888Africa Now Live in Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania. The joint venture seeks to bring the best iGaming experience to the region. (Image from James Wiseman at unsplash.com)
We first reported on 888 Holdings involvement in a joint venture that would see the brand enter regulated countries in African continent back in April. Well, now we can tell you that the venture is now live in four African countries and that future launches are planned further down the line.
The African gambling market is one that holds significant potential for major operators. In fact, it is forecasted that online gambling on the continent could be worth up to $5.6 billion by 2030. Alongside Africa boasting the world’s fastest-growing economy and also having the world’s youngest population, that prediction means it is a no-brainer that the largest iGaming brands would quickly identify the potential in this region. 888 Holdings certainly has and quickly made its move to get a foothold in a quartet of regulated countries in the continent.
888 Holdings have revealed that the 888Africa brand has recently launched in Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Under this branding, 888 Holdings, and the other parties in this joint venture now offer iGaming and sports betting platforms in those countries. Currently, players in those regulated markets now have access to online and mobile sports betting. However, at this point, only Zambian players can access slots and live casino games via 888casino.
888 Holdings Chief Executive, Itai Panzer, said: As a region with significant potential, we are excited to watch 888Africa continue to develop over the months and years. We plan to release new products that we feel will greatly appeal to African players.
He also stated that 888Africa plans to launch in other regulated African markets as soon as it has obtained the required licences. Of course, this is not always a quick and straightforward process, as each country will have its own unique regulatory framework in place.
888Holdings Currently Holds a Minority Stake in the Venture – But That Could Change
As we reported when news first broke of this venture, 888Holdings only have a minority stake in the joint venture that is headed by 5 industry veterans. However, the operator has a stipulation that could see the firm take over 100% of the project if it proves, as is expected, a success. It is difficult to see how 888Africa could fail, so it is widely assumed that 888 Holdings will take full control at some point in the future.
As for the industry veterans involved in this joint venture, these are seasoned executives led by the former Chief Marketing Office of The Stars Group. In fact, several in the venture previously worked for 888 Holdings’ competitor.
- (CEO) Christopher Coyne (Former CMO of The Stars Group and former CEO of GOAT Interactive).
- Andrew Lee (Currently the Voxbet chairman and formerly the Sportsbook Managing Director at The Stars Group).
- Alex Rutherford (Formerly the Chief Product Officer at Editec Online)
- Ian Marmion (Formerly the Sportsbook Trading Officer at The Stars Group).
- Helen Scott-Allen (The former CFO of Premier Bet).
That is a fantastic blend of talent and experience right there and there is no doubt that they have the tools needed to establish 888Africa as one of the most prevalent sportsbooks and online casinos in Africa.
The tier one suppliers also infiltrating the African iGaming Markets: The potential of the fast-growing African iGaming markets has not only attracted operators but also many leading suppliers. Pragmatic Play alone has signed content agreements with four leading African platforms this year, the latest being a deal with Hollywood Bets. TVBet and BetGames are two other leading live casino and virtual iGaming developers that have entered markets within the continent.
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