Destination Africa Rob Wheeler, Business Development Director at FSB talks about the company’s plans for Africa and how it is helping operators leverage the tremendous opportunities available across the region
AFRICA IS a land of tremendous opportunity for gambling operators and at the time of writing we are already live with partners in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Ghana, with more set to launch in Nigeria soon. FSB recognizes the importance of the African market and is committed to expanding its presence across the continent. To this end we are pleased to announce that we have recruited Bukola Joloasho as our new Business Development Manager for Africa and opened our office in Nigeria on July 1. The flexibility in the FSB platform, enabling operators to deploy the right platform with the right tax metrics, is key to our success in Africa. Operators working across more than one country are able to deploy multiple platforms across multiple territories to meet specific incountry legislation. We can also react quickly as legislation changes, as recently required with the sudden changes to the tax law in Kenya. From a product and services perspective,
FSB has a truly bespoke and modular approach, tailoring the solution to the operators’ specific requirements. FSB provides a customizable UX, driven by a comprehensive and dynamic Content Management System in the back office. Operators also have the option of taking ownership of the UX development; FSB will then provide the APIs to plug in to that toplevel site and mobile app. FSB’s trading team is led by Mark Wilson, who has been with FSB since 2013 and brings unrivalled experience. Mark and is his team work with our operators on a 24/7 basis to provide a fully managed trading service including pricing (odds) and risk management. FSB provides full transparency and comprehensive reporting in the FSB Custodian back office, allowing operators to interrogate the system at any time to get a true picture of their operation. There is a customizable dashboard where operators can view their key P & L stats with 49 different reports to choose from, allowing
them to mine their player data. If an operator wants a bespoke report that is not currently available, FSB will be build it for them at no extra charge. Providing the right localized offer to operators in Africa is key to FSB’s success going forwards. We want to make sure we are facilitating the most popular bet types and offers as we work with operators to ensure we have the most compelling product and deliver the absolute best player experience. FSB works with its operator base to create true partnerships in order to drive successful, long term business relationships. You will find us to be a responsive partner, deliver on customer requests as enhancements and changes are required and support you in order to maximize the business opportunity together. By taking this approach and working with us, operators can truly maximize the potential in Africa and position themselves for longterm success in what is fast becoming one of the largest betting markets in the world. Visit WWW.FSBTECH.COM for more info
Tsogo Sun looks to iGaming Prior to the recent phased opening of casinos in South Africa, Tsogo Sun has indicated a strong pivot toward online gaming. TSOGO SUN Gaming said it lost an estimated ZAR400m (£18.9m/€21.0m/$23.9m) in revenue as a result of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic disrupting operations in its fiscal year ended 31 March, 2020. The crisis has prompted the business to look beyond land-based gaming into new channels, with chief executive Chris du Toit revealing the business is at an “advanced stage” of moving into online sports betting. Online gaming was therefore a “natural progression” for the business, du Toit said.
4
Gaming For Africa
For the year ended 31 March, Tsogo revenue grew marginally, rising 1% year-onyear to ZAR11.69bn, with a 5% rise in the first half of the year to ZAR5.0bn partially offset by a 3% decline in the second half. Gaming revenue accounted for the majority of revenue in the year, rising 0.3% to ZAR9.85bn, of which casino contributed ZAR7.3bn, down 3% year-on-year. This broke down into ZAR5.5bn from slots, with the remaining ZAR1.8bn coming from table games. Tsogo Sun’s Galaxy Bingo hall chain, on
the other hand, saw revenue grow 10% to ZAR856m, while revenue from limited payout machines hosted in its VSlots network was up 7% to ZAR1.7bn. Revenue from hotel rooms remained flat at ZAR490m, as did food and beverage revenue at ZAR647m, while the operator received a ZAR110m dividend from its 20% stake in Sun International’s Western Cape casinos. Other revenue amounted to ZAR593m, up 4% year-on-year. Continued on page 10
June / July 2020
