Magazine E-PLAY Africa 2/2020

NR 2/2020

Major changes

in Kenya’s gambling

GAMBLING BUSINESS IN UGANDA

INTERVIEW NAJIB BALINDA

THE RISE OF VIRTUAL SPORTS

In the issue: 4/6 The Gaming Market in Africa – Projected Trends in Growth (2020-2025) 8/10

The State of Fintech in Africa amid Covid-19 Pandemic

11/14 Market report – August 16/18 E-Sports Betting Opportunities in Africa 21/23 Major Changes In Kenya’s Gambling Industry

After The Removal And Reintroduction Of The 20% Sports Betting Tax

24/26 Interview: Najib Balinda 28/29 Live Casino – live croupier on your computer 30/35 Gambling business in Uganda 36/40 Sports Betting in Africa, Highway to Hell or route to Digital Finance?

42/45 Virtual Sports on the rise, thanks to BetPawa 46/49 Ethics in gambling – is there a way?

51/53 Interview: Ibukun Okeowo 54/57 Post Covid-19 Right Time Gaming companies Adopt Crypto Currency

to mitigate Africa’s weak Economy

58/61 Casino in Monaco

The Gaming Market in Africa – Projected Trends in Growth (2020-2025)

The gaming industry is expected to experience some changes, with one of them being a growth of 12% in CAGR between the year 2020 and 2025. The most current development is the growth of the presence of multifunctional gaming consoles that have developed popularity over the years in an emerging market that is aiding in the development of video games in the continent.

Peris Wambu "Hey, Peris here! I am enthusiastic about sports and gaming in general and a massive Liverpool fan.

Every piece of writing you receive is brought to you by the power of countless cups of coffee!"

as they are the most prevalent people towards the same.

S

ome of the reasons behind these changes in Africa may include:

Africa is the only continent in the world that is experiencing an increase in the population of the youth, and it is projected that by the year 2050, most

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of those between the ages of 0 and 24 may increase by an approximate percentage of 50.

This implies that the number of young people will be significantly high as compared to the elder ones. The youth are essential in the future of the development of online and mobile gaming

Studios in Africa are shifting in the development of digital content, especially with channels such as Netflix. Some of the locally developed content have received global nominations for awards, including some getting Oscar’s calls. In 2020 during the Annecy Festival, most of the focus will be on animations that are developed from Africa.

Additionally, most initiatives by the government will implement the use of games as a way of promoting education among children in schools. Such developments will provide a boost for the gaming industry within the region as it would require developers for the same.

During the lockdown, the online gaming and streaming industries have experienced a surge in viewership and participation.

The fact that many games were put on hold meant that punters lacked a choice for betting, except for the fact that action was present in re-runs and historic events. Considering that sports betting accounts for most revenues collected by betting firms, some of the companies were forced to shut down their activities entirely. However, that is not the case with online gambling, as the industry has experienced a sharp increase of activity. On the other hand, online casinos in Africa, especially in South Africa have indicated that there is an increase in online gambling, as most lockdown sessions continue being in place, while at the same time many people continue experiencing financial difficulties hence the need to make more money.

Key Trends in the Market The segment that is specific for mobile Gaming may have an increase in the market share.

Close to half of the revenues that are provided in the gaming industry come from mobile gaming. In Africa, people less than 35 years of age are more than 200 million, and the figure may increase by 50 percent in the next ten years. Africa is a huge market for mobile gaming, especially since there is a deep penetration of smartphone usage.

The usage of smartphone usage is increasing in popularity especially in areas that are very

remote. For instance, in Northern Africa, the number of people with mobile phones is more than 290 million. In fact, the region generates close to USD 90 billion from the mobile market on an annual basis.

One of the main growth drivers for mobile gaming is the potential to develop a great real-money industry for gaming around various parts of the continent.

As mobile tech companies are also penetrating the continent, many governments are also introducing legal ways of gaming and betting Nevertheless, the coverage of mobile networks in sub-Saharan Africa is mainly affected by the fact that rollout in the network boosters is taking a long time, and may make mobile phone penetration and internet access a problem. At the same time, the presence of internet does not translate to an automatic increase in usage of the same, as 3.3 billion people live in areas that have broadband coverage but do not use the same, hence create a usage gap that is four times more than the coverage gap. This may be a huge hindrance towards the development of the gaming industry in the continent.

Problems such as piracy, regulations and laws, and the cyber security concerns during gaming activities will have an effect in the market growth. Most countries in Africa have developed commissions for gaming which in turn develop laws that regulate the manner in which

gambling takes place. For instance, South Africa has clear laws and regulations for governing the same, as it became the first African country to come up with such laws. Besides that, the country is well-known for its online casinos. In the same country, recent legislative trials with regards to restricting online gambling have been unsuccessful, especially when dealing with operators of payment transactions who are not licensed. At the same time, there are some legislative agencies at the level of provinces that have indicated a need for having more relaxed regimes toward online mobile gaming.

Currently, there is an ongoing religious and political debate that is on the fact that many minors are gaining access to gambling platforms. As such, in May 2019, the Finance Minister in South Africa asked the National Gaming Board (NGB) to halt the issuing of licenses with immediate effect. As of January 2019, the government had indicated that there would be no advertising regarding gambling using any channel. The government also indicated its intention to create laws that would make sure gambling is done responsibly.

A new advocacy agency that is meant to create a collaboration, coordination, partnership, and develop sustainable e-sports in the continent was set up. ESFA (E-sports Federation of Africa) was develop by a collaborative effort of national government agencies and private develop-

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ers of e-sports entities. WESCO is an affiliate that is from the western part of Africa. From the development of ESFA, online gamers from Africa have a voice of advocacy, with its main objective being the development of players from the grassroots.

As such, there will be better opportunities for any people, hence the strengthening of the local market within the continent.

Competitive Landscape The gaming market is divided in such a way that there are various sections where the demand is higher, though there is an increase in penetration of many mobile applications through the continent. This kind of penetration may be beneficial towards the recruitment of newer consumers of online mobile gaming in the coming few months.

Some of the developments in the market may include: � In May 2020, Sony made the announcement that they would be developing studios for the incoming Play Station console and related games. � Last year in August, Konami Digital Entertainment BV also made an announcement that e-football PES 2020 for mobile phones would be released two months later, and it would be totally different from the 2019 version. One of the latest upgrades of the game that saw more than 200 million downloads in the first quarter of the year is that it would have some new licenses that are also included in the PC and console version.

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� Africa is one of the largest continents that has 54 countries, with more than 1.2 billion people who are advent fans of various sporting activities, with the most popular one being football, though cricket, basketball, rally, rugby and athletics are fast gaining popularity. For many Africans, sports are a huge source of entertainment. Many Africans who are attentive for sports use the same for benefit, including betting on various sporting outcomes as a way of making quick money. � Sports betting is not the only means through which they make money, as there are casinos and lotteries that can be used for making money.

For instance, illegal gambling is widely known to take place

in South Africa, and it was not until 1996 that the democratic government made the venture legal. It was also then that casinos and the national lotteries were established as a means of regulating gambling while also ensuring that it is conducted in a responsible manner. Before the legalization of betting, horse race betting was the only gambling activity that was legal, though it only happened at the racing venue. � Despite the fact that 41 percent of Africans live below the poverty line, online betting is a market that may develop in the coming years.

While not all sites are the best, there are many of them that can be relied upon as they are popular. n

The State of Fintech in Africa amid Covid-19 Pandemic The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the global economy, in particular the African economy. This crisis has become the single most significant catalyst for a digital transformation. One sector that has seen this exponential growth and innovations is the Fintech industry.

Adeleye Awakan Author E-play Africa, sports betting reviews, thoughtful leardership articles in Africa gambling industry, marketing gaming platforms in Africa with strong networking relationship with gaming operators in Africa, Expertise in PR, marketing communication, and consultant on gaming in Africa.

H

owever, the change and growth of the sector amid the Covid-19 pandemic have seen digital payment

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became critical service in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.

The World Health Organization has been cautioning against

the use of paper currency and encouraging the use of digital payments fuelled with the restriction of movement that hap-

pened for most of the months in African countries. This move has prompted African governments and regulators to enforce measures aimed at facilitating more cashless transactions.

However, the coronavirus pandemic has provided the trigger that pushes Africa towards becoming a digital economy.

In comparison, the African economy's existing conditions of the 3.5%GDP growth, the continent experience over the last five years, is under the microscope due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Should it continue beyond, third quarter of the year, there would be a deeper GDP contraction of 2020 3.4 percent, down by 7.3 percent points from the growth rate of 3.9 percent projected before the Covid-19 crisis. The Fintech sector touted to help stabilize the dwindling African economy by providing that payment platforms for large industries sectors, companies, and intra-Africa trade, among other essential aspects of the regional economic growth and while we battle the pandemic. Also, the Fintech Industry could be a crucial building block that provides the platform for the microeconomic sectors of the economy, such as the SME's, entrepreneurs gambling brands, households, individuals that provide a solution to their business and are transforming at scale to meet the demand of the consumers.

With the ongoing crisis, we have seen the more prominent role the Fintech sectors help businesses and organizations ensure business continuity during the crisis and spur economic growth.

There is still a need to build solutions that foster seamless intra-Africa trade for payment businesses that will make it easier for everyday Africans to conveniently and affordable access to financial services. And for consumers and companies to make and accept payments with fewer hoops. These are not an impossible collective task. More than ever before, Fintech is poised to become a crucial stepping stone that will propel Africa into becoming a truly digital economy. The Covid-19 pandemic has been a game-changer for digital financial services. As stated earlier, low-income people, companies such as betting brands, have significantly benefited from mobile money service, digital commercial service, and mobile banking. In regards to this, substantial numbers of gambling enthusiastic had to use these services to fund their online accounts. Simultaneously, several numbers of people had to use these services to receive and make payments as the regular traditional banks were closed for most of the months amid pandemic.

According to a survey report by the IMF, 43% of people who are a bit skeptical of using online channels service for transactions, such as mobile money service, skyrocket during the Covid-19 lockdown as most people had to consolidate to these services, the pandemic increase the use of these services. Also, the lockdown, restriction of the traveling interstate, and social distancing

have accelerated digital financial services in Africa. For example, Togo, a small west African nation of 8 million, quickly distributed emergency financial support to half a million people in less than two weeks with the help of mobile money service.

The shift towards digital commercial service is evident in the region. For instance, in Uganda, SafeBoda app, an e-commerce platform that recently launched to connect market vendors with customers after the country went on lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19. As a result of this, customers place orders through the SafeBoda app and pay through its mobile wallet feature, allowing riders based at the market to deliver the groceries in real-time.

Thanks to the platform that has boosted sales for hundreds of other small traders, benefiting thousands of customers helps soften the economic blow of covid19.

