“It’s important that we make our own contribution to Africa’s growth”

(Exclusive interview).- Max Dubossarsky, COO at Betinvest, talked with Focus Gaming News about the second edition of ICE Africa.

The second edition of ICE Africa will kick off tomorrow at the Sandton Convention Centre in South Africa. The event organised by Clarion, which opened the doors of ICE Africa for all visitors, is on its way to becoming the leading in the region.

Betinvest once again will be part of the show, and Max Dubossarsky, COO of the company, talked with Focus Gaming News about the expectations for the show. He also assessed the current situation of Africa’s gaming industry and where he thinks it is heading.

Why have you decided to attend ICE Africa? What do you expect to achieve at the show?

Africa is one of our target markets in which we’re aiming to support the development of the gambling industry. This means that Clarion’s high-profile event ICE Africa will be an excellent opportunity for us to meet potential partners and clients in person and to share our knowledge with them. We’re looking forward to attending conferences and speaking to local regulators to hear all the market’s latest news firsthand. We had a great time at the first edition of ICE in Johannesburg in 2018 and expect that even more people will attend this year since Clarion has decided to make entry free to visitors. They’ve chosen to do this by way of a contribution to the development of the gaming industry in Africa.

It’s thanks to ICE Africa that this region is becoming more accessible.

How important is your presence at ICE Africa in comparison to other shows you’ve attended or plan to attend to?

It’s important that we make our own contribution to the growth of the industry in this region. Having thoroughly researched the market and its requirements, Betinvest is now able to play its part in the industry’s growth by offering advanced products and solutions which everyone at ICE Africa will be able to try out for themselves. Emerging markets are very important for the whole industry and, if we compare ICE Africa to other shows, it’s clear that this event is the only exhibition on such a scale. It’s thanks to ICE Africa that this region is becoming more accessible.

Having thoroughly researched the market and its requirements, we’re now able to play our part in the industry’s growth by offering our advanced products and solutions.

Do you think the African market has the potential to become a strong market or will it remain in a secondary place behind Europe or the US?

Africa has the potential to develop into a strong sports betting market. People there love sports and gambling, and some countries are on their way to regulating online betting as well as land-based services. However, despite the fact that it is constantly improving, the internet connection is still quite poor and the income per capita is lower than it is in Europe or the US. These factors depend on the country, of course, but in the coming years, we don’t see Africa reaching the scale of Europe – the most regulated and historically advanced market in the industry – or the US, which is expected to be one of the world’s biggest markets in terms of turnover from gambling. 

Are there any countries you are more eager to work in? Which ones?

Africa is one of the most attractive emerging markets thanks to the continent’s sizeable population of sports fans. As a provider of sports betting solutions, we are able to meet the demand for high-quality entertainment content in every country with solutions that are well suited to their interest in sport. We can highlight Nigeria as one of the most attractive countries for business development. This country has one of the biggest economies of the continent as a result of its oil export revenues. It’s also considered to be an important part of the world’s economy. What’s more, betting is becoming more and more popular among Nigeria’s younger, “digital” generation and its middle class.

Africa is one of the most attractive emerging markets thanks to the continent’s sizeable population of sports fans.

The sports betting market in Nigeria is estimated to be worth $2 billion. The rise of football culture and more widespread use of mobile phones and the internet have had a positive effect on the industry’s growth.

Some regions in Africa tend to be one step behind technological advances, what technical challenges does the continent post for a company like Betinvest?

We’re going to ICE Africa with a clear understanding of this market’s needs, so Betinvest is in good stead to offer clients suitable products and solutions. It’s very important to offer certain payment methods in Africa which enable players to pay using their mobile phones. Since the internet connection is poor, software should load quickly, be light on data usage and be designed primarily for mobile devices. This means that platform interfaces need to be made ‘lighter’ for this region. As a provider of sports betting solutions, we are able to meet all of these requirements. We can customise every one of our products and provide our clients with high-quality entertainment content and solutions that are well suited to their customers’ interest in sports.