Bet High Kenya Ltd. is pleased to announce the official launch of its online sports betting brand, Betsafe, with a demonstrable commitment to Kenyan football, responsible gaming, and an exceptional sports betting experience.

“Our Responsible gaming program is unlike any other in this market with the safety of the Kenyan sports betting fans in mind. Our online site contains unique control and safety features directly on the site. Our communication will initially be focused on responsible gaming messages and we will furthermore support “Gamehelp” an organisation that supports Kenyans with gaming problem behaviour. We are also the first gaming company to hire a Responsible Gaming Officer who will be dedicated to pursue and improve us in this area,“ noted Alex Kobia, Acting Managing Director of BetHigh Ltd.

“Betsafe’s commitment to football was demonstrated even before our launch when we signed a three-year sponsorship deal with both Gor Mahia FC and AFC Leopards in June 2020. We are very glad and proud to be able to support two of Kenya’s top-tier football clubs. With two of the largest fan bases in the country, these exciting partnerships provide Betsafe with the perfect platform to engage football fans with our unique offering. This will be followed up by investments and commitment to the progress and positive development of grassroots football and infrastructure that will literally provide the breeding grounds for Kenya’s budding football stars,” Alex Kobia continued.

“In terms of product, our ambition is to deliver an industry leading sportsbetting experience. Quick payouts are essential for both us and our customers and we will do our utmost to ensure that over time we are the best in the industry here. Our brand Betsafe is proven in more than +20 countries, but we have also been working hard to tailor our product to the Kenyan market. In terms of SMS betting, we have a revolutionary innovation that will allow our customers to easily make a bet through SMS without a gameID. Just SMS your bet and stake to #23333 and the bet will be placed. If the customer changes his or her mind the bet can be cancelled within a time window after the bet is placed. We will also be launching this service via Telegram. In the next couple of months, several new product features will be added and launched, such as a jackpots offerings.

“As a Company keen on responsible gaming, we wish to commend and appreciate the recent efforts made by the Kenyan Government in the last couple of years through the Regulator, Betting Control and Licensing Board, to introduce regulations to further regulate the industry and wish to confirm that we will strictly adhere and fully support the Regulator in its objective of ensuring responsible gaming is achieved in the market. We are indeed glad to be entering the market during this interesting time under this new environment that has been enabled by the Regulator.”

“We also wish to highlight that it is our intention to provide jobs in the Kenyan market in this industry which is largely driven on technology, and our objective is to provide jobs to at least 150 Kenyans within the next two years which in our estimation will have the domino effect of providing livelihoods to about 1000 Kenyans.”

“In essence, our ambition is to deliver a trustworthy product with safe and quick pay-outs, innovative betting services, passion, and commitment to Kenyan football, responsible gaming, and outstanding customer support,” Alex Kobia concluded.

Recent ESG ratings by leading rating agencies acknowledge NOVOMATIC’s comprehensive efforts in managing Environmental Social Governance (ESG) factors with excellent risk and performance ratings. In this year’s Sustainalytics ESG Risk Rating, NOVOMATIC has got the third rank.

As a clearly measurable and transparent asset, similar to financial performance, ESG has become an important element of evidence for investor and other financial stakeholder decisions. Companies have come to clearly acknowledge the significance of efficient ESG commitments and performance improvement in their long-term strategy.

In April, ESG ratings firm Sustainalytics assessed NOVOMATIC AG to be at “Low risk of material financial impacts driven by ESG factors.” NOVOMATIC received an ESG Risk Ratings score of 18.8, placing it third among 80 international gaming companies rated by Sustainalytics and among the top 100 rated companies in the wider consumer services industry globally.

Rating agency ISS ESG also rates NOVOMATIC AG among the Electronic Devices & Appliances industry’s top tier with a “C“ rating and a decile rank of 4 in a rating dating of June. VigeoEiris Rating attests the company rank 19th out of 43 versus its European peers in the Technology-Hardware Sector in the V.E’s ESG Assessment. NOVOMATIC AG receives “A” RepRisk Rating (www.reprisk.com) on a scale of D to AAA denoting “Low ESG Risk Exposure” based on RepRisk ESG data science.