In contrast, the Uganda government has helped them flourish by fostering an enabling environment for e-commerce and the digital economy during the pandemic, in line with recommendations of a UNCTAD eTrade Readiness Assessment.

The crisis has seen a triple-digit increase in business following the pandemic's outbreak by giving market vendors access to the app that allows them to sell goods and pay with their mobile e-wallet account feature while sustaining the livelihoods of the people.; Many other African countries are following suit; for instance, in Nigeria,

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the lockdown bank institutions are rewarding customers with free transaction fees whenever they wish to pay for goods and services. Using any of the digital payment channels, mobile transfers, and card payment are the most used means of online payment, in which online transactions account for 75%. At the same time, Nigerian FinTech ecosystem worth $153 million according to the statistics that contained by the State of Play: which also projected the sector to reach $543 million by 2022, driven by expanding payment service, the e-commerce market, the rising mobile market penetration which mobile-first is the norm among the young Nigerian adults. Liberia, Kenya, is supporting this shift with measures such as lowering fees and increasing limits on mobile money transactions. Simultaneously, the other sector that has adopted this shift is the betting brands that are also offering free deposits to customers using these services to top-up their online betting accounts.

Obviously, one sector that has experienced immeasurable

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growth as we battle the virus spread is the fintech industry.

The Beginning of Africa’s Fintech Revolution The genesis of Africa’s Fintech revolution was mobile money. Its appeal and quick adoption, initially in Kenya and now, in over 30 African countries, has primarily been due to its democratization of financial service. With over 66% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa lacking access to traditional bank accounts, mobile money has bridged the financial inclusion gap. Bringing commercial service closer to the rural majority who do not need a bank account to transfer money, save, borrow, or even pay for goods and services. For instance, when, Cellulant pivoted from mobile content services to venture into digital banking and payments in 2007. It was to solve a customer pain point funding their mobile wallets from their bank accounts to make payment and transfer money in a cheaper, faster, and more convenient way. These were about the same time Safaricom’s mobile money service Mpesa had just been launched

in Kenya. Cellulant became the first company to connect Mpesa to a bank. We could not imagine that this simple solution we had built would revolutionize banking across Africa.

As the fintech revolution began, the very process and legacies within the banking sector had been and continue to be.

Its source of strength, stability, and dependability prevented the industry from being less risk-averse even when the consumer needs changed as the world moved to the digital age.

Although the first connection of a bank to telecoms in 2007, most banking institutions saw the writing on the wall, a radical shift needed to happen in the banking business model towards more focus on innovation. That gap created the window of opportunity for Fintech to disrupt banking in Africa. Its emergence brought flexibility, risk-taking, and a sprinkling of disruption embedded in its DNA; Today, Fintech is particular about what banking is needed.

That has resulted in a partnership between the two entities by providing innovative customer-friendly solutions with greater convenience that adds value without compromising its legacy as financial institutions. It is quite interesting that the state of digital payment service as been essential during as we continue to live with the virus spread. On the other hand, the sector is propelling the region into a digital economy that has seen substantial numbers of African countries embracing cashless policy. n

Market report South Africa: online betting on the rise during lockdown Cape Town – Sumo wrestling, chess and WWE wrestling are among some of the unique things gamblers are choosing to bet on during the lockdown.

Online betting is on the increase in South Africa as people continued to hedge their bets during the lockdown, even when casinos closed their doors.

The National Lottery continued during the lockdown and even though punters weren’t buying tickets at Lotto outlets, they still chose their numbers online and via banking apps. The National Lottery Operator Ithuba confirmed that the biggest ever jackpot paid to someone who chose their numbers via a banking app was paid out during the lockdown.

The R153 Million PowerBall Plus jackpot from the July 10 draw was won by one lucky KZN man who chose his numbers via the Standard Bank smartphone app. In a statement the lottery operator adds that banking app lotto players are not only increasing but winning big. It confirmed that in the past four months, FNB Banking App players have been striking it lucky with four winners hitting big jackpots. n

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Is sports betting legal in Cameroon?

Cameroon is a country in central Africa that has not been left out in gambling. It is legal for Cameroonians to visit physical gambling locations such as casinos, horse tracks, and sportsbooks.

This is provided for in a law that was established in 1989 but was since modified in 2004. In the recent past, there have been proposals to tighten regulations surrounding gambling. This is after a realization that gambling dens are used to launder money and facilitate corruption. The addictive nature of gambling has also been cited as a cause to tighten the gambling laws.

As much as gambling poses some challenges in Cameroon, the government is not blind to the fact that the gambling industry has the potential to increase revenues and create jobs for its people. As such, it is open to tightening regulations and not completely ban gaming in Cameroon.

Online gambling remains a grey area when it comes to regulation. This uncertainty is replicated in many countries across the world. Online gambling is slowly catching up in Cameroon. The slow embrace of online gam-

bling has been associated with gradual penetration of the internet. Previously held at 10%, the numbers seem to be steadily rising, and in the process exposing more persons to the joys of online betting. n

Amid Covid-19 crisis Egypt open its airspace - crucial for casino operators Egypt gradually reopens its airspace to international flights for the first time in more than three months, starting with coastal tourism from three tourist’s governorates-Redsea, South Sinai, and Matrouh to the Egyptian cabinet.

In contrast, the Covid-19 pandemic has upended the global economy, particularly in Africa, which is ill-prepared. At the same time, it as hurt the economies and with the restriction of movement and a lifeline for badly needed humanitarian aid while the region as been touted to face its first recession in a quarter-century. That has lost nearly $55 billion in the travel and tourism sectors in the past three months. The African Union says Airlines alone have lost about $8 billion.

Some might not survive, which the continent has more than

463,000 confirmed Covid-19 virus cases. However, for casino operators in Egypt, it’s crucial for the survival of the business since the Egyptian Penal Code of 1937 of gambling laws does not allow Egyptian citizens to enter the casino gambling house or sell lottery tickets as well as offer price for lottery games. Since it’s a Muslim majority-dominated society which the Holy Quran book explicitly forbids gambling and calls it’s Satan’s handiwork. But still, gambling is legal only for those that own foreign passports. n

What Does the Influx of Youths in Ghana’s Gambling Industry Mean?

Ghana is a West African country with a total population of over 31M citizens as of 2020.

The youths in this country under the age of 25 years is 57% of the total population. In terms of the economy, this means that the rate of youth dependency is very high.

The aforementioned statistics are very important as we discuss the effects caused by huge numbers of youths being actively involved in betting. Ghana is one of the countries with less or no gambling restrictions.

In some countries, the legal age for gambling is 18 years and above. The lack of government restriction in the country’s gambling sector, therefore, leaves

the welfare of the gambling citizenry at the mercy of the betting operators. n

Kenya: Changes to the sports betting turnover tax The gambling industry has been a very successful enterprise in Kenya for many years, with 57% of adults admitting to having engaged in gambling behaviour at least once in their life, and 10% of those saying that they gamble on a weekly basis.

Kenya currently has the third largest gambling industry in Africa, behind only South Africa and Nigeria, and the majority of that comes from sports betting. 83% of those who have gambled in Kenya have placed a bet on a football match, with football by far being the most named sport of choice amongst gamblers.

The frequency and size of bets tends to increase during tournaments like the World Cup or African Cup of Nations, but the majority of regular betters are content to place wagers on weekly league matches. After football, the next most popular gambling option was the lottery, with 11% of gamblers citing this as their top choice.

At the beginning of 2019, Kenya’s sports betting market was generating $218 million a month, which might go some way to explaining why the government decided to make the controversial decision to increase its turnover

tax. Under the new rules, betting companies would be required to take a 20% reduction off the total amount of winnings paid back to those who placed bets – and this included their original stake.

These taxes would then be paid to the government. The idea was to try and reduce the hold that the government felt that gambling had over its citizens. n

\ History gambling in Malawi Gambling is legal is Malawi. The government introduced its first Gambling Act in 1996, new gambling legislation was introduced, and a new regulatory authority was created. Online gambling is not regulated in Malawi, and there are no laws and regulations referring online gambling under Malawi’s gambling regulation act.

Malawi, a landlocked country in southeastern Africa, is defined by its topography of highlands split by the Great Rift Valley and enormous Lake Malawi. The lake’s southern end falls within Lake Malawi National Park – sheltering diverse wildlife from colorful fish to baboons – and its clear waters are popular for diving and boating. Peninsular Cape Maclear is known for its beach resorts.

When choosing between landbased and online casino Malawi players should definitely opt for web platforms. Although local

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government seriously thinks about developing its terrestrial gambling houses to attract tourists, Malawian online casino platforms offer their users unmatchable range of games together with fantastic bonuses.

In regards to online gambling Malawi has not yet adopted all the necessary regulation. However, we will inform you of all the possible legal consequences that one can face when playing at the Malawi casino sites. n Most Popular Sports Nigerians Bet On A look at the most popular betting markets in Nigeria and the top 5 sports that Nigerian punters like to wager on. The latest technology advancements have significantly influenced the sudden rise of several online industries in the African countries, South Africa and Nigeria namely.

These two countries have been the fastest to react to the global changes and they are currently considered as highly opportunistic territories for investments in the bountiful range of niches. Sports betting, especially its online form, is by no means an exception. We have witnessed a massive rise in its popularity over the last several years. Since the Internet is now widespread and available across most of the Nigerian territory, the world’s leading sports betting operators got plenty of room to react. They have embraced the chance and decided to extend their business lines to an unexplored region. Nigeria are now home to a great portion of the most popular sports betting

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companies in the world, including most of the UK giants. n

BetOn Uganda Review If you have heard about BetIn, then you must be assured of the quality BetOn has to offer players residing in another African country.

While Betin has currently focused its operations in Kenya alone, the bookie under review is operating exclusively in Uganda. Looking for a great European type of bookie that has incorporated the best of what online betting in Africa has to offer? Look no further as this is the sportsbook and casino for you! We do know how much a sports-betting platform is dependent on the variety of markets and games offered. So it is a consolation to see that BetOn has incorporated a wide range of sports to suit the needs.

Profi punters will be happy to see some exotic entries such as Ski Jumping, Water Polo and even Gaelic Hurling. At the same time, novices in the world of online betting can stick to the top leagues of their favourite sports. Fans of baseball can bet on MLB. Avid followers of soccer can browse UEFA matches. As for Ice Hockey lovers, NHL is definitely an option not to miss out on! With nearly 50,000 pre-match events to choose from, it is hard to get bored browsing the BetOn sportsbook.

Zambia’s President, Lungu, allows the reopening of Casinos Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, most businesses in Zambia. as in other parts of the world, have been closed. This was a move to combat the spread of the virus.

This is because places like casinos have a high traffic of visitors. Some of these visitors are tourists, therefore, the risk of importing and further spreading the virus is high.

