Gaming Corps — the Swedish specialist in arcade-style casino games — has added another leading industry name to its list of partners after reaching an agreement with Betway Group, covering four territories in Africa.
Betway Group is a member of Super Group. Since being founded in 2006, the operator has become a leading provider of innovative and exciting entertainment across sports betting, casino and esports betting.
The brand has become very familiar with sports fans through a number of high-profile partnerships, such as its front-of-shirt sponsorship with Premier League football club West Ham United.
Betway’s players in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia will be able to enjoy Gaming Corps’ full suite of premium games, made up of first-class Crash, Mine, Table and Slot titles, as well as a certified Plinko.
Betway will offer some of Gaming Corps’ outstanding successes this year, such as Raging Zeus Mines, Wild Woof, Super Hot Stacks, and more recently Lobster Hotpot. The portfolio also includes classic Gaming Corps titles like Jet Lucky 2 and Coin Miner.
Danielle Calafato, Gaming Corps’ chief commercial officer, said: “I’m thrilled to partner with Betway Group; one of the most recognisable names in online gaming. It will be a pleasure to offer our renowned portfolio of games to Betway’s players in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia.
“This is a significant step forward for Gaming Corps as part of our efforts to grow our brand in Africa, and we hope to bring our expanding list of games to more players across the region. I’m very excited about our upcoming plans and look forward to sharing more in due course.”
Hailee Cook, product manager at Betway Group said: “We are always looking for ways to grow and improve our online casino offering, and adding Gaming Corps’ high-quality suite of games will certainly help us do that.
“I’m very excited to offer these games to our players and I look forward to hosting more Gaming Corps titles at Betway as they continue to produce first-class content.”
Addiction ails Africa
Bloomberg this week reported that “online gambling has millions of young Africans battling addiction.”
The article paints a stark picture of gambling addiction across several African jurisdictions, where a lack of regulatory oversight allows international operators to bend rules and low incomes often see customers turn to gambling in desperation.
It tells the stories of several individuals, including 15-year-old Brave Luhanga, who shouldn’t legally be allowed to place bets at his local PremierBet outlet in Lilongwe, Malawi, but regularly does anyway.
In impoverished communities, the piece explains, shops like PremierBet may be the only place in town to have air conditioning, comfortable surroundings and televisions, and as such have come to act as social hubs for many inhabitants.
Around 90% of Malawi’s population earns less than $4 per day, according to the World Bank, and a lack of job opportunities can also lead many to gamble money they don’t have in the hopes of escaping the cycle of poverty.
The problem is not just limited to Malawi, of course, and the article goes on to describe how in places such as Kenya, “it’s reached the point where people bet like it’s a religion.”
In response, many are working to combat the worst effects of gambling harm taking place across the continent, but with little to no government backing and extremely limited funds, they face an uphill struggle.
One man running a clinic for addiction in Nairobi suggested that gambling companies market irresponsibly in Africa, presenting it as “something to make you rich, like a legitimate business,” rather than simple entertainment.
This, among myriad other factors, has led to an explosion in gambling across Africa over the past 10 years, the full effects of which still remain to be seen.
While many international operators view African markets as their next major growth drivers, many believe they should first consider the human cost of their profits.
Readers are encouraged to read this in-depth and well researched article in full, to better understand the impact gambling companies are having across the African continent.
Taking the plunge
Moving back to the UK now, as ITV News reported this week on a Belfast woman who found cold water swimming to be “the key to her recovery” from gambling addiction.
Sarah Boyd began playing online slots after being tempted by generous introductory bonuses, but quickly found her level of spending increased from just £20 per month to her entire monthly salary.
“When I look back, I can never see the line of difference of where that crossed over and I think that is what’s so dangerous about online slots. Maybe it is just starting as a hobby but it’s very hard to tell the difference of when it changes from a hobby into an addiction,” she said.
Gambling addiction soon began to exacerbate existing mental health challenges for Sarah, including anxiety and depression, and she even attempted twice to take her own life as a result.
“I felt very, very alone and hopeless… and when I came here to do cold water swimming it was so refreshing,” she said.
Now, the cold water is helping to wash away her struggles with mental health, she suggests, and she is determined to spread greater awareness around the dangers of online gambling.
She also hopes to encourage anyone struggling with addiction to take the plunge into cold water and see if it can help them too.
That’s certainly one way of putting the freeze on an out-of-control gambling habit.
