East Africa is one of the regions in Africa that is garnering the most attraction when it comes to the betting and gambling industry. We meet Alessandro Pizzolotto, STM Gaming’s CEO and Certified Partner of BtoBet in Africa what he thinks about the subject and how the region could further evolve in the short to medium term.

Is it your opinion that sports betting is more rampant in Eastern Africa? Why?

There is no doubt that the popularity of sports betting in the whole of Africa derives from the huge popularity of sports across the entire continent. The popularity of sports, especially football, has been further highlighted in recent years with the huge success of African players in major European leagues. One could make reference to Napoli’s strong Senegalese centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, Arsenal’s Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, amongst many others.

Nonetheless with numbers at hand, a report published by Dublin based research firm “Research and Report” clearly indicates that the iGaming industry in the Sub-Saharan region is seeing an increase in the number of millenials who make use of mobile phones to place bets. The report states that the eastern region in Africa, with Kenya and Uganda as the primary examples, is at the forefront of the continent’s gambling market.

Bojoko’s Chief Business Officer launches industry group with the aim of creating contractual security between affiliates and operators for the first time

Malta: 30 October 2020 – Joonas Karhu, Chief Business Officer at Bojoko.com, has launched the Professional Gambling Affiliates Association (PGAA) to help improve the relationship between affiliates and operators and create contractual security for the first time.

Karhu formed the association after becoming concerned with the imbalance in the relationship between affiliates and operators. The PGAA will address this with affiliates coming together as one in order to push for contractual security and fair terms and conditions when promoting operator brands.

At present, there is no contractual security for affiliates who are forced to sign agreements that are one-sided and subject to change at any time. This can see life-time revenues slashed and fees increased with little to no notice.

Marketers and the Media join the Sports Betting community to make new contacts and hear from both sport and media about the biggest opportunities in driving players to online and terrestrial sports books in America.

PLUS Bonus Sessions: LIVE US Election Special and IMGL Masterclass

The 2020 edition of Sports Betting USA (November 12 & 13) which features a stellar list of 100 thought leaders delivering cutting edge expert insight, will provide a unique platform for marketing teams to engage with the key US media channels that will determine where sports fans go to play.

The list of ‘not to be missed’ media brands that will be participating in SBUSA comprises; CBS Interactive, Comcast, ESPN, Forbes Sports Money, Home Team Sports/Fox Sports, Sports Media NBC, theScore, VSIN and Warner Media. Insight, opinion and analysis will be delivered by panels of sector defining thought leaders including: Jeffrey Gerttula, EVP and GM, CBS Sports Digital, CBS Interactive, Chris Pirrone, General Manager, USA TODAY Sports Media Group, Patrick Keane, CEO, The Action Network, Louis Maione, President, SportsGrid, INC, Doug Kezirian, Anchor/Host/Betting Analyst, ESPN, Ishwara Glassman Chrein, Head of Sports Partnerships and Business Development, Yahoo Sports / Verizon Media and James Van Stone, President, Business Operations & Chief Commercial Officer, Monumental Sports and Entertainment.

Gibraltar —October 27, 2020— DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) today announced the renewal and extension of its relationship with MansionBet, the Gibraltar based sport betting brand of the Mansion Group, a leading provider of online gaming, with a portfolio of well-known online casino brands, as well as a sportsbook. The long-term agreement will see DraftKings’ B2B technology continue to power the tier one operator’s sportsbook and casino platform, in addition to providing a suite of managed services covering compliance, payments and anti-fraud protocols.

“Across multiple global jurisdictions, DraftKings is changing the way fans engage with sports,” said Shay Berka, DraftKings’ Chief International Officer. “Our renewal and extension with MansionBet, a tier one operator in the highly competitive U.K. market, is another example of the strategic value DraftKings’ cutting-edge B2B technology provides to our clients.”

Karel Manasco, CEO at Mansion commented: “DraftKings’ SBTech platform has been instrumental to the success of MansionBet since we launched. The extended deal will allow us to provide our players with the ultimate sports betting experience, including increased offerings and an enhanced horse racing product, utilising the impressive platforms and services that DraftKings provide.”