Tourism is one of the sectors that account for the growth of the gambling industry. Even though the lockdown has restricted international travel and visits, domestic tourism has been reopening. The president himself ordered the reopening of the Victoria Falls which is one of the major attractions.

This means that the Casinos around and near this attraction can hope to receive some visitors.

To cushion the economy from suffering economically from restrictions caused by the pandemic, the government has lifted some of these restrictions.

This has and will allow businesses such as casinos, hotels, and spas to reopen.

Zambia is one of the African countries whose gambling and gaming market is on a constant rise. This market has considerably improved in terms of the services offered in the casinos, the facilities, and regulations. n

E-Sports Betting Opportunities

in Africa

Peter Situma is a lover of football and a staunch supporter of Chelsea Football Club. He has been working as a sports betting and casino gambling writer for over 5 years. He is also interested in technology and playing FIFA

Africa, one of the largest continents in the world is well known for the fact that its people have a passion for sporting activities. The perception of the African culture with regards to sports is one that is geared towards celebration, or an ultimate karamu or feast of feasts, a phrase that is similar to what Lionel Richie meant in his song All night long.

T

he sports betting industry in the continent is still young, though it has experienced a rapid rise. However, a lot still needs to be done, especially in the development of e-sports, considering that it has not experienced the same profitability as it is in other continents.

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Around the world, despite the fact that the industry is generally in its infancy stage, it is one that has already acquired a multi-billion status, hence the essence of e-sport in Africa.

The room for improvement and development is exponential, and it is for that reason the possibility of existing and start-up

gambling companies, will within the shortest time in the unforeseeable futureinfiltrate the African market and shift it into an industry where serious money can be minted. At the moment, the operations of e-sport betting are dissimilar to those of the normal sports betting. In Kenya, there are very few e-sport bet-

ting sites, yet there is very little activity that goes on with these sites. As usual, money is used for the placement of bets, but the main difference comes from the fact that most of the bets use ‘skins.’ These are virtual elements or tokens, mainly in the form of cosmetics, that are used in gambling, but do not have a direct effect in the way the game is played.

E-sport betting has its roots as from the year 2012, and by then the industry was worth a mere $130 million. Additionally, at the time, there were very few people who were aware what it meant by e-sport betting, besides the fact that there were also very few companies offering that chance for punters. However, the industry has since experienced progressive development, including the fact that the figures arose to $315 million by the end of 2015, and by 2018 the figure was at $7 billion. Financial analysts predict that the in the near future that figure may double up.

By the end of the year 2016, when assessing the betting activities using skins in e-sport betting sites, 35 percent of all the stakes placed were on the game called League of Legends, with the second one being the game Counter Strike Global Offensive (CS:GO) that had a betting stake percentage of 29. From the general outlook of the sports betting industry, there is a possibility of having a new stream of profitability, especially within the e-sports industry. These revenue streams

are comparable to those that bring in money through football and rugby stadia and arenas like media copyrights, sponsorships, ticket sales, advertisements, and merchandise. Besides that, e-sports betting can be greatly customized to suit different markets geographically.

The recent Rise of Interest in E-sport Betting As from March, the relevance of e-sports has generally improved by 20 percent among those that are aged between 18 and 25, while for those between the age of 26 and 35 has gone up by 50 percent. This was an expected situation, considering that normal sports was on a break, meaning that there was a vacancy that needed to be taken up by e-sports, as most of the events taking place in reallife were carried forward for a time that was unknown. Considering that many Africans are staunch fans of these sports and their main source of entertainment was put on hold, the success of e-sports was definitely going to rise. It is the same trend that made some of the betting companies to continue generating income, especially those that decided to set up e-sports netting platforms.

chances. For instance, 22Bet and Pinnacle betting companies have already adopted this approach in trying to penetrate the e-sports betting industry through marketing.

However, to accurately understand the advantage of e-sports betting, it is essential to divide the sector into two, including classic e-games like League of Legends, CS: GO, Dota 2, among many others, and e-games for real life sports like tennis, football, rugby, basketball, and many more. The latter category involves moving real life sports into an online platform, thereby making them available at all times.

With this division, it is easier to determine the interest of players with regards to which sector is mostly preferred. From a revenue income point of view, e-games take up most of the market, as they cover 84 percent. Classical e-games are difficult to enter in the market, as many adult bettors find it difficult to access them. In easier terms, a player needs to have high skilled knowledge regard-

Advantages of E-Sport Betting The e-sport betting industry is already proving to be beneficial, especially for the punters who make use of their free welcoming tokens that come in the form of promotions. E-sport is likened to Bingo, one of the best means of attracting players and providing superb cross-selling

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ing the specification of the game and the balances of power that are involved before they can place their bets on a game like CS: GO or Dota. On the other hand, the other category of e-games retain the impression of a familiar appearance. Despite the fact that the outcome of any match is dependent on the level of skills that the player has, the football or rugby teams are familiar to most people, and as such the rules that are used in the real life situation game are the same as those that are implemented when taking part in the online matches. Similarly, the predicting algorithms that are applied in the real life sporting activities can also be used when making betting predictions for the e-games.

Preliminary Data related to Highest Paying E-games While the e-sports betting industry is one that is still developing in the continent, there are preliminary findings that indicate the performance of some of the e-games that have been made available for punters. As such, one of the e-sports bet-

ting platforms known as BetInvest indicates that the games that most people focus on include FIFA, Tennis World Tour, NHL20, and NBA. FIFA is the leading e-game considering that it has the largest pool of players in the continent.

According to an international platform that allows for the participation of all people across the world, one of their cyber leagues called Twitch that holds dedicated matches of FIFA, the highest number of viewers are those who watch and take part in the competition, when compared to the other e-games.

It is therefore clear that FIFA generates the highest revenue within the e-sports betting industry, as many bookmarkers have taken advantage in the development of betting platforms for the same. However, NBA is also showing great potential, and bookmarkers can take advantage and focus their marketing around the e-game. It is also worth noting that basketball in Africa is gaining a lot of popularity, especially with the recent continental championships that

were held mid-last year.

Tennis World Tour and NHL20 are also promising, though their less popular nature could be attributed to the fact that they are also not well-known in Africa.

Nevertheless, proper promotion may lead to an increase in popularity, hence betting firms can also take advantage of the situation and develop proper marketing strategies revolving around these e-games.

Challenges that the Industry may face As there are several attempts by major companies to exploit the e-sports betting industry, it is no secret that there will be challenges in line towards this journey, as the continent competes with other regions around the world. First and foremost, most governments may tighten their rules on e-sport gambling as a way of ensuring that punters bet in a more responsible manner. That would imply companies having to fully comply with the rules set before providing a betting platform for punters.

The second challenge is with regards to the finances needed for setting up the required infrastructure and betting platforms.

There is a lot that will be needed, especially when looking at the security of personal data.

All in all, the presence of these challenges and limitations does not erase the fact that Africa as a continent has one of the greatest potential and the untapped opportunities present with regards to e-sports betting are unimaginable. n

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Major Changes In Kenya’s Gambling Industry After The Removal

And Reintroduction Of The 20% Sports Betting Tax Peris Wambu

President Uhuru Kenyatta had earlier on signed a Finance Bill where one of the elements was a decrease in the 20 percent excise duty levied on sports gambling, but that later on changed as the government has decided that there will be a reintroduction of the same within the next six months. These efforts are meant to streamline the betting practices in the country.

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20 percent tax on sports betting was previously abolished in some eleventh hour changes to the Finance Bill that was signed earlier on, but things seem to have taken a U-turn considering that the same percentage of tax will be reinstated. The bill was controversial, especially since it was one of the main reasons as to why some of the largest betting companies like Sportpesa and Betin closed business in the country. There are also unconfirmed reports indicating that there is an unknown inves-

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tor from Delaware the United States, who has bought a large stake at Sportpesa. The investor is regarded as mysterious considering that they are one of the most secret corporate investors in the world and would usually want to remain unknown, based on a report from the Daily Nation.

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance Ukur Yatani indicated that the excise duty was eliminated in eth first place within the Finance Act of 2020, despite the fact that the government had not stated its desire not to introduce tax within the betting sector. It was also a moment where the Cabinet Secretary pointed a blaming finger regarding the unprecedented changes towards the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning, Mr. Joseph Limo, the Member of Parliament of Kipkelion East.

It was during the committee stage of preparing the Bill that the tax was removed. However, after various investigations and consultations that are related to the attempts of the government in reducing the societal negativity associated with gam-

bling, the National Treasury and Planning will be making recommendations to the National Assembly to reinstate the tax within the next half a year, as indicated by Mr. Yatani. He added that the government is mainly committed towards making sure that the youth engage in more productive activities, other than betting.

What does this Removal Mean?

The removal of the 20 percent excise duty on all bets implies that betting industry have approximately six months to enjoy a period where they will remit lower taxes to the government, as the law prohibits the reintroduction of the Bill any time earlier than six months.

According to Nelson Bwire, the co-founder of Gaming Awareness Society, the removal of the tax within this period should not be taken as a means of celebration, but rather a concern, considering that many betting companies will spring up, and that may lead to an up-rise in the addiction levels towards gambling, especially if proper public health measures are not put in place as a way of reducing the same.

Two months ago, during the publication period of the Bill on the 8th of May, the removal of the tax was not an issue under discussion, according to the sentiments of Mr. Limo. At that stage, the committee did not have any arrangements for making changes, especially with regards to the betting taxes.

From the minutes of the meetings held, there is an indication of a suspicious group labelled using a non-existent URL going as shade.co.ke, who made writings to the committee on the 15th of May, where they made a proposal regarding the removal of excise duty on placed bets.

The group further indicated that the tax had paralyzed the operations of many betting companies, and as such, they were unable to sponsor many sporting clubs and activities happening locally.

With curiosity, the committee agreed to their concerns, where they indicated that the fact that the taxing was high meant that gamblers are shifting to foreign platforms, where upon placing their bets they are not subjected to tax, and as such, the government ends up losing on revenue. It is from that precedent that the committee came into a consensus regarding the scrapping of the tax, though other sectors promoting social vices like alcohol manufacturing saw an increase in taxes.

The Daily Nation, in an exclusive report at the beginning of the week, indicated how legislators had decided to make some

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last-minute changes to the Bill prior to sending it for assent by the president. There was also revelation that one prominent businessman by the name Peter Kihanya Muiruri, was on the verge of acquiring stakes in three betting companies that are under the Sportpesa umbrella, something he has engaged in for the past 14 months. The Nation, with the help of a journalism organization with its base in the United Kingdom called Finance Uncovered, came by some documents from Sportpesa firm based in Kenya, the UK, and the Isle of Man, a safe place for taxes and located off Britain’s coast.

