International Gaming Standards Association expands to Africa

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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

 

Kenya marks Sh20 least betting amount in fight against gambling

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The Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) has proposed the minimum stake for online gaming and those using gambling machines.
Currently, gamblers stake less than Sh5, which has made betting cheap and fuelled rapid growth among the young and vulnerable persons hoping to win millions in prize money.

The Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) has proposed the minimum stake for online gaming and those using gambling machines.
Currently, gamblers stake less than Sh5, which has made betting cheap and fuelled rapid growth among the young and vulnerable persons hoping to win millions in prize money.

“A player in an online gambling activity shall not bet an amount of less than twenty shillings in a competition,” BCLB says in the draft

Gambling Control Bill, 2023.

“The minimum amount set above shall be inclusive of such a saving component for the player as shall be determined by the Authority in consultation with the Cabinet Secretary.”
Betting firms and gambling machine operators who flout this requirement will be fined Sh5 million or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six years.
A few firms, including Betika and Milestone Gaming (trading as SportPesa), have fixed the minimum betting amount at Sh50 to make gambling relatively expensive for the unemployed and youth.
Gambling has grown over the years from a pastime to an activity for Kenyans seeking cash to pay daily bills.
A Central Bank of Kenya survey conducted in 2021 showed that 13.9 percent of respondents were actively betting, with those who perceive the activity as a source of income at 11.2 percent.
The survey also found that the average amount used for betting per week was Sh939 even as the government warned that more Kenyans apply for mobile loans to finance their gaming addiction.

Another research conducted across Africa in 2021 revealed that Kenyan youth topped their counterparts on the continent in betting, with over 80 percent of respondents saying they were taking part in the activity.
Experts reckon that the spike in betting addiction is being fuelled by the high rate of unemployment as youth turn to gambling in the hope of making quick cash.
Gambling in Kenya generally takes place online, allowing punters to stake and withdraw winnings on their phones without needing a bank account.
The craze has also led to the establishment of betting shops where scores of Kenyans go to bet on live sports events, mostly during the weekends.

BCLB’s push for minimum betting stakes is the latest weapon that the State has turned to as the betting craze grows unabated, defying heavy taxation on punters and gaming firms.
The State increased the excise tax on betting stakes to 12.5 percent from July 1 this year, adding to the 20 percent withholding tax that punters forfeit to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) for every winning stake.

Punters placed a record Sh88.5 billion through online bets in the full year to June 2023, handing the KRA Sh6.64 billion in excise taxes in the period from the Sh5.1 billion raised a year earlier, highlighting the betting craze that has defied higher taxation.
Betting firms have also been on the increase, with 10 new firms joining the market from July this year, bringing the number of licensed operators to 71 despite the heavy taxes imposed on the firms.

The firms are currently taxed on the gross gaming revenue turnover minus winnings paid out – at a rate of 15 percent.

They also pay corporate tax on profits at a rate of 30 percent and income tax at the standard rate of 16 percent.
BCLB has also proposed a gambling tax to be charged at the rate of 15 percent of a betting firm’s gross gaming revenue and a further one percent monthly levy on the same revenue.

Source: Nation Africa (John Mutua)

She Cranes “Uganda netball national team” secures Shs68 Million Sponsorship from Gals Sports Betting

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The Uganda Netball National Team, the She Cranes, has secured a Shs68 million sponsorship deal from Gals Sports Betting. The sponsorship will run for one year and will cover the She Cranes’ participation in the 2023 Netball World Cup and the Africa Netball Championship.

The sponsorship was announced by Daniel Ntale, the Federation head of Marketing, who expressed his excitement at the new partnership.

“We are really excited to have another family member on board in the name of Gals Sports Betting Uganda,” said Ntale.

“They have come at a time when we need them the most. We have been lacking funding, and we have expressed a drought due to negativity that has been running around in media and other channels.” “But to put that aside, we are grateful that even amidst all this, there are still people who have trust in us,” he added.

The sponsorship is a major boost for the She Cranes, who are looking to build on their seventh-place finish at the 2019 Netball World Cup. The 2023 Netball World Cup will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, from July 28 to August 6.

Ntale on how She Cranes will use the sponsorship

“As marketing, we bring in money, then the federation decides what to use it for,” said Ntale.

“But of course, the players are the main objective, so they have to take their portion. Money comes into the game because of them, money comes because of the people working the federation, money comes because of good leadership, so all those have to share the cake.”

Gals Sports Betting joins Uganda Airlines and Plascon Uganda as official partners of the Uganda Netball Federation.

The sponsorship is a significant vote of confidence in the She Cranes and their potential to achieve success on the world stage. With the right support, the She Cranes could be a force to be reckoned with at the 2023 Netball World Cup.

Source: Nnalubaale Sports

Why some sports betting operators are failing to succeed in Africa

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You wouldn’t expect a pilot about to embark on a transatlantic flight to fail to run through his pre-take-off checks and review the weather forecast for the journey. So why would a business fail to engage in market research before setting out on a particular strategy, product launch, or important decision?

Pilots today face an increasingly complex array of factors they need to take into account — increased air traffic movements, gridlocked airports, more extreme weather events, and new technologies, which are supposed to make their lives easier and less stressful. Similarly, the business environment in Africa differs per market as each market has its own culture, beliefs, and traits which are faced by decision-makers today and are constantly changing.

We would like to extend our expert knowledge to all sports betting and online casino operators that have recently opened operations in Africa or plan to, due to tremendously increased mobile phone and internet penetration that came as a result of over 24 months of lockdowns that were brought about by the unprecedented outbreak of covid-19 to make sure you’re well prepared to succeed just like Pilots are always able to because they make sure to make checks prior their flights.