DraftKings looking for targets?
A quick foray into M&A now, as the Financial Times reports that DraftKings held early-stage talks with 888 shareholders over a possible takeover last summer.
The FT suggested that the talks were “a sign of the increasing dominance of US operators in the betting industry, and how their financial firepower may yet drive a further wave of consolidation in the sector.”
Apparently, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins had spoken to Kenny Alexander-led consortium FS Gaming last June and July, about making a possible all-stock offer to take over 888 and its subsidiaries.
At the time, FS Gaming was a top-five 888 shareholder, and the FT suggests that DraftKings’ interest in acquiring 888 “underlines the expansion ambitions of US betting operators.”
According to the article, DraftKings walked away from the talks after the Gambling Commission revealed it had placed 888’s licence under review.
In addition to that, 888’s £1.7bn debt pile represented another major hurdle to be overcome in any potential acquisition talks.
Following the publication of its Q3 results last week, DraftKings CEO Robins declined to comment on any discussions of a takeover.
“888 is one we’re aware of, we’ve certainly watched it over the years, I know there’s been quite a twisty, turny story,” he said, adding “I don’t even think 888 is up for sale at this point.”
And, in response to a FT request for comment on the matter, DraftKings said it was “focused on the massive US opportunity in front of us.”
A top-10 888 shareholder told the paper, however, that they would have taken an all-stock DraftKings acquisition offer “very seriously.”
While this particular deal may have fallen through, it does suggest DraftKings could have at least one eye outside the US market.
888AFRICA has acquired Kenyan online gambling brand BetLion to expand its presence on the African continent.
888AFRICA is a joint venture launched in 2022 between London-listed 888 Holdings and a group of leading iGaming industry executives, which operates the 888bet brand across several African countries.
The company said its acquisition of BetLion brings significant new local talent into the business, along with a highly localised website and a custom platform solution.
Following the acquisition, 888bet is now operating under the BetLion brand in Kenya.
However, the brand will eventually revert to 888bet, offering some “exciting improvements”.
Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Three million customers
“This acquisition is a critical step as we aim to create truly unique betting and gaming experiences for players across Africa,” said 888AFRICA CEO Christopher Coyne.
“The talent and technology at BetLion are perfectly suited to our growth model and ambitions, and will help to further strengthen our offering as we look to build market-leading positions across Africa.
“We also look forward to working with our new colleagues and introducing new customers to our local brands,” he added.
Founded in 2016, BetLion currently has over three million registered customers and holds licences in Kenya, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
BetLion is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and its business model is tailored to the African market, providing high-quality and low-data mobile gaming and sports betting experiences.
Commenting on the acquisition, BetLion managing director Robert Chirchir said: “888AFRICA is a business with huge ambitions on the continent.
“We’re delighted to be getting involved in its exciting growth journey and supporting its expansion through our market-leading front-end software and platform and established licences across the region.
“We look forward to working more closely with the team and continuing to delight customers with our joint offer.”
888AFRICA
888AFRICA was launched as a joint venture between 888 and a group of industry veterans in March 2022.
It currently operates in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Zambia. 888 holds a minority stake in the business.
The management team is led by former Stars Group CMO Coyne as CEO, along with Andrew Lee as sportsbook managing director and Ian Marmion as trading director.
Alex Rutherford, former CPO at Editec Online, and Helen Scott-Allen, former CFO of Premier Bet, complete the team.
The Beautiful Gam(bl)e
Hot on the heels of Brentford striker Ivan Toney’s eight month ban from professional football for betting offences, The Athletic this week brought us a special report on “the extent of gambling’s grip on football dressing rooms.”
In the article, Wigan Athletic centre back Steven Caulker suggested that “every club has boys playing poker in the back of a bus or plane to an away game, betting £100 or £200,” in an attempt to demonstrate how widespread gambling has become among professional footballers.
Football pros gamble often in both land-based and online casinos, Caulker said, while the article also shed light on professional footballers’ “obsession” with horse racing, open betting on football matches, and their use of gambling as a form of escape from the pressures of the job.
While a blanket ban on football betting has been in place for professional players since 2014, they are still allowed to place bets on any other sports and visit casinos.
Throughout the piece, Caulker tells of his own battle with gambling addiction, starting out visiting high street bookmakers as a teenager while at Spurs’ academy.
