Maria Luisa Malfasi, Business Development Manager, ESA Gaming
Mark Schmidt, Director of Sales for Africa Pronet Gaming
Richard Hogg, Chief Commercial Officer,
BetGames.TV
Oksana Tsyhankova, Operations Director, Soft2Bet
The main challenge for international betting and gaming firms targeting Africa is having boots on the ground. Establishing relationships with local operators requires a knowledge of their individual requirements, which can’t be grasped from a headquarters in Europe. It helps from a cultural perspective too, making it easier to form partnerships across the board. The landscape in Africa is unique and fragmented from country to country. To really get a handle on what both clients and players need, you have to experience the markets with your own eyes and ears.
game developers, for example, will struggle to attract African audiences without knowing what continental players are looking for.
Mark: Te main challenge for international betting and gaming firms targeting Africa is having boots on the ground. Establishing relationships with local operators requires a knowledge of their individual requirements, which can’t be grasped from a headquarters in Europe. It helps from a cultural perspective too, making it easier to form partnerships across the board. Te landscape in Africa is unique and fragmented from country to country. To really get a handle on what both clients and players need, you have to experience the markets with your own eyes and ears.
How does the dominance of retail betting across Africa impact the online market?
Mark: Although retail is king in African sports betting, its dominance has been protected by conditions that are not necessarily influenced by the industry. Access to data and mobile penetration have both presented barriers to an acceleration in online that many predicted.
Tat is not to say that the reluctance of local industry heavyweights to pursue the vertical
hasn’t played a role in the slow take-up, and it’s also the case that some players in African markets can be mistrustful of new concepts. Of course, all that is now being cast in another light by Covid-19 shuttering retail operations across the continent. Te mood music is changing, and I expect we’ll soon see the pace of development speed up.
Richard: African gambling is predominantly retail and there’s no doubt it works. However, it’s also clear that it’s hindering the continent and its various markets from reaching their full potential with so many resources channelled solely into land based. Te market and its wider infrastructure are clearly not as mature as some, and so retail will not be going away anytime soon.
Many can’t get online, and many choose not to with the ease of retail gambling. iGaming will have its day soon, but this will be a gradual transition, as and when demand is fully there. In the meantime, operators need to understand what these players will want, and make sure they have a strong enough offering to entice them to it.
Oksana: It’s certainly fair to say that Africa’s gambling industry is dominated by the retail
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA P65
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