Having experienced significant growth since launching in 2018, MansionBet will now leverage DraftKings’ suite of APIs across their entire sportsbook. The expansion will significantly enhance MansionBet’s customer offerings and experience, particularly for horse racing, which will now feature additional streaming coverage and Timeform content from both U.K. and international tracks.

London – 27 October 2020—Stats Perform, the SportsTech leader in data and AI technology, pledges full support of today’s announcement by the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) issuing a set of minimum standards governing the procedures for the collection of sporting event data for betting.

Stats Perform today announced it would immediately apply to the IBIA’s independent audit process led by eCogra to achieve the Data Standards Kitemark and demonstrate that it meets and goes beyond those standards in its betting data operations. As an Affiliate Member of the IBIA and the premium supplier of betting and performance data to the sports and betting industries, Stats Perform has consistently advocated for best practice standards when it comes to the event data that drives betting markets.

The announcements follow the launch of a project by the IBIA in May to create a set of standards to help protect the integrity of sport, its data, and the betting markets powered by that data. As the first private entity to endorse the project, Stats Perform looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the IBIA and its members to promote the minimum standards and to lead the way in the quality and integrity of its own data supply chain.

Andrew Ashenden, Chief Betting Officer at Stats Perform, said: “Implemented and monitored effectively, a global set of standards would contribute positively across the sports and betting industries from an integrity perspective. At Stats Perform, we have a longstanding programme of investment in maintaining the strongest quality assurance and integrity processes across our data supply chain. We look forward to working with the IBIA on best practices going forward and to demonstrate through the independent audit process how Stats Perform is going the extra mile to ensure the reliability and credibility of its data.”

Canada’s leading slots comparison site reveals new branding to celebrate six years

Ontario, Canada – October 28, 2020: SlotsOnlineCanada.com launches a brand new site today, improving player experience and maintaining its status as the leading slots comparison and review website in Canada.

After six years in the ever-changing industry, the site refresh has been crafted with users in mind, making it even easier to navigate while improving site performance across the board. New features include:

Faster page loads across all devices

Hiring activity is expected to pick up pace as we approach 2021. Over half of iGaming employers are expected to grow their workforce in the coming year – and for 19% “significantly” so – reflecting a growing level of confidence in the path ahead.

In fact, despite the heavy impact of Covid-19 this year, the gaming and gambling industry has actually grown its headcount. The sector will be an estimated 5% larger by the end of 2020 compared to a year earlier.

At the start of 2020, growth was already the plan for a full 84% of gaming businesses. Now tracking lower at 57%, ambitions have clearly been scaled back for some. It is heartening to see that the majority of businesses are looking for ways to get talent acquisition plans back on track.

These results are published today as part of The Conexus Group’s iGaming Skills & Employment Report 2020. The report was informed by input from over 180 C-Level, leadership and HR-focused respondents over the course of August and September. 

Two agreements have recently been signed between BetConstruct, EveryMatrix, and Spearhead Studios, bringing two influential iGaming technology providers and an up-and-coming game studio together.

The parties have successfully entered a strategic partnership which aims to bring BetConstruct, EveryMatrix and Spearhead Studios in a close working relationship to attract new audiences and offer exciting content to operators in many jurisdictions.

While BetConstruct is set to expand its portfolio with Spearhead Studios’ entertaining slot and table games offering, EveryMatrix will integrate BetConstruct’s Virtual Sports into its CasinoEngine iGaming integration platform to further deliver it to its casino clients.

Launched in 2019 as a part of EveryMatrix Group, Spearhead Studios offers an outstanding portfolio of 23 games in 11 jurisdictions and has an ambitious roadmap of 36 new games for 2021.

Boston, MA – October 22, 2020 – DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) and Peermont Hotels, Gaming and Resorts, a leading South African gaming and hospitality group, today announced the successful recent launch of PalaceBet (PalaceBet.co.za), a mobile and online sportsbook powered by DraftKings’ cutting-edge B2B sports betting technology.

“This collaboration brings together two organizations committed to providing South Africa’s sports fans with the most dynamic and innovative sports betting experience,” said Shay Berka, DraftKings’ Chief International Officer. “We are delighted that DraftKings’ B2B technology is powering Peermont’s entry into sports betting, through which they can provide their customers with extensive markets, live betting opportunities, competitive pricing and localised payment options.”

