GAMING FOR AFRICA


Kiron.Lite Offers Data-Lite Content to African Betting Operators


Kiron Interactive, the specialist supplier of virtual sports and numbers games, has launched Kiron. Lite, a data lite solution for supplying its hugely successful betting content to the African market in the most cost-effective way. Kiron has partnered with platform provider B2Tech


to deliver Kiron.Lite’s debut to markets across Africa through its operations in 19 countries on the continent. Specifically developed and tailored to the requirements of African markets where reducing mobile data consumption is a key factor, Kiron.Lite will be integrated into BetMan, the provider’s omnichannel remote gaming server, and integrates seamlessly into a customer Wallet API. Four of Kiron’s popular football products will be


available at launch; Goal virtual leagues that include English, Spanish, Italian, German and French teams, World Cup Tournaments, Champions Cup, Goal, and Virtual Football Jackpot. The collection of player favourite titles is primed to fill the gap created by the close of the English Premier League season, one of the most popular competitions for punters in African markets.


Concern About Increased Number Of Illegal Gambling Machines


Regulators have expressed growing concern about the increasing number or illegal slots operations, mainly owned by foreign illegal nationals in the North West Province. The North West Gambling Board and South


African Police Services (SAPS) have been hard at work combatting the growing trend of illegal gambling in the Province with particular attention to the Chinese Roulette/Cherry master gambling machines which are mostly located in spaza shops that are operated by foreign nationals in some instances without the necessary residential permits in the country. These machines are used to lure young, innocent and unsuspecting school going children into gambling to the extent that they end up bunking classes. For the year ending 2022/23, the Gambling


Board had confiscated and destroyed seventy-eight (78) of these Chinese Roulette/Cherry master gambling machines and a further five hundred and ninety-seven of casino type machines. The perpetrators when arrested are issued with fines ranging from R1500 to R2500 which does not seem to deter these individuals from desisting from operating their illegal activities. Much more stringent measures are required to win and rid ourselves of this problem, said Simon Mogapi, Gambling Control Manager of the North West Gambling Board.


These versions of the products will be delivered


by Kiron.Lite requiring a fraction of the normal data consumption that their original form needs, removing bandwidth-intensive visualisations while still replicating the excitement of in-play betting. The bespoke cost-saving benefits of Kiron.Lite are


delivered in a package that will still be familiar to players, retaining all the features they demand for a full betting experience, allowing the 24/7 placement of multiple bets across 50 fixtures using the same betting markets as live football. The staggered scheduled events replicate the


excitement of in-play betting every two minutes, ensuring non-stop betting opportunities in a fully customisable package. Content, colour theme, odds and frequency of events are all operator selectable to meet the needs of local audiences in any market. Kiron Co-CEO, Steven Spartinos said: “Kiron.Lite


is a significant step forward in content provision in Africa. While it’s well known that the many individual markets here are diverse, one characteristic they share is that mobile data is at a premium and today’s most advanced content can be demanding.


“That’s why we developed Kiron.Lite. It’s a unique


product that works seamlessly with operators to deliver the popular content their customers demand in a manner that suits their data lite requirements. It’s lighter but powerful at the same time, offering new opportunities to providers across the continent.” Tzahi Asulin, B2Tech CEO added: “We are very


excited that Kiron has given us the nod to deploy this unique and exciting product to the African market before anyone else, it’s a great opportunity for us to continue providing the best and improved gaming experiences to our customers on all devices. This product could not have come at a more


perfect time as we know that virtual sports products are at their most popular amongst punters during the football off-season. “We have no doubt that our customers will enjoy


the superior experience and appreciate the advantages of using a platform that is not heavy on data on their mobile devices.”


Gaming & eSports Growth in South Africa


According to a new report from Newzoo and Carry1st, South Africa is the largest market in Sub-Saharan Africa, with an expected $290 million in consumer spending on games this year. The report also gave consumer spending


totals for four other Sub-Saharan countries, with Nigeria seeing players spend $185 million, Ghana totaling $42 million, Kenya $38 million, and Ethiopia $35 million. Among the five countries of the region,


South Africa also leads in the portion of the population who play games at 40%. Meanwhile, 27% of people in Ghana play


games, whereas that stat is 23% for Nigeria, 22% within Kenya, and 13% of Ethiopia’s populace. Between 2015 and 2021, people who play


games grew from 77 million to 186 million the study estimates. Among that number, 177 million are reported


to play on mobile devices. The study says that Sub-Saharan Africa is “one of the fastest- growing mobile gaming regions in the world.” “Africa is the future of gaming. Thanks to the


massive influx of people coming online and a young and dynamic population, gaming in Africa is exploding,” said Carry1st CEO and co-founder Cordel Robbin-Coker. “Crucially, this applies not only to people


playing games, but also those willing to p ay as well.” How exactly gaming meets gambling is still a bit of a quandary for operators on both sides of the spectrum; gambling operators want to add eSports to their offering, but gaming and eSports largely have a younger audience than exposure to gaming allows. Given this, the addition of monetising skins and lootboxes appear an incentive to gamble... so a tricky road to navigate despite the lucrative opportunities all-round. Add crypto gaming and NFT trading to the mix and the road gets even trickier.


JULY 2023 23


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64