HELIO GAMING
African potential
Richard Mifsud, CEO of Helio Gaming, explains how lottery can provide Africa with the winning combination.
patchwork quilt of regulations and legal
“ frameworks A ”
s anyone who has explored the options will tell you, Africa is a patchwork quilt of
regulations and legal frameworks when it comes to gaming. Lots of countries will never have a regulated market, and some are a long way off. But many are a significant way down the road, with robust, well-run industries. These have genuine potential for growth that is crying out for better products and more opportunities for players. Kenya, where we have just signed a deal to supply Lotto
Joto with bespoke lottery games, is an excellent case in point. For a start, it certainly has the infrastructure in place. According to a January-March 2018 report by the Communications Authority of Kenya, mobile penetration now stands at 95.1%, while broadband subscriptions increased by 10.9% on the previous quarter to stand at 19.9m. At the same time, it is fair to say that Kenyans love lottery.
The aspirational feeling that comes with the small stake, big win proposition at the heart of the vertical has struck a chord across the country. Indeed, this trend rings true across the African iGaming landscape, with small stake bets on longer odds at the core of many players’ sports betting experiences. This was also recognised by Hammer Lottery in Nigeria, with whom we’ve also agreed a deal to supply our content and services. These products, including customised games and soon to be launched full suite of
“ Africa is a
international lotteries, mirror the high-frequency example set by sports betting. They are at the core of our approach to the market as we look to entice a player-base accustomed to a high level of regular betting opportunities. The success of Lottery has forced its way into the thinking of operators across Africa to such an extent that it is no longer an optional vertical. Yet suppliers like us need to understand the nuances of each country’s market in order to deliver a successful offering. Entering a new territory with a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to work. Which verticals are the most popular, how often players
play these games, the times of the day they play, and so on are hugely important factors that must be taken into account when formulating a growth strategy for planned new market entrance. It is important to sell tailor-made region-specific games to operators, and that is what we plan to do in Africa. To underline this, we have built strong partnerships with a
Richard Mifsud, Helio Gaming CEO (centre) shakes hands on the deal with Olumuyiwa Awosile, MD at Hammer Lottery (right) in Lagos, Nigeria
Entering a new
territory with a one-size-fits-all approach is
unlikely to work
number of operators in countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, DRC, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Botswana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Ghana. They require a robust platform for the delivery of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), one of the preferred methods for outing a wager in many nations across Africa. The system allows for two-way communication between a player’s mobile phone and operators’ networks, allowing wagers to be resolved quickly and easily in regions where wireless internet connectivity is still being developed to scale. In addition to USSD, we are delivering high levels of localisation in order to allow operators to showcase a Helio Gaming-powered lottery product true to their established brand proposition. This extends all the way from implementing locally affordable pricing to empowering operators to apply their own branding to our products in a simple fashion. Lastly, we also believe it is imperative to implement strong corporate social responsibility frameworks with our African partners, with consumer protection a crucial facet of safe and enjoyable gameplay. Africa boasts multiple markets rich in potential that
”
are perfect candidates to welcome a scalable, highly configurable lottery offering. We are tapping into that potential in a big way and it will be fascinating to
witness the market develop over the coming months and years.
NOVEMBER 2018 59
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