Besides the stakes acquisition

by Mr. Muiruri, there are many more significant changes that have taken place within Sportpesa within the past few months, especially with regards to shareholding positions.

Other Major changes within Sportpesa � Gene-Gran, the American-Bulgarian who was one of the major and initial shareholders at Sportpesa seems to have sold his whole 21 percent stake to a US corporate called Naogen Investment. � The same company, Naogen Investment has a 21 percent stake in the Isle of Man and Kenyan businesses of the company, in addition to a 33 percent stake of the UK based business. It is worth noting that NaogenInvestments has its roots in Delaware, a state in the US that is characterized by a high level of secrecy in corporate mat-

ters. Therefore, the real owners of Naogen is a mystery for now. � The interest from the US may be of significant value to the company, considering that the Supreme Court of the US lifted a ban on sports betting from the federal government that was placed in 2018, which resulted in an increased number of betting activities in various states across the country. � The other change encompasses SportpesaGlobal Holdings Ltd. that is based in the UK and is the owner of betting activities that are not Kenyan, including South Africa, Russia, Italy, and Tanzania. It is also the owner of SPS Sportsoft Ltd, a company that is in charge of the IT services used by Sportpesa and any other related companies like Pevans that is based in Kenya. According to revealed financial statements from Sportpesa Global Holdings, the company made a profit of 12 billion pounds or Ksh. 1.6 billlion at the end of the financial year of 2018. � Following the concern of shares in Sportpesa Global Holdings in late last year, many Bulgarian shareholders in the company have opted to increase their stakes, while some shareholders from Kenya have reduced their stakes. � In Pevans East Africa, the owner of SPortpesa business in Kenya, a small Kenyan business called Leadwood Holdings Limited has acquired a 3 percent stake of the company, something that may have

not happened with the presence of the excise duty tax.

According to records from the Office of the Registrar of Companies in the country, the owners of Leadwood are Samuel WachiraGichuki, and John Victor Njagi.

While it may not be a direct connotation, these changes could be attributed to the fact that there are people who are preparing to make a killing financially as they anticipate that there will be an increase in betting activities in the country in the next six months. It is worth noting that before the introduction of the betting excise duty last year, Sportpesa was not only one of the leading betting firms in Kenya, but in Africa, as Kenya was regarded as one of the most gambling nations in the continent.

The target for many people is Sportpesa based on the fact that it had the largest customer base in the country, and the fact that many punters relied on it to place their bets. However, all these are speculations as it is not clear whether there will be an increase in betting activities considering that the window period that companies have may not be enough for making profits. It is also worth noting that the financial ability of many people have been affected with the covid-19 pandemic that has slowed down many economic activities in the country and around the world. Therefore, this is a situation that is worth analyzing after the end of the six months grace period. n

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Najib Balinda – Experience

allows us to understand what our African partners need As part of the interviews for Magazine E-PLAY, we will introduce Mr. Najib Balinda, a business development, marketing and advertising specialist with 11 years of experience in the gaming industry, both stationary and online sports betting, casinos and gaming clubs and street slot machines. game.

Mr. Balinda has worked in 4 different gaming markets in Africa, ie Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Ghana. He has been involved in the setup of operations and has conducted marketing campaigns in various countries outside Africa.

He currently holds the position of Business Development Manager for Africa at Betgenius E-PLAY: You are an expert in the African gambling industry, with over 10 years of experience. Now Business Development Manager for Africa at Betgenius, a renowned leader in sportsbook technology, services and innovation, what attracted you to join the business?

NB: I’ve been aware of Betgenius throughout my time in the sector and what’s always stood out is the way the team tailors its technology and services to every partner.

Rather than just simply providing sportsbook content, Betgenius works hand-in-hand with local operators. Our in-house understanding of African sports betting allows us to help our partners thrive and fulfil their business goals.

That impressed me long before I joined and I know that’s a view shared by many of my former colleagues. I couldn’t wait to get started when the opportunity came about.

E-PLAY: Given we’re facing an unprecedented period affect-

ing the entire sector, how can operators protect revenues and plan for the future?

NB: The recent retail shutdown caused by the pandemic has accelerated the growth of online sports betting, a trend that’s been gathering speed in east and

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west African markets for some time.

Players are becoming increasingly familiar and comfortable with the online betting experience and in order to maximize revenues in this landscape, we’re advising our partners to look at real-time digital marketing as we head into the new European football season.

Our Genius Sports Media arm uses an innovative technique, called programmatic, which allows sportsbooks to run highly targeted online marketing campaigns at scale. Powered by data, messaging and ad creative are always linked to the live sporting narrative. It’s a great way to acquire customers, drive loyalty and ensure your prices and promotions stand out.

E-PLAY: For many years, you worked in management roles for leading sportsbooks in Uganda, Kenya, Ghana and Tanzania. Has this experience helped you in your role at Betgenius?

NB: A sportsbook background has given me a vital understanding of what our African partners want and need.

I know, for example, how important it is to have confidence in your trading and understand what’s driving your price movements – even when you outsource. That’s why I always make sure local operators have direct access to our global trading teams.

Staying in regular touch with our traders also allows African sportsbooks to tailor their strategy and

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make the most of our flexible trading features. We allow everything from overrounds to content offering and suspension settings to be fully customized and localized for every partner.

E-PLAY: Hopefully normality will quickly resume and gambling turnover will return to pre-pandemic levels. What long-term trends do you expect to see in African gaming?

NB: The shift to online isn’t slowing down anytime soon. And as we’ve seen in Nigeria, with increased online engagement soon comes a surge in in-play betting turnover, particularly on football.

African sports fans love to watch live football and in-play via mobile adds to the excitement, allowing them to apply their knowledge and place bets based on how matches unfold. It’s not at all cannibalistic to pre-match turnover, so operators should be extremely excited.

In the next two years, a competitive in-play football offering will grow in importance in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Tanzania.

High market-uptime, a complete market range and a live cash out function are three crucial areas operators must invest in. Fast, accurate and reliable live data holds the key.

E-PLAY: Africa is a unique region where GDP per capita tends to be low, yet sports betting is highly popular. How does that translate to betting activity and what challenges does it present?

NB: Betting with small stakes to win big from football accumulators is a behavioural pattern our African partners regularly see. BetBuilder, our same-game-accumulator product, is hugely popular when the biggest football teams play.

The primary challenge facing sportsbooks because of the socio-economic landscape is ensuring players are gambling in a safe and responsible way. Genius Sports Media’s brand safety measures are highly valuable in this sense, adding extra layers of protection so vulnerable groups, like under 18’s, don’t receive gambling marketing.

E-PLAY: To what extent does the use of mobile money in popular telephone networks impact the gambling sector?

NB: It’s easier now than ever before to deposit and withdraw sportsbook and casinos funds across Africa. This is yet another factor that feeds into the appeal of online betting.

Leading mobile money firms like Mpesa, MTN, Airtel and Vodacom have done a great job of building consumer trust. Sportsbook customers now feel safe and comfortable making transactions via mobile and that historically hasn’t always been the case.

But the relationship between betting and mobile money works in reverse, too. African operators can contribute significantly to mobile money turnover and brand reputation. So I see the growth of mobile money as mutually beneficial. n

Live Casino – live croupier on your computer

Live Casino these days is an important part of the compulsory offer of every online home game. Thanks to the possibilities offered by modern technology, we do not have to visit a real terrestrial casino to feel like at Monte Carlo.

Today, without leaving the house, we can see the spinning wheel of roulette with our own eyes and exchange a few words with the truest, living croupier.

Iwo Bulski. Issues related to the gambling business is engaged in more than 30 years. My empirical experience gives me the opportunity to present events and companies from this business with full knowledge and industry knowledge.

two words, one could say - "in Latvia." Well, the largest centers serving online casinos are live in Riga. The company Playtech opened there in February 2017, the world's largest studio, where the studio of another leader in the industry, Evolution Gaming, is located.

T

he offer of online casinos will find all table casino games with a live dealer.

We can play roulette, blackjack or baccarat and even less popular varieties, such as Caribbean poker or Texas Hold'em. At each of these tables a real dealer is waiting for the player, turning

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the real wheel and giving the truest cards. But how does it work?

Online casino is a digital application. It exists only on the operator's server. Where do the croupiers operating the Live Casino work then? Answering in

Among the operators who run their own studios with live dealers, there are also Microgaming, Extreme Live Gaming, Media Live Casino, Net Entertainment, Amaya / Ho Gaming, Opus Gaming and a dozen more small ones serving one up, two online casinos. For comparison, the leader - Evolution Gaming - sells its services to dozens of the largest online game houses.

Fewer customers have Playtech.

How many people support such a studio? Assuming that in the largest centers, several hundred tables are working all the time, and every croupier after an hour of work must have a break, the entire industry is supported by thousands of qualified employees. Evolution Gaming itself and only in Latvia employs 3,000 people.

hind the dealer. For example, Mr Green, LeoVegas and Royal Panda Casino have their own tables in the Evolution Gaming studio. Most roulette, blackjack and baccarat tables, however, are generally unavailable and can be played by players from each of the casinos, which only bought the appropriate licenses from the supplier.

What does this studio look like?

This room, looking like a huge casino, with hundreds of cameras serving hundreds of tables to play, with hundreds of live croupiers working. The game takes place around the clock. Only players can not be seen. You can not see them because they are sitting at home or in front of portable devices.

Thanks to the cameras placed above the tables, everyone can see the course of the game, microphones allow you to talk to the dealer.

What does the roulette game look like, and how about blackjack? In the first case, on the screen of our device, we see a table and a roulette wheel.

The dealer or dealer throws a ball and we place the appropriate bets on the visible field of the game on the screen of our device. The camera placed on the roulette wheel tracks the ball movement and identifies the field on which it will stop.

When this happens, the dealer announces the winning number and the game starts again. Of course, no chips on the table do not move - he does it for the software that manages the bets placed by each player who just "sat down" at this table. And the number of places is unlimited!

As a rule, we will discuss the croupier in English, but recently the Live Casino operators offer tables dedicated to players who speak other European languages. In the largest casinos we can find roulette with a German croupier or blackjack with a Swedish speaking croupier. All this so that everyone can find a cozy place to play for themselves.

Some of the online casinos rent dedicated exclusive tables from the Live Casino provider. In this case, only players who log in to this particular e-casino play at a given table, and the dealer's logo is most often found be-

We will play blackjack similar as in a regular casino. We bet, the dealer deals cards. Each card is equipped with a code that when identifying a card from a "shoe" is identified before a special reader, so the software knows what card appeared on the table. For obvious reasons with blackjack, the number of places is limited by the number of fields on the table. In this game, the player decides whether to draw another card, so the rule

applies: one field of play - one player.

