and his work with Interwetten’s recently-launched Nigerian sportsbook.

Delegates will have the opportunity to ask questions about Yakubu’s career, which saw him represent Nigeria at the 2010 World Cup, four African Cup of Nations finals and the 2000 Olympics. 

At club level, he won the Israeli Premier League twice with Maccabi Haifa before his goal scoring feats in the Champions League earned him a move to the English Premier League. He went on to score 95 times in 252 games during spells with Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton and Blackburn Rovers, and also played an important role in Middlesbrough’s famous run to the 2006 UEFA Cup Final.

The session comes at the start of a busy two-day conference schedule, which will run alongside a programme of skills workshops and networking roundtables, and an interactive exhibition.

Yakubu said: “It’s a pleasure to be able to represent Interwetten at the SBC Digital Summit Africa and fantastic that SBC is bringing its virtual events to Africa. I look forward to meeting everyone there online.”

Rasmus Sojmark, founder and CEO of SBC said: “SBC Digital Summit Africa is our first ever dedicated event for the African betting and gaming industry, so it’s fantastic to be kicking things off with one of the greats of African football.

“We’re excited to hear more about Yakubu’s illustrious playing career, what he’s been doing since hanging up his boots, and his work with Interwetten.” 

Kevan Edgerton, Head of International Markets at Interwetten, said: “Nigeria is already a huge sports betting market in Africa and Yakubu is a brilliant ambassador for Interwetten in that market. Being able to bring him to the SBC Digital Summit Africa is a fantastic opportunity to promote our partnership.”

SBC Digital Summit Africa, which takes place on 6 – 7 October 2020, is the largest virtual conference and exhibition dedicated to the African sports betting and gaming industry. 

It features a speaker line-up comprising the very best local market experts and industry thought leaders, who will share their insights and ideas on the region’s best opportunities over two days of conference content. 

The event’s advanced digital platform will also deliver an interactive exhibition showcasing the latest products from major suppliers, along with a selection of networking events to help operators, suppliers and investors interested in markets in Africa to connect. 

Further details about SBC Digital Summit Africa are available from the event’s official website, where delegates can register for a free access pass.

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The virtual conference and exhibition on October 7-8 is free to attend, providing everyone with an interest in the region with an opportunity to learn from 60 senior executive speakers with hands-on experience of working in African markets.

The opening day’s content track is Gambling in Africa, which will focus on the regulatory and operational challenges faced by sports betting, online casino and lottery operators in markets across the continent.   

Sessions include an examination of developments in East Africa, an in-depth look at regulation in West Africa, and an evaluation of whether the regulatory framework in South Africa is the right model for its neighbours to emulate. 

The day also has sessions about the prospects for online casinos, payments innovations, lotteries, developing tailored marketing strategies for local markets, and whether the European affiliation model can be effective in Africa. 

Day two’s track is Betting on Sports, which will take a detailed look at the landscape for football, horse racing, rugby, cricket and esports betting, and how sportsbook operators can develop attractive offerings for audiences in African markets. 

Additionally, there will be a panel analysing the rapidly changing profile of African sports consumers, along with sessions focusing on the prevention of problem gambling, the future of retail betting, and the technical challenges for suppliers working in the region. 

The speaker line-up for SBC Digital Summit Africa will be announced shortly.

Rasmus Sojmark, founder and CEO of SBC, said: “Africa is home to some of the most exciting emerging markets in the world, and international betting and gaming operators, affiliates and suppliers are eager to learn more about the opportunities available.

“For our first ever dedicated African event, we have compiled a conference agenda that will deliver valuable insights about doing business in the different territories in the region, examining both the challenges faced by new entrants to the markets and the successes of the established local operators.” 

In addition to the conference, the event will also feature an interactive product display area with leading suppliers showcasing innovations tailored for local markets, together with a programme of networking roundtables to make it easy for delegates to connect and talk business. 

Click here to register for your free pass for SBC Digital Summit Africa.

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