888Africa to establish African joint venture

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It’s Africa calling for a quintet of gambling industry veterans who have announced a new joint venture with online giant 888.com.

Named 888Africa, the new operator will launch in four, still to be confirmed, regulated markets on the Mother Continent, offering 888 brands on a third-party platform that will be specifically designed and tailored for local punters.

The five pioneers comprise three former top executives of the Stars Group—Christopher Coyne, ex-Chief Marketing Officer; Andrew Lee, one-time MD of the group’s sportsbook; Ian Marmion, former Trading Director—and Alex Rutherford, ex-Editec Online, with Helen Scott-Allen, ex-CFO of Premier Bet.

888.com has invested a minority stake in the new African venture, with the option to buy the company outright.

Coyne, who will serve as 888Africa’s CEO, said: ““We are delighted to launch alongside 888.

“With our team of experienced professionals and significant knowledge of the African markets, it is our ambition to build the business towards market-leading positions in selected regulated markets across the region.

“Partnering with 888 will give us access to a world-class brand, as well as a broad team of experts to support our growth plans, further enhancing our confidence in our future prospects.”

Added Itai Pazner, Chief Executive of 888 Holdings: “We are very excited to establish 888Africa alongside such an impressive roster of industry talent.

“This new joint venture will launch 888’s world-class online betting and gaming brands to millions of new customers in the exciting and fast-growing African online market.

“The structure of this deal enables the group to invest in a strong business with high growth ambitions, without distracting focus from our core business and key strategic markets.

“We look forward to being a part of 888Africa’s journey as it grows its footprint and increases brand awareness, while also offering potentially significant long-term opportunities for the Group in the future.”

Kenya to launch new range of gaming advertising restrictions

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Legislators in Kenya could soon be asked to vote on a raft of proposals that would look to limit the ability of the nation’s sportsbetting and gaming firms to advertise their wares over local broadcast media channels such as radio and television.

The Parliament of Kenya used an official Friday press release to assert that its Communication, Information and Innovation Committee is currently considering whether to add several amendments to the nation’s Gaming Bill of 2019 in an effort ‘to arrest the runaway emergence of betting and gaming propagated’ across the country’s broadcast media channels. The body disclosed that these deliberations are being led by Marakwet West representative William Kisang and will include engagement with multiple industry stakeholders and regulators such as the Communication Authority of Kenya and the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB).

Rapid revolution:

The drive to limit the appearance of gaming and sportsbetting-related television and radio advertisements comes only two months after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta (pictured) signed off on a measure that more than halved operators’ blanket tax rate to 7.5%. This was soon followed by a move from the BCLB that allowed such enterprises to begin advertising their wares subject to a range of time and message constraints.

Attached anxieties:

However, the Parliament of Kenya declared that many of its members have since become concerned about the ‘harmful effects’ such commercials could be having on ‘unsuspecting Kenyans’ and the nation’s children. The body furthermore stated that some of these representatives are now subsequently arguing that any new rules on advertising from the BCLB should be obliged to ‘harmonize with the provisions of the programming code and classification’ set by the Communication Authority of Kenya and encompass more strict watershed provisions.

Read a statement from the Parliament of Kenya…

“In what may appear to be a late discovery by regulators that broadcast stations have taken advantage of a gap within the multi-agency sector regulating regime, the Communication Authority of Kenya has now called for a multi-agency approach in addressing these issues on a continuous basis.”

Extensive evaluation:

The members of the Communication, Information and Innovation Committee are furthermore due to take evidence from the Media Council of Kenya, which regulates the ethical conduct of journalists and media practitioners, as well as the Kenya Film Classification Board before deciding on what steps to take. Their recommendations could then be inserted as amendments into the Gaming Bill, which is simultaneously undergoing a long-awaited parliamentary review that could well result in a complete regulatory overhaul and higher licensing fees alongside the establishment of a national lottery and a supreme watchdog.

ICE London gaming trade show returns this week for first time since 2020

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The world’s largest annual gaming industry trade show, ICE London, returns this week for the first time in more than two years.

Last held in early February 2020 – the last major trade show before the COVID-19 pandemic put the industry on hold – this year’s event will run from 12 to 14 April at ExCeL London with the conference, ICE VOX, running from 11 to 14 April.

The show had originally been scheduled 1 to 3 February but was postponed at the request of exhibitors due to concerns over the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

According to organizer Clarion Gaming, ICE London 2022 will feature more than 450 exhibitors, 160 speakers and representatives from 55 countries around the world.

“Reflecting on where the industry is two-years down the line, it is clear how much impact COVID has had on the land-based sector – in many countries the first to be forced to close and the last to be permitted to open,” said Clarion’s Managing Director – Gaming, Stuart Hunter.

“The return of in-person events could not have occurred soon enough. There’s something really positive about being able to sit down with colleagues, to share a drink or a meal and to talk face-to-face about opportunities, solutions, collaborations and what the industry does in order to rehabilitate and recover. This is a people industry and people-based sectors thrive on the oxygen of social interaction. Data from the events industry confirms that every returning exhibition has come back in the region of 30% smaller than its pre-pandemic version.

“My aspiration is for our customers to leave ExCeL London in a positive, upbeat and confident mood, equipped with all of the ideas, energy, imagination and determination to put the last two years behind them and plan for a prosperous future. ICE London remains the event where ideas are formed, new strategies formulated and where the future is written.”