Peermont will utilize DraftKings’ full sportsbook and platform solution to provide a best-in-class sports betting experience for South African sports fans, who will have access to a range of innovative product features including Your Bet and Pulse Betting. Data integrations with Betgenius and IMG will ensure that Peermont’s customers have access to a wide range of local and international sports including basketball, cricket, football, tennis, and rugby with live betting opportunities as well as Lucky Numbers.

“Peermont has always been at the forefront of the latest trends and technology, therefore it made sense to partner with DraftKings as a leader in sports betting software,” said Nigel Atherton, Peermont’s CEO. “Together we’ll be able to offer a product that lives up to our high standards, and that provides a superior betting experience.”

GVC Holdings PLC (LSE: GVC), the global sports-betting and gaming group, is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Directors to its Board. David Satz will join as an Independent Non-Executive Director on 22 October 2020, and Robert Hoskin will be promoted to the Board as an Executive Director on 1 January 2021 in the role of Chief Governance Officer.

David Satz played a critical role in successfully lobbying for online gaming and sports betting to be licensed in the U.S. He was most recently Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Development for Caesars Entertainment Corporation in Las Vegas, where he worked from 2002 to 2019. He was responsible for overseeing Caesars’ government activities for more than 52 properties in 15 states in the U.S. and several other countries around the world. He previously spent 16 years at the U.S. law firm Saiber Schlesinger Satz Goldstein LLC, where he had a particular focus on the gaming industry and played a key role in numerous regulatory and legislative initiatives throughout the U.S. David has a degree in Economics and Political Science from Ithaca College and a law degree from Seton Hall University.

Robert Hoskin has been at GVC since 2005 and will take up the role of Chief Governance Officer, overseeing GVC’s legal, regulatory, governance and social responsibility affairs. He is currently Group Director of Legal, Regulatory and Secretariat and has been instrumental to the Group’s growth and development in that time, overseeing its corporate governance, legal and regulatory requirements across more than 20 countries in five continents, whilst also supporting various M&A transactions. Prior to joining PartyGaming in 2005, Robert headed up the Investment Company Secretariat at Aberdeen Asset Management. He is a Chartered Company Secretary and has a law degree from University College London.

Commenting on the appointments, Barry Gibson, Chairman of GVC, said:

Expansion begins next month with launch of cloud solution in Colombia 

 Continent 8 Technologies – the ISP with a global network spanning over 60 locations and a client portfolio featuring many of the world’s biggest iGaming brands – has announced a strategic expansion into the Latin American market.

Gabriel Szlaifsztein, General Manager (LatAm) at Continent 8 Technologies.

It begins with the launch of their cloud solution (which offers a multi-tenanted, scalable and resilient IaaS platform to host customer infrastructure as virtual machines) launching in Colombia in November 2020. The Colombian platform – connected to the ISP’s Backbone Global Network – is based in Bogotá’s free trade zone just minutes away from the capital’s international airport. Offering a fully regionalised product, the company’s Colombian entity will be able to conduct business with local customers in Colombian Pesos.

Supplier launches with Löwen Play following social casino success 

Tuesday 20th October 2020 – Premium slots and table games provider Habanero has staked its claim in Germany as one of the first suppliers to go live under the jurisdiction’s newly regulated framework. 

The provider’s immersive social casino offering has already proved popular in the country, having recently debuted earlier this year in partnership with Löwen Play GmbH.

Germany-based players can now also enjoy Habanero’s acclaimed real-money games catalogue, shortlisted for both SBC and EGR awards, which launched in the territory on October 15th, the day that its online gaming market formally opened. 

Former Pinnacle, Mecca Bingo and Foxy Bingo experienced marketer Lang will be responsible for brand and player acquisition across retail and digital business

20 October 2020: Buzz Bingo, the U.K.’s largest retail Bingo operator with a dedicated digital output BuzzBingo.com, has appointed Harry Lang as the company’s Marketing Director.

Harry brings with him over 15 years’ experience specifically in the field of online gaming. He is a welcome addition to boost further the brand’s existing marketing team; his role specifically will be to focus on driving forward customer acquisition in both the retail and digital business plus the brand overall.

Over his extensive career, Lang has led the marketing strategy and delivery for numerous brands including WMS, bwin.party, Mecca Bingo, Foxy Bingo and Pinnacle.