At the age of just 19, he went to the Sporting Chance Clinic to seek rehabilitation for his addiction, but left after a week.
“The naivety of me thought I could be cured — that is not the case,” he said.
“When I was around 22, at QPR, I lost £250,000 in one night. The casinos told Les Ferdinand (the club’s director of football) I was gambling way out of my depth.”
The behaviour was not “just a bad habit,” he insisted, “it was life threatening.”
Caulker’s former teammate Nedum Onuoha went on to suggest that older footballers must take part of the blame for passing on harmful gambling habits to their younger colleagues, saying “they are supposed to be role models.”
Gambling can quickly become part of a club’s culture, he added, putting younger players at serious risk of harm.
And the piece does not just focus on top-flight players. Those as far down as English football’s sixth tier tell all to The Athletic about the culture of gambling surrounding the sport.
As people continue to weigh in on Toney’s betting behaviour, this article provides an important reminder that professional footballers are no less susceptible to gambling harm than anyone else.
In fact, with a culture of gambling surrounding the sport at all times, they could be at more risk than most.
A straight Schuetz-er
Gambling industry veteran Richard Schuetz penned a piece in Sports Handle this week, offering his two cents on a recent ‘hit piece’ on the sector in the New York Times.
In fact for Schuetz, the Times’ ‘Risky Wager’ serious “was no hit piece” at all, but rather an accurate reflection of the genuine anxieties which surround the industry.
Schuetz’s article opens with a heartfelt tribute to Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was murdered on the island in 2017 after a career spent fearlessly exposing abuses of power and corruption.
Schuetz goes on to pay tribute to the variety of “brave and important” reporters and journalists working tirelessly to bring corruption and dishonesty – not least within the gambling industry – to light.
From the outing of Steve Wynn’s sexual misconduct, to the corruption taking place within regulatory bodies in various places all over the world, Schuetz proclaims that “a free press is one of the most important assets that the gaming industry has.
“It allows the public to know and understand important details about the industry. It should be respected. Moreover, gaming is a regulated industry, and if one studies regulated industries, one will find that an engaged press is a tool to guard against regulatory capture.”
That’s why, he suggested, the New York Times’ Risky Wager series – which addressed the “newly developing betting and gaming scene in the US” – was not “indicative of a biased press putting out a hit piece on a victimised gaming industry,” as many tried to claim at the time.
Rather, “most complaints about the articles come from people who would benefit from the status quo,” and while the articles may not have been perfect, the points addressed in them continue to be of high importance to the industry, regulators, the press and the public alike.
The reality is that “many people are uncomfortable with gaming” and “generally dislike the constant barrage of advertising in new betting markets, much of it being broadcast in the presence of children,” Schuetz argues.
He says that rather than play the victim in the face of critical press coverage, it’s time for the industry to “start working to solve … [the] challenges that stand before us all.”
After all, people are right to be concerned about an industry which “moves at lightning speed,” especially in the burgeoning US market.
A better way to assuage those concerns is likely to come from working with the press, not against it.
Regulation required for Africa
Another gambling report from The Guardian this week shed a light on the “regulatory void” of lucrative African markets being “exploited” by gambling firms.
Sub-Saharan Africa, the piece argues, is “fertile ground for western companies seeking an army of new punters,” but also brings with it the potential for devastating consequences.
One such example is a mother in Malawi whose 16-year old son took his own life after being chased for outstanding debts resulting from a daily gambling habit.
Researchers from the Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit conluded, along with the boy’s mother, that “if it weren’t for betting, he would still be alive.”
This tragic story is one result of the rapid growth of gambling seen in Malawi since 2015, the piece argues, in a situation mirrored across much of sub-Saharan Africa.
Companies there are using “exploitative practicies,” according to University of Zimbabwe lecturer Manase Chiweshe, as governments across the region are struggling to keep up with the proliferation of online gambling.
Indeed, according to a study released earlier this year by the universities of Ghana, Bath and Glasgow, gambling firms are able to take advantage of “a regulatory void surrounding online forms of gambling and the promotion of gambling products” in Africa.
Online gambling revenue across the continent is expected to almost double between 2020 and 2023, to $1.62bn, as gambling advertising has become “pervasive across all forms of media.”
Meanwhile, as much as 40% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa lives below the poverty line, and unemployment among young people is rife.
Gambling is therefore seen as a source of income for many looking to escape the cycle of poverty, while gambling harms and health problems go largely ignored.