How does communication with the dealer work? We have a chat window next to the game field on our device. We can welcome the croupier there, compliment her beauty or thank her for a happy hand. The dealer will answer us, mostly in English, by turning to the camera. However, it is not worth writing out too much, in the end it's about the game. And time is money.

According to Online Gambling Quarterly, the Live Casino service has seen one of the largest gains in the industry in the last 12 months, giving way only to live sports betting. What does this prove? One can be tempted to diagnose that after all the technical novelties and possibilities offered by a digital casino are overjoyed, players value contact with a real human being the most, even if they are separated by a computer or smartphone screen. n

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Gambling business in Uganda – current possibilities and limitations

When we look at betting companies in Uganda we see companies like Fortebet, Betpawa, Betway, 1xbet, Topbet among others all these companies have taken over gambling games here in our country Uganda.

There are about 1,125 betting companies or shops that are legally operating across the country most of which are located in Kampala metropolitan area.

W

hen we look at betting companies in Uganda we see companies like Fortebet, Betpawa, Betway, 1xbet, Topbet among

others all these companies have taken over gambling games here in our country Uganda. There are about 1,125 betting companies or shops that are legally op-

erating across the country most of which are located in Kampala metropolitan area.

Online betting like mentioned

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earlier is legal and fully regulated since 8th April 2016 by the national gaming board lotteries and gaming act. Betting being a gambling game has attracted both the youth and the elderly across the country to them it’s part of fun. There are number of games that most of the gamblers place their stake on for example: sports betting, video poker, progressive jackpot slots: we also have the casinos, slot machines, classic games and many more others the list is endless.

international football games/ leagues. It also allows to easily navigate while on their website and so many others that champion bet offers.

In Uganda the best casino has about 22 table games and 130 video poker slots. Each online betting company has got different offers that it gives to the gamblers companies like Betway Uganda has got one of the best offers and promotions that they offer online with a chance to bet on live matches and many more sports like football, basketball, golf and many more others. Championbet emphasizes on football matches and gives good coverage on most

Jackpots Uganda also has jackpot sports betting which companies offer to their players giving them a chance to win a huge jackpot or amount of money when they place right predictions on multiple matches. Some of the companies that offer jackpots include: Betcity with the supa3 &supa5 jackpot, Betpawa jackpot, Betway jackpot among others. The players just have to place their stake on the jackpot bet at an affordable price 1000

Apart from football and casinos and the rest of the gambling games there are also other games that Ugandans place their bet on and these include: cricket betting , golf betting, tennis betting although to most Ugandans place their stake(money) on football matches because majority are football fans.

shs which can turn into shs.100 million depending on the jackpot placed by the betting company, the advantage with the jackpot is that it gives out bonus price to the player even though the player has not matched the numbers on the tickets. In companies like supa3 and supa5 the player has to enter their 3 or 5 lucky numbers in order to get a ticket that will enable them enter the jackpot show. Jackpot sports betting is growing rapidly in Uganda with most companies offering their jackpot services however a player should see the stake, winning fund and find out which betting company is giving out the highest amount.

Casinos There are number of online casinos here in Uganda for example: Platinum play online casino, All slots online casino, Betway casino, spin casino and many more others. The most played casino games that are most popular according to research are slot machines however blackjack and roulette are also exceptionally popular too.

The live casino games are also starting to be played more and more often. Players can use the Ugandan currency (shs) to play and for those that can’t use currencies like USD, EUR instead.

Mobile casinos in Uganda Most of the gambling fans in Uganda play casino games on their mobile devices, casino games include: blackjack, baccarat, and roulette and many more, For those that use the casino websites to play on the game list include video slots,

classic machines, and popular progressives. Most of the mobile casinos offer extra bonuses and special promotions to their players Some of the games that are played in the Ugandan casinos include: � Slots every recommendable casino in the country has slot machines with variety software providers and has impressive jackpots too. � Video poker Which has the best chances of winning in online casino in Uganda which is why most of the Ugandans choose to play it. � Poker it is found in most online casinos and extremely popular the most popular version played by Ugandans is Texas Hold’em.

Roulette it’s also one of the massively popular online casino game played by Ugandans. In summary about the online casino games that are played include: live dealer games, sports betting, and other online gambling games that are found in online casinos which include: bingo games and Scratch cards among others. According to my research there are 13 licensed casinos in Uganda of which 12 of them are located in Kampala and 1 in Jinja. The casinos in Kampala for example features over 100 slot machines and tables of roulette, blackjack and three card poker among others.

local football, most of these games are betted on the betting company website as listed above. Most of the Ugandans bet on international football for example: premier league, La liga, FIFA among others. The local football clubs that exist in Uganda include: Vipers SC, Wakiso Giants, SC villa, Kampala city council authority FC and many more. Football being the national game of the country it’s easier for the Ugandans to place their bet on this game.

Basically betting in Uganda is growing rapidly with increasing number of players and it’s also legalized by the National Gaming Board Uganda. However most of the youth have become so much addicted to the gambling game which is a disadvantage making them lazy in being creative or involve themselves in skillful activities this has caused a lot of unemployment and also let’s say poverty amongst the youth and some of the elderly sinc e the little they earn is spent on betting.

The licensing of lotteries, casinos, gaming and betting companies is done by the National Gaming Board under section 4 of the lotteries and gaming Act 2016. The responsibility of the national gaming board is to issue license to the lotteries, casinos, gaming and betting companies that want to be established in Uganda. The other responsibility is to supervise, enforce and dispute resolutions. National Gaming Board has the authority to conduct investigation on any betting company, examine, do inspections and issue guidelines, directives or management of the betting industry in Uganda.

Covid19 pandemic and its effects on the gaming and betting Covid-19 (corona virus) has really affected the entire world not only Uganda. Number of people have been affected by this virus and also number of them have lost their lives. In Uganda according to the minis-

Football betting Most of the Ugandans normally place their stake on football matches both international and

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ber of customers in a week now get just handful of them. This has really affected most of the betting companies here in the country.

try of health report 1213 cases have been reported, 1102 individuals have recovered and so far 5 deaths reported as well.

Covid-19 has not only affected Ugandans in terms of health but it has affected their work, business and also has affected the gaming and betting activities in Uganda. Ever since the spread of the virus, the president his excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni had the entire country under lockdown for 5 months now whereby most betting houses or shops are still closed. Due to the coronavirus outbreak most gambling and betting markets or companies shrunk due to the suspension of the world’s leading football leagues which left most of the people to gamble less since most of them were used to betting houses. Most of the Ugandan players are not online bettors they prefer betting houses to online betting this can be because not all of them are well versed with the online betting system.

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Let”s take a look how the virus really affected the gaming industry; Loss of about 99% in terms of sales this because most of the Ugandan players are not too much into online betting according to brand ambassador of Gals sports betting in his report to BBC sport Africa. In Uganda the annual turnover is worth at least $12m has been decimated meaning that the turnover has reduced. It has also affected employment where by some of the betting companies have closed leaving their employees unemployed this has greatly affected their standard of living. In some betting houses the staffs are idle since there are no players that visit the houses to place their bets. Most of the players were not placing their bets because there were no fixtures since most of the premier leagues and other international football games. Most of the betting companies lost customers due to the outbreak of the virus, the ones that could get a num-

However, on the positive side the spread of the virus has helped most of the youth to save since most of their income was being spent on betting.

This is because most of the international football games were suspended so it was difficult for them to place their stake on games that they are not well versed with hence teaching them to save money as well as involve themselves in creative activities other than gambling.

To some of the gaming industries like casinos especially have got more players since most of the players could not place their stake on football matches, some of them switched to casino games which has been of great advantage to the casino operators. The gaming industry in Uganda as mentioned earlier has rapidly increased with various modes and facilities being introduced .

Fortebet being one of online sports betting companies happens to have online slots which offers casino games betting using Apollo Games software licensed in Uganda. Apollo Games software is owned by Grand Victoria LTD. The following are some of the slot games that are played in Fortebet; Atlantis, Bonus joker II, Burning dice, Gangster world, Rich fish, War of the titans, Horror joker among others. In Betway Ugan-

da the most popular slot game played is known as Big Top. This game has 5 reels and 9 pay lines and its fun with amazing winnings.

Casinos, as mentioned earlier in our introduction we listed some of the casinos that are found in Uganda and the popular games played in the casinos and they are operated by the National Gaming Board. The prices of most of the casinos is not really stated on their websites Best betting companies in Uganda The best betting companies in Uganda include 1xBet Uganda and it promotes its brand name through offering the best promotions to its players, plenty of free bets to its new and old customers. It provides bettors with lie mobile app, gives them opportunity to use Ugandan currency Sports betting Africa; it promotes its brand through offering and also free bets for example 300% casino welcome bonus, 1,000,000,000 (one billion Uganda shillings football jackpot) SBA cash drop prizes this is most especially to its loyal customers every week, SBA cash out Betway, Premierbet, Fortebet, Betwinner, Melbet, 22bet all the mentioned betting companies promote their brand name by offering their players with good promotions, bonuses as well as free bets and not leaving out their good customer care that they offer. Sports betting

and slot machines operators in Uganda include; kings sports betting with 295 branches, Fortebet with 262 branches, premier bet with 90 branches, Sports Betting Africa (SBA) with 95 branches best holding 10. The sports betting operators 3include; fair sports betting with 25 branches, gals sports betting with 67 branches Topbet with the highest branches of 213.

Slot machine operators include; Sastos amusement with 26 branches, Clubwin 16 branches, Gennex Uganda 15 branches and Bigwin slots with 54 branches.

1442 premises are being approved and licensed by the National Gaming Board 655 are located upcountry accounting for 45% and 787 in Kampala metropolitan areas (Kampala, Mukono, Wakiso) districts accounting for 55%. In the metropolitan areas Kawempe has the most branches with 150 branches, Nakawa with 80 branches, Makindye with 135 branches this

is statistics according to the National Gaming Board. The number of registered gaming machines countrywide according to the National gaming board is Kampala metropolitan areas has 2911, upcountry 1,105 which totals up to 4,016.

The overwhelming increase of lottery, casinos, and sports betting in Uganda has seen the gambling industry develop in terms of revenue generation to Uganda’s economy. The tax collection has grown from shs 240 million in 2002/2003, in 2013/2014 increment of Shs 11.1 billion, Shs 45 billion in 2017/2018 and in 2018/2019 Shs. 50 billion. n

Makuthum Jabal

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Sports Betting in Africa, Highway to Hell or route to Digital Finance?

To get hold of the extent of sports betting has spread in Africa, where many young people are implementing the services of digital finance (DFS) in a more common manner, chances are that information is in front of your eyes as you watch your favorite football team play in any of the major European leagues.