“The consistently very positive assessments by leading international ESG rating agencies prove that our efforts to improve our non-financial performance and reduce risks related to Environmental Social Governance are being widely noted as above gaming industry average. We are very much aware of our responsibilities in terms of corporate governance as well as of the social and environmental impact of our business, and we work hard to take a proactive approach by implementing sound principles and best practices. For NOVOMATIC, topics like Responsible Entertainment, reducing the environmental footprint and occupational health and safety are part of our business philosophy,” Johannes Gratzl, Member of the Board of NOVOMATIC AG, said.

•         Fight For First: EXCEL ESPORTS, available on BBC iPlayer early 2021
•         Narrated by Cillian Murphy

At a time when the global audience for esports is set to eclipse the viewership of traditional spectator sporting events and 80 million people a month play League of Legends, a new documentary series from BBC Three has been commissioned to give viewers an unprecedented insight into one of the biggest games in the world. Fight for First:  EXCEL ESPORTS will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer in early 2021.

Narrated by Golden Globe and BAFTA nominee Cillian Murphy, this five-part series follows, a multimillion pound esports organisation, at home in their state of the art training facility at Twickenham stadium and abroad at The League of Legends European Championships (LEC) in Berlin, meeting the six-figure salary gamers who are at the heart of this team of rising young superstars. In 2019, they finished in tenth place, but now with huge financial backing, brand new players and a world class coaching team, can they make a true impact on the international League of Legends scene?

Founded in 2014, brothers Kieran and Joel Holmes-Darby came up with the idea for an esports team over a pint. Now six years later and with an investment of eight figures behind them, EXCEL compete in one the biggest gaming leagues in the world.

The team train out of Twickenham stadium and have access to a wide range of sporting facilities usually only reserved for top athletes. Whether it’s DNA testing, physiotherapy, sports psychology, or nutrition, EXCEL applies the same level of training as any traditional sporting team.

During the season, the EXCEL players all live together in a gaming house, so they’re in each other’s pockets 24/7. BBC Three follows the team as they compete against the world’s best esports athletes, while navigating the growing pains of adulting, living away from home, love, new friendships and fame. On the surface, they may be young, rich and living out their dreams, but each player has their own deep-rooted reasons why gaming plays such an important role in their lives.

Cillian Murphy says: “My sons love gaming. When I showed them the trailer for this, they said I had to do it. Being involved in Fight For First has been a great experience and there is so much more to professional gaming than I ever thought. It has opened up a whole new world to me and this series provides a proper insight into a fascinating, global industry.”

Kieran Holmes-Darby, Co-Founder and Chief Gaming Officer at EXCEL ESPORTS, said: “This five-part series showcases our attempts to reach the League of Legends European Championship play-offs for the first time in our history and is a completely unique insight into EXCEL ESPORTS and what goes on behind the scenes of a major esports organisation. At EXCEL, whilst competing at the elite level, we pride ourselves on always striving to be better, and the series demonstrates how we practise, prepare and play. Not only will it offer our fans a deeper look into what we do, but it will also offer people who are completely new to esports a fascinating perspective of our exciting industry.”

Fiona Campbell, Controller BBC Three, says: “The BBC Three in-house documentary team have created a fascinating series and true insight into the world’s fastest growing sport – and one that has a huge following and importance to our audience. We’re excited to be the first UK broadcaster to follow an esports team through a global esports competition, taking viewers behind the scenes as the teenage team members juggle competing on a world stage with their lives at home.”

Fight For First: EXCEL ESPORTS is a 5 x 30 production made by the BBC Three in-house team. It was commissioned by Fiona Campbell, Controller BBC Three, produced and directed by Simon Rawles. The Executive Producers are James Corbin and Jo Smith for BBC Three.