To remedy the situation, tougher regulations are required across the continent as a matter of urgency.
Or better still, operators could do everything in their power to ensure they act responsibly right across the globe.
Crucial Compliance has joined forces with Virtually Safe, Teens Can Code and the Adam Bradford Agency to raise awareness about online security and the dangers of gambling addiction among young people in Nigeria.
These strategies were presented at a workshop on cybersecurity and gambling harm prevention for young Nigerians, which took place in Lagos on 17 April.
The event focused on promoting safer gambling, understanding vulnerabilities, and exploring gambling regulations in Nigeria to better support professionals, parents, and young people in preventing harm.
Isaac Damian, team lead at Virtually Safe, highlighted that their survey revealed many young people below the age of 18 engage in online betting due to easy access to smartphones.
He emphasised the importance of finding a solution to help young people avoid addiction and limit the time they spend on gambling.
There is a legal betting age requirement of 18 in Nigeria.
Virtually Safe is seeking to collaborate with lawmakers and regulators to share ideas and facilitate the implementation of more effective gambling industry regulations.
Paul Foster, founder of Crucial Compliance, stressed the significance of technology in promoting safer gambling and identifying signs of gambling harm, which can ultimately benefit betting operators.
Meanwhile, Betway marketing manager Dotun Adepegba revealed that approximately 85 million Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 40 engage in betting on various platforms.
Fisayo Oke, CEO of GambleAlert, emphasised the need for responsible marketing and advertising by gambling platforms.
The stakeholders called on regulators to take further action within the Nigerian gambling community to prevent addiction.
Crucial Compliance first unveiled plans to expand into Africa in January of this year, pledging to tackle the continent’s “underbelly of addiction”.
Better Collective has inked a content and commercial media partnership with PUNCH Nigeria, a significant player in Nigeria’s media ecosystem.
The partnership marks Better Collective’s first foray into the African continent.
It also serves as another step towards realising the company’s vision of transforming from a sports betting affiliate into a “leading digital sports media group.”
PUNCH is one of Nigeria’s leading newspaper groups, consisting of seven digital publishing platforms, four print newspapers, video and podcasts verticals, and publishing subsidiaries.
With more than 11 million social media followers, PUNCH is Nigeria’s most influential medium on social media and a major media industry player.
The partnership will see Better Collective run a sports betting section on PUNCH’s digital platform, Punchng.com, with English language content.
Better Collective co-founder and CEO Jesper Søgaard: “Not only will we be partnering with Nigeria’s market leader, but this partnership also allows us to establish a presence on the African continent.”
Better Collective co-founder and CEO Jesper Søgaard commented: “We are very proud to partner with such a well-established news media like PUNCH.
“Not only will we be partnering with Nigeria’s market leader, but this partnership also allows us to establish a presence on the African continent.”
Adeyeye Joseph, managing director and editor-in-chief of PUNCH, added: “We hope that this partnership will help PUNCH to serve Nigeria’s growing sports betting community with high quality content while also helping our company to further its audience and revenue goals.”
While its primary audience is Nigerian, PUNCH’s reach extends beyond Nigeria to other parts of Africa and includes significant audiences in Europe, North America, and Asia.
Africa is seen as a growth market for the iGaming industry. Nigeria is the biggest country on the continent by population and home to more than 200 million people.
Gibraltar-based compliance consultancy Crucial Compliance will expand into Africa as it looks to improve responsible gambling processes on the continent.
What’s the problem?
In a press release, the company made clear its intention to “tackle Africa’s cultural and systemic problems” which have led to “unprofitable and unsustainable” gaming in the region.
According to Crucial Compliance, problem gambling awareness is lacking in Africa, especially in comparison to other markets in Europe and America, where regimes are “vigorously working to satisfy shareholders, governments and regulators”.
Crucial Compliance CEO Paul Foster said these unsustainable gaming practices had contributed to an “underbelly of addiction” that had fallen under the radar in certain countries.
Crucial Compliance: “We vow to tackle Africa’s cultural and systemic problems which lead to unprofitable and unsustainable gaming and which contribute to an underbelly of addiction which they say in some markets has gone completely under the radar.”
“Crucial Compliance is focused on changing the industry one operator at a time,” said Foster.
“This should not just be within established regulatory markets, but include those with high growth where gambling-related harm could be more prevalent.
“Having looked at the rapidly growing African gambling markets, we recognised that our support could make a difference.