Peter Situma

B

etting logos are everywhere, more so in the English Premier League teams, as out of the 20 teams, 9 of them have these logos on

their football kits. These firms pay the teams lots of money for being visible on the jerseys. For instance, SportPesa, once one of the largest betting compa-

nies in Africa, allegedly paid Hull City FC 10 million US dollars to have its logo on the team’s shirt.

Additionally, the same company was also the main sponsor of

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Everton FC, where it was dishing 12.5 million US dollars annually for 5 years. With that, it is clear that the sports betting industry is one where there is money spinning.

underemployed or unemployed, yet the average amount that they stake every day is USD 8.50. In fact, this is a trend that is present in most francophone and Anglo Africa.

Some countries in Africa, including South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, gambling is on the rise to an extent that the combined net worth of the industry in these countries was estimated to be at $37 billion in the year 2018. From a study by iAfrikan, in Nigeria alone more than 60 million between the ages of 18 and 40 spend more time betting on a daily basis to the extent that what they spend daily may amount to $5 million.

The worrying bit is that most of those who gamble are either

As per a revelation from a study

by GeoPoll indicated that approximately people between the age of 17 and 35 in Sub-Saharan Africa have attempted to engage in some form of gambling, and in most cases they engage in sports gambling. In Kenya alone, more than 2 million people take part in sports betting that is mobile-based, and most of them are in aged between 21 and 40. GeoPoll identifies that 96 percent of those who engage in betting in Kenya use their mobile phones

to do so, and 75 percent of these wagers are placed with the use of smartphones. It is no wonder that one of the cabinet secretaries of the Kenyan government referred to sports betting as a “curse to the youth,�

Is Gambling a Threat to the Youth of Africa?

There is a developing concern that sports betting among the youth, especially students, is becoming a major distraction with regards to their studies.

Most students are spending all their energies dreaming and fantasizing about betting and winning large amounts of cash that they can use to lead a simple life of no hard work. For some of them, gambling has become an occupation where they

spend all their time. one student from the University of Nairobi taking a course in Chemistry indicated that many youths have formed groups where they have serious discussions regarding betting, and the seriousness in these groups can be equated to tutorial groups. In fact, some state that these betting teams are gradually superseding tutorials, as they are taken more seriously. The consequences of this trend may be devastating considering that some reports are indicative of the fact that there are some students who have taken their lives after losing bets, most of them being huge wagers on teams that they expect to win or lose. Besides that, most of them bet using money that was supposed to be for something else, like university tuition fee or for rental payment. in some instances, some of them end up dropping out of school as they may be afraid to reveal to their parents that they have lost money, as some of them come from financially struggling families.

Why Young People?

The percentage regarding unemployment for young people in Africa stands at 35. In a group of six, only one may have a meaningful form of employment, as most of them are prone to be influenced by the aggressive marketing strategies used by betting companies indicating that they can win lots of money from gambling, hence lead an easy life. Something that does not come as a surprise is the fact that most of those who engage in sports gambling do

so for the need of making quick and easy money, as is indicative of the betting groups formed by university students.

According to senior research analyst Eric Musau from the Standard Investment Bank indicated to Equal Times that betting is increasingly becoming a reliable source of income for many youths.

“Betting is giving many youths something easier and better to hope for, and it does not matter the financial situation that one finds themselves in, as that can easily turn into an addiction.”

There are punters who have the perception that betting using betting “experts” or “informed betting” will lead to an increase in odds, and more so may be an automatic means of winning. Generally, in 2018, more than half of the top 20 searches conducted on Google in Kenya were in direct relation to betting. Actually, most of those who gamble claim that they get quick good cash, but only when

smart betting is involved. There are many instances of punters setting up websites or social media groups that they use to offer free or chargeable gambling advice to other gamblers.

One of the most successful ones in Kenya is Binti Foota (a feminine name that may be indicative of the fact that women are also specialists in sports betting) that charges members USD 5 or Ksh. 530 bi-weekly in exchange for advice on how to get outcomes that yield the most amount of money. in fact, most betting firms conduct aggressive marketing techniques around women who are first tome winners for any jackpot as a way of enticing more women into the game, or maybe indicating to men that women are also winning, and as such they ought to engage in the practice too.

Are there Benefits involved in gambling?

Staunch supporters of sports betting are of the idea that the industry is beneficial as it has helped in the creation of thou-

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sands of jobs that were absent initially. Betting firms have employed agents in various betting shops, especially those that are located in neighborhoods that are poor, and where internet connection is one of the major issues. Additionally, some sports analysts also earn a living from the firms by offering betting advice from various media platforms. Finally, supporters also indicated that people get quick cash from sports gambling, something that also earns the government revenue, hence enhancing the economies of many African countries.

Is Sports betting a better way of Encouraging People to use DFS more?

For those who are focusing on the promotion of using DFS and mobile money, sports gambling seems to be a consequence that is unintended. However, the most worrying trend is the fact that some of those who are addicted to gambling use dig-

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ital money lenders to borrow money they can use for betting, hence increasing their risk.

Proponents of sports betting argue that betting has created an avenue for the poor to have a chance of using DFS. However, that may not be the case considering that 75 percent of Kenyan gamblers use their smartphones to place wagers, and as such it does not depict an image of people who are really poor. Besides that, most of these people who are first-timers in gamble are not first timers in using mobile money or digital money-lending platforms, especially in Kenya.

Again, there is no indication of the fact that these DFS accounts are opened for the sake of getting cash that can be used for betting, as most of those who bet may already have the accounts prior to engaging in betting. Therefore, it may be correct to indicate that betting is one of the many avenues that

has enhanced the interaction that people have with DFS. With all that in mind, it is still inherent that more research is conducted with regards to the connection between gambling and digital money lending platforms. However, the fact that gambling is addictive and firms will always market in tempting ways, it would be a general opinion that sports betting has a negative effect on African youth.

The African youthful population has embraced the gambling practice, yet there is no specific infrastructure to shield them from the negative impacts. Just like in the developed world, African governments must rise and invest in financial programs and counseling services that will see young people spend their fortunes much better. Nonetheless, with digital finance programs taking shape, we may just see an organized betting system on the continent. n

Virtual Sports on the Rise, Thanks to BetPawa 2020 is a year that very little good can be said about it so far, and there are no signs of all of the happenings changing. Many industries all over the globe have undergone numerous changes as a way of adapting to the situation at hand. One of these is the online gambling industry, with companies such as betpawa.ng is at the forefront in making these adaptive changes.

Peris Wambu

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hen all the sporting events came to a standstill, BetPawa stepped in using their website and the app, where punters are offered numerous chances of betting on virtual sports as a way of making them stay happy.

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Despite the fact that many of the major sporting events have resumed, the same games are still being enjoyed by punters in Nigeria but as virtual events that can be accessed on betPawa.ng, one of the best things that have happened in 2020.

Virtual Gambling on BetPawa Virtual sports work in such a way that they imitate the best online betting platforms, as player can simulate sporting events using their devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops. The best bit is that you do not have to make

payments for premium subscription of satellite television, or waiting all week for Saturdays in the afternoon for kick-off times. Virtual sports are highly reliable considering that they are ever present, and one does not have to wait for a specific time to place a bet as they can do so on demand. If you feel like in the middle of the night you want to place a bet, you simply select a league, place the wager, and watch as things unfold.

In Nigeria, the most popular sport is football, as many fans within the country have a passion for most of the leading teams in Europe where top Nigerian footballers engage in the game professionally. Therefore, it is not surprising that BetPawa has turned all its attention on the sport, with special interest

in the European leagues, meaning that punters can place wagers on teams like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona, Juventus, Liverpool, Chelsea, Inter Millan, and many other numerous teams. In the same way as in the sports book of betPawa, one can bet on online games starting from as low as using 1 Naira.

app, you will find out that there are 3 major European football leagues; Spanish, English, and Italian. Each of these leagues has ongoing matches at any given time, as they are always ten games involving twenty teams.

The matches take place after every five minutes, thereby having a total of 8640 games taking place within 24 hours.

Betting on Virtual Sports – The Knowhow If you have the basics regarding placing normal bets on sports, then you are good to go with regards to virtual sports, as there is nothing more to it. The main reason being that virtual sports simulate the real deal, hence maintaining a sense of familiarity for the fans. Upon visiting the virtual sports section of the betPawa website or

Once you select a league of interest, you can select any game, where various gambling options would appear, including win/ lose/draw, both teams to score, over/under, halftime/fulltime, and many more. As the matches take place after every five minutes, punters have a five minute resting period for thinking about how to place their wagers. Besides that, the odds have been developed in such a way that

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they are reflective of the abilities that the real team has. For example, if Barcelona are playing against Alaves, the odds will be in such a way that they favor Barcelona (not that Alaves is a bad team, but it is not better than Barcelona when playing from home).

All that this implies is that virtual sports operate in the same way as the real deal, only that you do not have to wait for specific days on when to bet as they take place all the time.

Pointers and Predictions When dealing with virtual sports, the betting tips and predictions that you use under normal circumstances may not be helpful.

The reason is that these virtual games are not in any way affected by normal parameters like the choices made by the referee, the form of the best player or playmaker, or any other real life variables. Instead, the game results are dependent on a number that is generated randomly that makes sure each and every result is fair and random.

The prediction of a number generated randomly is not possible, which makes the whole point of the virtual games. As a punter, it is still enjoyable to look at the form of the players or the team in general as a way of determining the result, but predicting a number generated randomly is not possible, the same way you cannot foretell the outcome of the roll of a dice.

If you are new to virtual games, you are recommended to place wagers on familiar bets, including selecting the team to win for every match, betting on both to score that is one of the most common choices, or the over/ under 1.5 goals option.

Why have Virtual Games become Popular?

The popularity of virtual sports went on a sharp rise in 2020, as before then their popularity was relatively low. Most punters are enthusiastic on getting what they bet on, yet this opportu-

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nity has always not been present. Nevertheless, despite the resumption of major leagues in England and Spain, these games have still maintained their popularity. Some of the reasons include: � The fact that the results are instant, as you do not have to wait for several days to bet, or 90 minutes and extra time to get the result of a game. Virtual games take a very short time, and when one game ends another one starts immediately. They offer gratification or fulfilment that is instant for the player. � The games are available at all times. When looking at the European leagues, most of the time there are ten games every week, and many of them occur on Saturdays and Sundays in the afternoon, while a few happen during weekday nights. However, what would one do in these other times? What would you do with some of your free times on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday afternoon when you would fancy betting on EPL football? � With virtual sports, you do not need to ask yourself many questions, as the games are readily available for betting as they are there upon demand.

In fact, it is up to you as the punter to decide what time not to bet and when to bet. � They are easy to handle, as the process is similar to betting on real sports. You are not required to have any form of detailed experience, besides having deep knowledge of the teams you are wager-

ing on. That is all that you are expected to focus on.

