With the growing interest in gaming, owners, operators, regulators, platform providers, investors, payment gateway providers, suppliers, and affiliates have continued discussions on how to Africanize gaming platforms.
Meeting within the context of SPort Betting East Africa, SBEA, the 7th edition of the annual event organized by Eventus International, took place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in July 2022.
Discussions during the two-day forum centred around regulatory changes to licensing and operating gaming companies, with a focus on Africa versus the rest of the world.
Overcoming the current technical challenges of operating and capitalizing on opportunities in Africa, Europe, and the world, the role of women in the industry, and how to materialize a data-led approach to acquisition and retention in online sports betting, were also on the agenda.
Empowering Tech Women
It emerged from the discussions that women needed to be empowered so that many can become involved in sports and gaming. Participants also saw the need for operators to invest in hiring dedicated account managers for VIP players in Africa and not just take interest in making money from players.
Improve Tech
Platform providers were enjoined to update their structures with responsible gaming messages. It was recommended that key industry operators do more to protect their, clients especially when they shut down operations.
Europe was also urged to recognize the success of mobile money operations in Africa which also offers huge opportunities. Mpesa Global, which is involved in that line of business was said to be innovative and adapted to African realities and a school for international operators. Investors were however advised to avoid the mistake made by African operators who usually believe that if something works, it shouldn’t be changed.
Africa was projected as an indispensable market for gaming investors with Saharan Africa identified as having the most growth potential.
Change in Tech Policy
Participants also recommended a regional baseline on gaming tax for Africa and for policymakers to be equipped with knowledge on gaming through education.
The case of Tanzania where gaming taxes on winnings now stand at 10% down from 20% was also highlighted. The country’s gaming authority is said to have confirmed that they might do away with the tax over time.
According to Kabora Mboya, the ICT Manager for the Gaming Board of Tanzania, the country has already developed and is improving an in-house monitoring solution. African gaming developers saw the need for African gaming investors to trust iGaming and digital solutions built in Africa.
Rene Maimo who has a passion for IT sales and Software marketing represented DME Systems at the event. He posited that there is a dire need for African gaming operators to vouch for home-built solutions.
“Prominent brands here in Africa are foreign brands. Brands that sideline African tech intelligence and are not owned by Africans. Even where you see an African face at the forefront, he doesn’t choose the tech provider. The boss brought the brand and the technology.
The survival of local developers remains a herculean task. Not because their tools don’t help operators scale. The reason is that brands that call the shots choose their providers who are not necessarily African developers.
However, it’s good to notice that more and more investors are getting to trust and promote betting platforms, digital solutions, and management technology built in Africa, by Africans, with a perfect understanding of market dynamics,” he argued.
With several challenges identified, it was agreed that telcos and aggregators have an indispensable role to play. That of helping operators obtain a merchant account despite their cumbersome due diligence procedures.
Attendees learned from a representative from the Mozambique Gaming Board that it is possible for telcos to ease the process of obtaining merchant accounts. The process could be closed within a week or two at most in Mozambique.
DME Systems, a 25-year-old software development company found in eight African countries presented its expertise on the advantages and disadvantages of an operator owning their own platform and or outsourcing it to a third-party provider.
Specializing in building robust software systems for businesses in different sectors of the economy be it NGOs or SMEs, DME systems also raised the debate as to why operators are tempted to strive in owning their own platforms.
It emerged that it was because of the desire to have total control of data and the ease of building and plugging their own products. Speaking in strong favour of third-party providers, Rene Maimo, argued that it is decisive for operators to stay focused on their core business; the marketing and promotion of gaming products.
Tech partners and or platform providers were to be allowed to leverage their expertise and experience in helping them make money.
There was a general call for East African operators to localize betting platforms to fit their market needs. One of the panelists said the initiative should be extended to other jurisdictions and not just be limited to East Africa.
Others talked of an African version of virtual games and for operators in Africa to trust and embrace home-built systems designed to accommodate the realities of African markets.
“Africa as a developing continent is the number one destination for any business looking at expanding their global reach.” These were the views of Jeremiah Maangi, Founder and Managing Director of Bizin Africa.
Participants during the forum included Devon Dadblock, MD of GLI Africa (Pty) Ltd; James Mbalwe, DG of the Gaming Board of Tanzania; Najib Balinda, Chief Business Development Officer of Genius Gaming Consult, Uganda; Felix Mulandi, an Independent Sports Betting executive; and Cameron Green of Game Consultant of FM Media Group.
Others included Solomon Godwin, Senior Business Development Manager at Africa Pragmatic Play, and John Mutua, Regional Consultant of Moja Group. Robert Toth, Business Development Manager of Global Bet; Frank Herold, member of the EMIRAT Board; Purity Wahiu, Head of Operations, Inbet Kenya also attended. Hamza Lule, Advocate and Associate at Afrilex Associates; Joan Tabeita, Legal Officer National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Authority; Oyindamola Michaels Country Manager of Parimatch Africa; Tayo Atoloye Senior Business Development Manager among others represented their organizations.
The latest edition of Sport Betting West Africa (SBWA) took place in Nigeria, in August 2022.