“We have therefore committed time and resource to try and make a change to protect those most vulnerable of players,” he added.
What can be done?
The business will this month host a series of safer gambling hackathons to bring together stakeholders, including operators, the government, and those affected by gambling harm.
The intention of the hackathons is to create solutions that can impact African countries by influencing positive policy amendments and better regulatory regimes.
With partners across Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa, Crucial Compliance is working alongside strategic consultancy Adam Bradford Agency to implement an action plan.
What does the data say?
A study from Nigeria’s National Centre for Problem Gambling and National Research Council found that 36% of respondents had gambled and that 53% of those respondents were also daily gamblers, while approximately 8% of the country’s population has struggled with gambling problems.
The interactive hackathons will take place in Kigali, Rwanda on 31 January and in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 3 February 2023.
The African online gambling market was seen as “an opportunity too big to ignore” last year as major operators including 888 and Betsson expanded their operations in various countries.
iGaming NEXT reached out to Gaming Innovation Group’s (GiG) chief commercial officer Marcel Elfersy to discuss the trends and developments that should be on the agenda of the iGaming industry in 2023.
The global economy faces a critical juncture with several parallel and related crises, and the next year promises to be a tougher ride for most businesses, investors and consumers globally.
However, Elfersy, who recently assumed the role of CCO for platform and sportsbook at GiG, believes there will be significant opportunities for the iGaming industry in 2023.
US market changes
A focus on profitability among US operators is one key development that Elfersy expects to see in 2023, which will likely lead to several changes.
“A direct result would be more of a focus on product and data to drive retention, and the need to increase customer lifetime value and reduce cost per acquisition,” he stressed.
On the other hand, he said, operators that have yet to reach their initial goals of growth and profitability may look to cut operating costs, which may increase the demand for partnerships with third parties for platform and managed services.
“In the US, we may also see the dominance of the top three brands diminish, with a stronger, more commercially viable opportunity for late entrants to the US market emerging,” he added.
GiG CCO Marcel Elfersy: “We may also see the dominance of the top three brands diminish, with a stronger, more commercially viable opportunity for late entrants to the US market emerging.”
Continued growth
There’s no doubt that on the back of increasing interest rates and inflation across the globe, consumer spending power will be in the spotlight.
While land-based casinos may well feel the impact of that, Elfersy believes that digital suppliers, including GiG, are well positioned for continued growth.
“We’ve placed a heavy emphasis on product innovation and have built a large, diverse geographical footprint in which to operate.
“This combination of scope and unique, flexible technology perfectly suits the switch to online, and will continue to drive growth,” he said.
Moreover, he highlighted that the North American market showed no sign of slowing, “which will also help bolster those of us invested there”.
In addition, he said growth will be driven by the emerging regulated markets in Africa and Latam as well as their demand for localised product and platform solutions.
Tech-driven approach to RG
Finally, Elfersy expects operators to move towards a more proactive tech-driven approach to responsible gaming.
“The tightening of existing frameworks has left some exposed, incurring fines in the UK and other regulated markets.
“We’ll surely continue to see the necessity of inherent AI that tracks behavioural patterns to spot harmful or fraudulent behaviour within licensing requirements,” he said.
He concluded that there are no effective alternatives to help increase the protection of both the end-user and the operator.
The Nigerian government has struck a deal with UK-based fintech company E-Technologies to help modernise its tax collection procedures for online gambling.
The agreement will see the Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria utilise E-Technologies’ National Payment Gateway software called Sentinal, a technology system that instructs integrated providers to deduct taxes at the point of transaction.
E-Technologies CEO David Kicks said: “Governments in rapidly developing nations are struggling to keep pace with the evolution of eCommerce and the ascent of mobile transactions.
“E-Technologies was created specifically to address this issue and we have built an incredibly strong team with unrivalled expertise across fintech, eCommerce and iGaming.”
The project will launch in collaboration with the National Lottery Regulatory Commission of Nigeria as it seeks to attract tier one international online gambling operators to the market.
Prospective operators will be invited to apply for a five-year permit to offer online gaming and sports betting services to Nigerian consumers.
Approved operators will then connect to Sentinal, where gaming duty will be deducted from player deposits and sent to the government treasury in real time.
E-Technologies CEO David Kicks: “This landmark deal will herald a new era in rapidly opening new regulated markets for responsible gaming operators, as grey market operating becomes increasingly problematic.”