What does the Betting Future Dictate?

In Nigeria, betPawa.ng is one of the largest sports betting firms that you can find, as it is a platform that showcases various sporting events that include Football, tennis, basketball, rugby, and many others.

The live betting markets that are available for punters are from leagues such as the EPL, Serie A, and La Liga, where many African, including Nigeria football stars engage professionally. Also, available in the platform includes an abundance of games that involve various jackpots and countless combinations of betting options on a weekly basis.

However, the section of the virtual games is one that has caught the attention of many punters in recent months. These games are readily available for punters at any given point of time on a daily basis. In fact, being stuck in any form of lockdown with a source of internet is the best thing that can ever happen to you as a punter, as sporting actions are readily available for you on betPawa.ng.

ous sporting action is checking on the virtual sports section of betPawa.ng, place you wager, and rest to watch as everything unfolds. It is as easy as it gets for you.

African jurisdictions have devised new means of survival, especially when normal sporting events are out of season.

The Covid-19 period has been a wakeup call to many gamers who relied on sports betting as the only source of income. The total lockdowns across nations dealt a big blow to all operators who have now realized the need for diversity. As a result, players are on the lookout for virtual sports. Betting companies like BetPawa are now servicing the rapidly growing demand in Africa. If you are an enthusiastic gamer, you are sorted as you can place bets on virtual games and win instantly. n

All you have to do is register by clicking on www.betpawa.ng today and see for yourself. In fact, available are various attractive welcoming rewards to start out as a new punter on the platform. It does not matter whether the major European leagues take a break again, as all you have to do to get continu-

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Ethics in gambling – is there a way?

Ever since man understood that profit can be reached without effort, gambling began to rule over him. It was known to all the ancient civilizations. Egyptians playing astragale, Roman soldiers gambling over cloths of dying Christ, Chinese or cowboys from Wild West saloons winning and losing in poker; gambling was present in all developing civilizations.

Iwo Bulski

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nfortunately, gambling was also assisted by misery and vexation for those who wanted to get rich fast, deluded with how easy can be winning in games of chance.

It seems like the recipe is simple- nothing in life is for free and every action causes reaction.

The one who wins takes from the one who loses. If a fortune is kind and one hits a jackpot on

a lottery, gambling machines or poker tournament- every time there is also one who loses.

Gambling bases on mathematics. That’s why exceptional

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mathematicians an not allowed into casinos. Mathematic laws determine the frequency and amplitude of winnings. But mathematics is not easy and not every game can be cracked. For example, in card games a person can count tricks to estimate the likelihood of a winning sequence appearing, whereas in roulette chance plays a crucial role and even by analyzing drawn numbers and counting the probability one cannot point out a winning square. Just like lotteries. Organizers, not without satisfaction, advertise an option of big winnings without showing the actual chances of

winning. And that speaks to the subconsciousness of every player. For a long time in many casinoes both in Las Vegas and in Europe a popular strategy of affecting the players was to create Halls of Fame. Those shrines of lucky winners holding multimillion checks lured people to the tables, even if the actual chances of winnings this big were hardly possible.

Every legal game has its own regulations that indicate the player chances of winning.

But those are often illusive, as there are also various scams

and unexposed tricks used by dishonest game operators. Additional aces upon the sleeve, marked cards or disbalanced dices- those are standard tricks known to most. But what about a situation where a percentage of winnings on a slot in the central point of the casino is reset from 75% to 50%?

Or advertisment of winnings in a multi-jurisdiction lottery, in which only few people can reach million-worth prizes of first degree? Can we call the action unjust when a front-runner loses with an outsider in soccer, causing the bookmaker courses to grow and thus allowing just few to win? And in horse races, is picking the winner basing just on its look and analysis of its past career enough... or is it better to rely on the hints from the boxes?

Don’t want to lose- don’t bet.

Because in every bet there are two sides- the sucker and the cheater. The loser is the sucker because he thinks he might be right, and the winner is a cheater, because he knows he IS right. Only after analyzing the outcome of the bet we can say who was who.

The player wants to achieve the success with a shortcut and he’s willing to accept help from any direction, just so he can get the upper hand over his similars, lured by promise of the great fortune.

But the operator of gambling games is always ahead of the player. His guidelines are statistics, countings and percent-

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age of profit. And most of the time they are pretty lucrative; the operator doesn’t want to change his institution character into a charity and give out money from the loses. Usually.

In United States bingo was given into the supervision of The Salvation Army and church organizations as a gratification of their humanitarian operations.

And thus gambling became a Robin Hood-like tool, which takes from the losers, but gives to those in need.

Operators of games of chance are under many legal restrictions like licensing, legitimization of the capital or verification of game organizers in terms of criminal record. The State sets its own gambling rules and the level of taxes to be payed to the public treasury. Taxation of game organizers is nothing else but a hidden tax collected from the players- not quite ethical, yet accepted by the society.

But what happenes when the State becomes the game operator itself, monopolizing the games? Does it change the matters of ethics? Is this situation more ethically correct than the gambling games organized by private subjects? Are addiction to gambling and impoverishment of the society, tempted with the vision of infinite wealth, going to wither?

Are the players going to win and lose money somewhat differently if the gaming rooms, stationary and online casinos or other forms of gambling are owned by the State? Obviously,

the government is hiding behind the “responsible gaming” and informing the public what are the lost sums spent at. However, the State has sufficiently effective propaganda mechanisms to bleach out their operations and distract the public from the fact that most of the lost pool goes to the State’s pocket.

How to justify this kind of decision?

Ethics and gambling do not go together. As i wrote before, it is not possible to be successful in the game of chance without robbing other players.

United States of America, being a relatively new nation consisting of various cultures, were the first to cope with the problem.

After years and years of colonisation and ruthless pacification of Native Americans, United States granted the tribes permission to organize gambling in their reservations. Today Native Americans own resorts generating enormous profit, the centers of entertainment and gambling often compared to the casinos in Las Vegas.

Never mind the game with friends- there will be gnashing of teeth and thunderstorms, but after every storm the sun comes out and that’s just how it is. However when the State, in the name of its principles, takes a concious patronage over the sector and creates a monopolythat’s much worse. Because it is then the State’s responsibility to explain the society why the big, bad gambling organized by private subjects suddenly becomes morally correct when surveilled by the government.

The State sets its own laws, having its own government and administration, who control and supervise all the statutory arrangements. But why no talks about dubious morality of the States operations?

It is a kind of compensation for the years of eliminating and limiting the living space of free people, an apology towards the natives and the effective way of pleasing the society. n

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Ibukun Okeowo

– I believe that in a few years there will be an increase in the online betting market Gibet Nigeria’s co-founder and CEO, Ibukun Okeowo, talked about how the brand was mitigating the effects of the pandemic crisis from the time its development disrupted all sporting activity until the recent resumption of sporting activity.

do not currently offer any casino games, this has truly helped us.

The lack of popular gaming events coupled with the lockdown of retail stores ensured that sales were really affected. With the major European leagues returning we saw an increase of sports bet sales across the board and a decrease in online virtual sports sales.

E-PLAY: As it has been seen so far across the globe, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the gambling industry over the past three months and a half. With the easing of lockdown in Nigeria and resumption of some major sports leagues in Europe, how has GIBet been picking up in terms of sales?

Ibukun Okeowo - As GiBet is a sports betting platform and we

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E-PLAY: What is the GiBet doing to mitigate the effect of the Covid-19 crisis to remain in business as we have often seen many companies are placing their workers on furlough why some are sacking even some are facing bankruptcy?

Ibukun Okeowo: GiBet has retained all members of its staff force. It is important that we try to play our part as an organization to reduce the already catastrophic impact of COVID-19 on our workers. However we have had to

introduce salary reductions and work on cutting out unnecessary expenses in order to try and balance our books.

E-PLAY: A few months ago, during the lockdown restriction in Nigeria, Gibet supported its agents in Nigeria with 30 million Naira. Can you tell us how, as the agents reacted to this kind gesture, and how has this boosted Gibet brand reputation?

Ibukun Okeowo - This grant helped agents to reopen and relaunch their shops. It also brought on subsequent interest from potential agents who wanted to join the GiBet brand. Overall it had a very positive effect as we were able to help agents provide a livelihood for themselves.

E-PLAY: Marketing is one department brands have reduced

in their budget due to the pandemic crisis. Some brands have been doing continuous marketing to retain their customers that are dormant during the suspension of major sports in regards to this. What is Gibet doing to retain its customers?

wagers in the shop to the online in the coming years, that the Covid-19 crisis has made it even closer than first projected by experts, do you see any shift in the next three years in Nigeria in particular?

Ibukun Okeowo - I believe there will be a huge growth in the onIbukun Okeowo - GiBet has re- line market in the next few years. leased a couple of new promotions What Covid has shown punters to incentive customers to remain is that they can easily place bets with us. Some include our bonus from the comfort of their homes. boost which goes up to 230%, our What it has shown the world in 300% welcome page and many general is you can shop and conmore. We engage with customers duct day to day activities without regularly via email and sms and we leaving your home. The growth of try to release new promos month- the online gaming market is also ly to keep customers engaged directly correlated to the improveand rewarded for their loyalty. ment of financial technology. So as long as we continue to have E-PLAY: Influencer market- banks and financial services traning is the prevailing trend in sition to the online market and Nigeria now in which several make it easy to use, many retail sportsbook brands have been businesses will also follow. At the going into agreement with the same time i also believe the retail notable ambassador in Nige- market may actually not lose that ria. Does Gibet have any inten- much ground as customers love tion of going into this direction to have a physical presence of the anytime soon or in the future? company they are betting with.

Especially if they have winnings, Ibukun Okeowo - Yes influencer they would like someone who they marketing has become very pop- can hold responsible for their winular in Nigeria and it is actually a nings rather than having to wait very effective method of creating for the withdrawal requests to be brand awareness. We already had approved online. agreements with a few major influencers to be ambassadors for E-PLAY: Nigeria often regardour brand but due to COVID-19 ed as a big gambling market in they have been put on hold for Africa. There have been many now. international brands coming into the country in recent E-PLAY: Perhaps some stake- years. What is Gibet doing to holders, experts in the gam- compete with brands alike, bling industry, are projecting and what is the brand doing to that there will be a shift for be unique among the packs? customers in Africa. From the conventional ways of placing Ibukun Okeowo: International

brands often shy away from the retail market because of their lack of understanding of it and the huge expense. From my little experience so far, i have seen that international brands prefer to have full control of their projects and thus they lack the Nigerian experience needed to truly penetrate the market. Thus there will always be a place for local brands in the market. As long as you have a good product, a good strategy and capital to push the brand, you can compete.

