The International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA) has created a new African division to serve the continent’s gambling industry. GSA Africa will run as a local office, promoting standards across land-based, online gaming, sports betting, and lottery in Africa. IGSA says the new division is one of its core strategic initiatives for 2024.

FK Fayad, CEO of SamPro Group, a holding in the Middle East and Africa, will be the managing director of GSA Africa. Fayad has worked across trade, technology, ICT business, regulation, and government consultancy in Africa, Asia, Gulf Region, and the Middle East.

Fayad also holds a number of other roles with various organizations. These include serving on a panel of advisory and strategic partners to the Nigerian Arab Gulf Chamber of Commerce and as a volunteer member of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

“The creation of GSA Africa is another leap forward for IGSA and for the gaming industry,” IGSA president Peter DeRaedt said. “Gaming is expanding rapidly across the continent and, appropriately, each jurisdiction has its own nuanced regulations.

“GSA Africa will function as a guiding voice, bringing the myriad benefits of standards to operators, suppliers, and regulators across the continent.

“We are thrilled FK Fayad will lead GSA Africa. His deep insights and extensive relationships will be crucial to GSA Africa’s success.”

Fayad adds: “It is an honor to lead the newly created GSA Africa. Africa is an exciting part of the global gaming industry, where growth is rapid and poised to continue at a strong pace.

“Bringing IGSA standards to the continent at this phase of its growth is essential; I’m thrilled to lead this charge.”

 IGSA launches cyber and responsible gambling committees

Establishing the new African division is the latest step in IGSA’s ongoing efforts to serve the wider industry.

Last month, IGSA also formed a new Cyber Resiliency Committee (CRC) to create cyber standards for gambling businesses. The committee is focusing on standards for cyber risk management, cybersecurity governance, and framework control standards for casino operators, IGSA members Aristocrat Technologies, Light & Wonder, and AXES.ai have all declared their support for the new committee.

Meanwhile, in June, IGSA’s board also approved the creation of a Responsible Gaming Committee. IGSA said the committee will offer support for regulators and operators with a “multi-tiered framework” called the Responsible Gaming Maturity Model (RGMM).

This approach, it says, will offer the industry a path from discovery to a “highly quantifiable and predictable” responsible gaming model. IGSA adds that the RGMM will help both regulators and operators grow from implanting a basic RG policy to managing a more precise dashboard of KPIs generated from quantifiable data.

Source: iGB