As fast as the iGaming industry in Africa is growing, please be advised not to jump on the train without taking your time to conduct feasibility market research about the market of your interest, to analyze key factors like what’s the ESTIMATED MARKET SIZE, KEY PLAYERS, POSSIBLE MARKET SHARES, BARRIERS TO ENTRY, LICENSING REQUIREMENTS AND COSTS, TAXATION & REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS, REPATRIATION OF FUNDS POLICY, DOUBLE TRADE AGREEMENTS, MARKETING & ADVERTISEMENT STRATEGIES among others. These feasibility market reports will help you make timely decisions while helping you mitigate the investment risk as well. We continue to see sports betting operators close shop after a few years or months of operations e.g., Betway Kenya & Uganda, 10bet Kenya, and Pulsebet Uganda among others as the list is long. While the factors are many that may have been the exact reason for their closure for example Poor marketing and advertisement strategies, product localization failure, wrong choice of market entry into Africa, gaming taxes etc. There’s no doubt most are avoidable if one takes time to prepare themselves and then launch when most boxes are ticked.

Allow us to assist you overcome all the obstacles that are hindering your revenues to take off if you’re starting to worry, for new operators let us assist you straight from feasibility market studies, license application & acquisition, marketing & advertisement, Operations setup, recruiting the right talent that will carry our experience & skills flagship for your long-term success.

Sports Betting East African Summit 2023 is here!

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While Drums, wines, and cocktails along Brazilian cuisine are still in high gear at Grand Hyatt in Sao Paulo Brazil @ the Brazilian iGaming summit with massive networking accompanied by new business opportunities, making new friends, and romantic mistakes!

We at GGC have started sounding the alarms for the upcoming Sports Betting East Africa Summit (SBEA) by Eventus International taking place at Kabira country club in Kampala, Uganda from July 13-14 next month.

Eventus International is a gaming industry exhibition organizer that has been in the business of connecting gaming industry stakeholders for over a decade. With a proven combination of networking, sponsorship, and exhibiting opportunities across all its events that span the entire continent. These events bring industry insight, business development opportunities, knowledge sharing, and networking tributes bridging the gap between B2B and B2C operators thus bringing the gaming industry closer together and closer to achieving a collective goal.

Using their platforms, they offer bespoke sponsorship and exhibition opportunities that can easily position a brand to a targeted audience of professionals, and deliver a high ROI to companies looking to enter a market and/ or strengthen their brand presence.

Reach out for Sponsoring or Exhibiting opportunities at the upcoming Sports Betting East Africa Summit (SBEA+) 2023 for the opportunity to have one-on-one interactions with key East African gaming industry stakeholders, acquire new business ideas from so many professional speakers that range from Regulatory boards and its C-level executives, Sports betting, casino and lottery operators, consultancy firms, Africa centric media firms, law firms among other delegates that will grace the show.

For more info: https://www.sportsbettingevents.com/sbea

Online Sports betting from all key markets in Africa

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Sports have always been a big thing in Africa. Our continent is consistently plagued with issues surrounding poverty, drought, famine, sickness, and criminal activity. One can argue that living in Africa can be quite difficult. That’s why locals are constantly looking for ways to enrich lives and make them happier. Sports are a perfect example of an escape for people of our continent. Not only does it provide an avenue for people to be distracted from their problems, but it’s also an opportunity to pursue personal growth, fulfillment, and enjoyment which in turn has facilitated the huge growth of sports betting.

This article is fully sourced from GEOPOLL with key highlights that we believe will further broaden your perspective as far as online sports betting in Africa is concerned.

Betting, especially on mobile is a widespread pastime (and sometimes a highly perceived income generator) among the youth in Africa. Over the years, GeoPoll has conducted surveys, both in-house and on behalf of clients, that point to the importance of the gambling topic across the continent. The first of such surveys was a rapid survey they conducted in May 2017 to assess gambling among the youth in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.

In December 2021, they ran the same survey in the same countries, and below were the results;

Most Africans have placed bets, but Kenya still leads in betting

Overall, 72% of the respondents answered in the affirmative when we asked if they have participated in betting or gambling. As with the GeoPoll 2019 study, Kenya led with 83.90% of Kenyans saying they have ever tried their hand at gambling or betting, followed by Nigeria (78%) and South Africa (74%). This percentage grew despite the Kenyan government taking far-reaching measures to curb betting in the country.

Gambling frequency

For the respondents who affirmed that they had ever placed bets, we followed up with a question on how often they were gambling. While on average 44.4% in the other countries said they bet only about once a month, the largest portion of Kenyan respondents said they bet at least once a week. Consequently, Kenya had the highest percentage of people betting once to several times a day (34%), followed by their East Africa neighbors, Tanzania (31%) and Nigeria (30%).

88% of those who bet do so on mobile phones

Football betting is the most popular

We also sought to know what people bet on most. Across all countries except South Africa, football (soccer) stood out, with 53% saying they mostly bet on football. In South Africa, lotteries (lotto) slightly edged football (29.3%).

While the majority of bettors across all age groups preferred football overall, lotteries gain more popularity with increasing age.

Average monthly spend

When we asked about average monthly spending on placing bets, a big majority (80%) said they spend below $5 USD. On average, Nigerians had the highest average spend, followed by Kenya and South Africa. Please note that we used rounded local currency amounts in the survey and used approximate USD bands only for context.

About this survey

This GeoPoll rapid survey was conducted in December 2021 among 3,463  youth in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania using the GeoPoll mobile app. The sample was not demographically representative and naturally leaned towards younger people in urban areas. The sample consisted of 70% males. Age groups were distributed as follows: 16-24 (35%), 25-34 (52%), 24-44 (11%), and Over 44 (2%).

Source: GeoPoll – https://www.geopoll.com/blog/betting-report-africa/