E-PLAY: Finally, there have been few B2B gaming events in Africa, unlike in Europe, Asia, and Latam America. However, some significant events organizers have come to Africa like Eventus, Clarion gaming over the years. Yet, in past months, several event organizers have shown kin interest in Africa.

From your perspective, what can you say to this development happening in the Africa gaming ecosystem?

Ibukun Okeowo - For me it is not surprising. Africa is the next big market. We are in a development phase and thus no one wants to miss out. New games are being produced and marketed to us daily as now is the time for a big break for the next new product because many countries in Africa are just getting involved in the gaming space and thus there is a potential for many businesses here. I expect more and more gaming events to be put out across Nigeria and Africa over the next few years.

The interview was conducted by Adeleye Awakan

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Post Covid-19 Right Time

Gaming companies Adopt Crypto Currency to mitigate Africa’s weak Economy Online gambling has gained massive traction of popularity from bettors in recent months, especially since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic that has upended the global economy. Our lives and business have been affected. In contrast, gaming brands are evolving to online services to meet their customers’ demands in real-time.

Adeleye Awakan

H

owever, Africa is one of the continents that the pandemic is inflicting an unprecedented negative impact on its economy just as it has on nations worldwide. The re-

gion has felt abrupt of the crisis that has touted to experience its first recession in 25 years.

While both formal and informal jobs will be affected by the pandemic, resulting in weak curren-

cy against the dollar, leading to inflation in the continents. For investors, gaming operators, it is not in their business’s best interest due to the current situation, which will lead to loss

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of value, particularly foreign investors’ investment. However, it is essential in this critical situation for gaming brands to adopt crypto on their platforms to mitigate the weak Africa currency. A report by the state of play state in recent time’s cryptocurrencies as caught the eyes of several African youths over the past four months and a half.

Since the pandemic was detected first in the region, these have resulted in all-time highs of Bitcoin adoption in Africa, making it the second-strongest peerto-peer (P2P) market volume margins.

A report tracking the $33 billion worth of Bitcoin sent between exchanges found that Seychelles account for the vast majority. About 45 percent of Bitcoin transfer volume originated

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from the G-20 countries. However, tiny Seychelles covered 31 percent of the global amount in the first half of 2020. Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Botswana stated to have the highest penetration of cryptocurrency in Africa.

Another report said that Bitcoin (BTC) peer-to-peer trading volumes record new highs in India, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Argentina, Chile, and Nigeria. The data compiled from Localbitcoin and Paxful at UsefulTulips. It was brought to light by an Independent researcher. Consequently, according to the state of cryptocurrency in Africa, in the second quarter of the year, Nigeria led with $34.4 million in peer-to-peer transactional trades, followed by South Africa with $15.2 million, Kenya third with $7.8 million and Ghana

fourth with $640,000. The report shows how quickly crypto has garnered massive traction among Africans in the short space of time.

In contrast, due to the dwindling African economy that relies heavily on tourism that accounts for 68% of employment in the region, which has stated earlier on, millions of youth will be jobless. It expected that over 20 million, both formal and informal job loss would happen on the continent. The proportion of those who will experience job loss is the youths because of the region as the youngest population in the world. However, in recent months it is becoming feasible that several workers have been made redundant in their workplace. Perhaps, over the five months since the pan-

demic surface, one of the critical reasons the rise in crypto owners’ momentum and those trading cryptocurrencies have been on the rise in Africa. First, to those that have been made redundant in their workplace, there have to alternate trading crypto for daily income.

Secondly, the increase in P2P volumes in sub-Saharan Africa was primarily due to an escape to the US dollar using crypto as an intermediary regarding volatile currency against the dollar.

Simultaneously the uncertainty surrounding the second wave of virus that has seen some scientists expert predict, and WHO also reported that humans should be ready and prepare to live with this virus for years to come. The Covid-19 crisis has given the African youth’s alternative options to trade cryptos that have seen the majority, losing their jobs. While it is interesting to know that a record number of Africans have packed their fortunes into cryptocurrencies as we battle the pandemic.

Amidst the gloom of coronavirus as stated above, companies downsizing their workforce due to the crisis effect, some offering pay-cut. At the same time, the proportion of those that will experience job loss would be the youths. In the real sense, this translates that several of those trading cryptocurrencies in Africa are active betting customers. Because of the popularity of sports games among young adults in the region and the similarity of casino gambling

and crypto trading. Several of the youths that owned crypto know if there win a bet and get paid in crypto; the options of getting a higher return when exchanging it to their local currency gives them a higher income.

It will be a strategic approach for several operators to adopt crypto that allows players to stake with crypto and get their winnings in crypto. As stated above, it is paramount at the stage for gaming operators in Africa to adopt cryptocurrency on their platforms.

The proportion of several African youths is trading crypto due to weak currency that has led to high inflation of goods, unemployment, and, on a norm, the average of those trading cryptocurrencies gains a profit of $50 day or more trading. It is paramount that betting firms adopt it as quickly as possible as you cannot deny the fact that substantial numbers of African youth that trade crypto might have one way or the other wager on sports betting due to the love affair for football. These are crucial aspects, while the Africa gambling industry has experienced exponential growth over the last five years. However, enabling crypto access on the bookmaker platform, it is evident that the Africa gambling industry will experience upward growth worth. Especially operators will further experience high income in (GGR) Game Generated Revenue as this will mitigate the effect of lost revenue during the lockdown and the weak currency.

Perhaps, the development of cryptocurrencies has been under the radar for some time, still embraced by several African people. But again, the Covid-19 pandemic made it even more relevant for most African people. Consequently, crypto trading and the use would help reduce job unemployment, help boost the economy, and create a window of opportunities for different brands. i.e., Ecommerce platform that accepts crypto use, unlike some of the few international gaming platforms, that allow the use of crypto on their platform to enable customers to deposit using cryptocurrency, and receive winnings in crypto. However, it is right about time other operators accept crypto, and for those that already have crypto enable the platform. It is vital to channel their marketing strategy towards campaigning for customers to use a cryptocurrency and to mitigate the weak currency for the survival of their business. n

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Monaco is gambling, gambling is Monaco Not only it is the world’s famous casino, but also a real architectural gem.

No wonder this temple of gambling attracts gamers from all over the world.

Young and old, rich and poor are visiting Monaco to experience luxury offered by its casino.

It

has been 150 years since the opening. Until then, hardly anyone heard about a tiny principality of Monaco, squeezed between France and Italy, ruled by the great family of Grimaldi for centuries. Monaco became famous in times of Charles III Grimaldi who decided to invest in tourism and gambling to patch up the country’s budget.

First casino rose up in Monaco in 1856. In order to rule it, a new organization, called Monaco Sea Bath Society (S.B.M.), has been created. Supervised by Monaco’s royal family, it rules the country’s casinos until this day.

Unfortunately, instead of being the mecca for gamblers, Monte Carlo Casino was rather losing than earning. Just like the next Monaco’s casino, opened in 1862. Things finally started to work out when Francois Blanc, a French entrepreneur and operator of German Bad Homburg casino, moved to Monaco and took over Monte Carlo Casino.

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other European gambling centers with its luxury and various extra activities such as operas, fashion shows and regattas.

No wonder Monte Carlo became favourite meeting spot for world-class elite.

The casino entertained King of United Kingdom Edward VII, Farouk of Egypt, Reza Pahlavi – Crown Prince of Iran, Haile Selassie I – Emperor of Ethiopia and many princes from the House of Romanov. Actress Sarah Bernhardt, singers Enrico Caruso, Feodor Chaliapin, Maria Callas, director and actor Charlie Chaplin, painter Salvador Dalí and many, many other artists tried their luck at the tables. In more recent times casino has been visited by princess Diana, Prince, Elton John, Dalida, Sean Connery or Richard Burton.

New manager of S.B.M. reformed the building and rebuilt it in neo-baroque inspired style.

The complex has been expanded with opera house and luxury Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo in vicinity of Café de Paris, known as the most exquisite restaurant of French Riviera. Blanc wanted the place to be a definition of style and best quality. Under his surveillance, Monaco got a railway and its port has been reconstructed. New parks and squares have been founded

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and dozens of elegant shops have opened. And thus rose the Monte Carlo, city soon to be visited by European aristocracy, royals, American richmen, Arabian sheikhs and international business sharks.

The casino’s great success is a result of several events. In England, France and Germany gambling has been constricted or even forbidden, to Monte Carlo’s Casino benefit. On top of that, Monaco’s location beat

After Second World War, the prosperity period has ended. In France and Italy casinos once again became legal, and thus Monte Carlo gained a strong opponent in close vicinity. In the post-war reality not many could afford to travel. And those who could, like wealthy players from USA, stopped coming by as their own Las Vegas was growing more and more popular. All the events had destructive impact on Monaco’s casino, who found itself on the verge of bankruptcy.

Out of the blue, a famous Greek billionaire shipowner came to the rescue. Aristoteles Onassis bought more than a half of S.B.M. shares and invested in

casinos renovation and construction of hippodrome. That allowed Monte Carlo Casino to resurrect. A tide of players started once new. Wave after wave they were coming, eager to win at the table with the spinning ball. Several years later prince Rainer III Grimaldi bought back the shares from Onassis and once again principality of Monaco became the owner of a famous gambling site.

versions, as well as baccarat and blackjack. Among popular casino table games are also Poker, punto bianco (a type of baccarat), dice and “trente et quarante” (Thirty and Forty, known also as Red and Black). There are also modern slot machines placed in separate rooms.

the bank has been broken. “To break the bank” in gambling means to win more money then the sum of all the tokens at the table. The table is then covered with black cloth, meaning it is out of the game for the rest of the day. And that doesn’t happen often. n

No one knows how many times

Andrzej Klewszczyński

Apart from Monte Carlo Casino, Monaco has three other locations to play roulette or baccarat. But they are of marginal importance, as the place that truly matters is the famous casino built in 1860s. The construction involved a group of French architects lead by Charles Garnier, creator of the Parisian Opera house and Nicaean theater.

Works lasted several years, but under a watchful eye of Francois Blanc a true work of art arose. Both heavily ornated façade and luxury interiors amaze. Renaissance hall, White Hall, European Hall, American Hall or Pink Hall are just examples of the parts worth visiting.

Residents of Monaco cannot play at the casino; only foreigners are allowed to enter (thanks to passport check at the entrance). The complex opens at 12:00. Monte Carlo Casino requires proper attire- that means no bermudas or flip-flops. After 8 pm, suits and evening gowns are a must.

What to play in Monte Carlo Casino? First and foremost- roulette. Both French and American

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L ATA M ( D I G I TA L )

E U R O P E ( M A LTA )

Sept 22-23, 2020

N o v 1 7-1 9 , 2 0 2 0

ASIA (MANILA)

A F R I C A ( C A P E T OW N )

M a y 2 7- 2 8 , 2 0 2 1

March 22-23, 2022