“We are thrilled that the Nigerian government has made the decision to integrate our Sentinal system, empowering them to streamline online taxation,” said Kicks.
“By understanding better how the payments ecosystem behaves and evolves, we can drive a paradigm shift towards a point of consumption tax methodology.
“This landmark deal will herald a new era in rapidly opening new regulated markets for responsible gaming operators, as grey market operating becomes increasingly problematic,” he added.
Operators will pay an initial $100,000 to receive the remote operator permit, followed by an annual fee of $50,000 over the next four years.
They will also need to comply with a risk-based AML screening and must pass a “fit and proper” test for responsible gambling to be considered for a licence.
The permit will allow international operators to legally offer online gambling services to Nigerian players without the requirement for a localised presence in the country.
Mohammad Nami, executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria, said: “The world is entering a challenging time where there is a strong obligation on governments to increase tax revenue as a percentage of GDP so as to provide much needed funding for local infrastructure and public services.
“Nigeria needs to innovate and harness technology to ensure that online transactions are taxed and accounted for.
“We have been very impressed with the Sentinal system which allows us to not only collect tax revenues at source, but also provides us with tax reporting and monitoring tools in real-time. The system will integrate with our own TaxPro Max portal,” he added.
Online gambling in Africa has become an opportunity too big to ignore for many leading international operators.
Stockholm-listed Betsson entered Nigeria in July following the acquisition of a 60% stake in local sportsbook Betbonanza, while 888 marked its Africa launch earlier this month by going live in four countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia.
Through its deal with E-Technologies, Nigeria has taken steps to address a structural dilemma faced by many African countries through the efficient collection of gambling taxes.
Mohammad Nami of the Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria: “The world is entering a challenging time where there is a strong obligation on governments to increase tax revenue as a percentage of GDP.”
Zimbabwe, for example, is looking to amend its existing Gambling Act by the end of 2022. The country is currently engaged with technology providers over how to effectively collect revenue and gaming duty from within a regulated market environment.
Lanre Gbajabiamila, director general of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission of Nigeria, added: “Online gaming continues to grow rapidly in Nigeria, particularly on mobile, and the adoption of E-Technologies’ Sentinal National Payment Gateway is a huge step to allow us to capture gaming duty at source.
“We are welcoming all responsible offshore gaming operators to apply for a remote operator permit as long as they pass all the relevant criteria including full AML screening and responsible gaming practices.
“We are proud to be the first country to adopt the Sentinal System and we believe it will bring a real national benefit to Nigeria,” he added.
The government of Zimbabwe has pledged to amend its existing Gambling Act by the end of 2022 to pave the way for regulated online gambling in the country.
At a strategy workshop of the country’s Lotteries and Gaming Board last week, minister of home affairs and cultural heritage Kazembe Kazembe said the current gambling act – which came into force in 2000 – was no longer fit to regulate modern day gambling behaviour.
Edits to the legislation will crucially include provisions for regulated online sports betting and iGaming, while prospective operators will be incentivised to incorporate their technology in Zimbabwe.
Online gambling is officially illegal in Zimbabwe, but the country has a booming grey market that has become rife with international operators.
“Government is losing substantial amounts of revenue through numerous leakages and legislative inadequacies that need to be plugged,” said Zimbabwe’s information minister Monica Mutsvangwa this week.
“The envisaged amendment of the Act will promote easy supervision and monitoring of gaming activities and mitigate money laundering as well as enhance revenue streams.
Zimbabwe information minister Monica Mutsvangwa: “Government is losing substantial amounts of revenue through numerous leakages and legislative inadequacies that need to be plugged.”
“There is a need to adapt to the ever-changing environment through deploying appropriate technologies. Government cannot ascertain the actual levies due to it if it relies on statements provided by the operators.”
The government is currently engaged with technology companies over how it can effectively and efficiently collect revenue and taxes from a regulated gambling market.
Kazembe urged the government to learn from the mistakes of neighbouring African countries that have already legalised online betting in one form or another.
European operators such as 888 and Entain are targeting Africa as a growth territory, despite the fact that betting stakes are lower and mobile connectivity is slower.
Earlier this month, the 888 brand went live in four African countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia) via its newly formed 888AFRICA joint venture.
Here are five things we learned about launching online gambling in Africa during the annual iGaming NEXT Valletta conference in September.