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The World Tote Association (WoTA) announces election of a new Board; welcomes new members for 2025-26
10th September 2024 – At the WoTA General meeting, hosted at the recent Asian Racing Conference in Sapporo, Japan, Board members worked collaboratively to establish a dynamic agenda for the organization, focused on multiple key objectives:
- Creating stronger national and global betting pools, especially through commingling, to support the respective horseracing industries
- Expanding pari-mutuel pool betting through additional markets and sporting events content for the additional collective benefit of WoTA operators
- Addressing the challenges of illegal wagering
- Working collectively on diversity and inclusion to further growth within the pool betting sector
Furthermore, WoTA members have elected the new Board who will drive the Association’s activities for the coming two years.
Fundi Sithebe, CEO of 4Racing in South Africa, and Keith Johnson, President of 1/ST TECHNOLOGY group/AmTote have accepted nominations to co-chair the Association. Riko Luiking, General Manager of German Tote, has likewise accepted the role of Treasurer.
Sithebe and Johnson take over from Alex Frost, CEO of the UK Tote Group, and Hans Lord Skarploth, CEO of ATG in Sweden, who have successfully co-chaired the Association since October 2022. During their tenure as Co-Chairs, the board initiated further commingling between members and a new sport pool project.
On taking over as Co-Chairs, Fundi Sithebe and Keith Johnson said: “We are delighted to be taking over as Co-Chairs of the World Tote Association. Over the last five years WoTA has made significant progress in developing the relationship between members and increasing understanding of the role pool betting plays in supporting horseracing around the globe. We thank Alex and Hasse for their excellent stewardship, and the entire WoTA Board for their efforts, and we look forward to working with all stakeholders to further our collective ambitions for the good of horseracing and society as a whole.”
The new WoTA Board will focus on the stated key objectives to ensure WoTA progresses its overall aim to see the growth of pool betting and make an increased contribution to horseracing and has a positive relationship with customers, governments, regulators and society.
WoTA is also proud to welcome the Jockey Club of Turkey and Zeturf Group as full members of the Association.
Members of the WoTA Board for 2025-26:
- Keith Johnson – 1/ST TECHNOLOGY / AmTote (Co-Chair)
- Fundi Sithebe – 4Racing (Co-Chair)
- Alex Frost – UK Tote Group
- Hans Lord Skarplöth – ATG
- Paul Cross – Tabcorp
- Michael Fitzsimons – Hong Kong Jockey Club
- Driss Belghazi – Sorec
- Adrien Billon – Carrus Group
- Andreas Reimblad – Veikkaus
- Simon Leong – Singapore Pools
- Riko Luiking – German Tote (Treasurer)
- Andrew Archibald – United Tote
Biography of the WoTA Co-Chairs for 2025-26:
Fundi Sithebe, Chief Executive Officer of 4Racing
Fundi Sithebe was appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of 4Racing PTY on 1 June 2021. 4Racing is the largest of the three horseracing operators within South Africa, and the company is responsible for horseracing operations, totalisator betting and broadcast operations of horseracing. The business has the largest sports pool offering in South Africa, licensed by the provincial gambling boards. A large part of her responsibilities is to ensure a successful turnaround, stabilising and the growth and sustainability of the horse racing business whilst managing the day-to-day operations, transformation and modernisation of the various business units.
Fundi was previously the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) responsible for daily operations on both aeronautic and non-aeronautic operations.
One of her biggest passions is the inclusivity and growth of female representation in the industries she serves in. She was previously a member of a few non-profit initiatives within the aviation industry (namely, Southern African Women in Aviation and Aerospace (SAWIA), Women in Aviation (W&A) as well as chairperson of Akani Aviation Leadership Initiative South Africa) that aimed to ensure a larger and a sustainable base of females in the aviation industry, and ensuring greater gender representation in the horseracing industry is an important objective for her.
Keith Johnson, President of 1/ST TECHNOLOGY group/AmTote
Keith joined the industry via AmTote in 1989 having just earned a BSBA degree from Auburn University. Embracing the racing & wagering industry that his family had decades of roots in, Keith progressed within AmTote from its operational ground up, gaining extensive industry knowledge and experience within multiple departmental positions including field operations management, hub operations management, regional operations management, sales, and executive leadership positions, ultimately being promoted to President of AmTote in 2016. In 2024, Keith was promoted to President of the broader 1/ST TECHNOLOGY group, which is inclusive of AmTote, PariMAX, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, and BetMIX business units.
Latest News
Blask expands coverage with new European and Asian markets
Blask, the AI-driven market analytics ecosystem, continues its rapid expansion towards the goal of providing high-quality iGaming data for the entire world, with the addition of 10 major new markets.
All Blask users now have access to real-time data, including estimates of GGR, FTDs, Blask Index, and Relative market share by brand, for the new markets, which include the Philippines, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Malaysia, and North Macedonia.
“As we onboard more users to Blask, we are listening to them closely and adding new markets based on demand,” said Blask CEO and co-founder Max Tesla. “This latest Europe and Asia-focused update provides the most accurate, real-time data available for some of the most important iGaming jurisdictions in the world. Blask is already providing a data-driven edge to users, and we’ll continue to deliver on our roadmap to make it a must-have for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of our industry.”
Blask now offers data from a total of 34 global iGaming jurisdictions. In August, the team rolled out several new Latin American and African markets to meet the demand for accurate data in emerging regions.
As well as new markets, additional functionality is also being added to Blask. This includes a recent update that brings comprehensive customer profiling to the platform.
The company recently announced the appointment of Greg Penkov as Chief Revenue Officer to help bring Blask to new customers.
eSports
Record Number of Host City Applications for IESF’s Events
The International Esports Federation (IESF) is pleased to announce the conclusion of the bidding process for hosting the 2025 and 2026 IESF Events – the World Esports Championship and Regional Qualifiers. For the first time in our history, we have received a record number of applications, with over 30 cities from across all continents submitting their bids to host our signature Esports events.
The increased interest in hosting IESF events reflects the expansion of the Esports community and the impact these tournaments have had on the intern ational esports scene. From Europe to Asia & Oceania, Africa to the Americas, cities are making significant efforts to develop their local Esports ecosystems while also presenting their capability to host nations from around the world. The opportunity to serve as the home of Esports for a year is seen as a meaningful step forward, with long-lasting benefits in both the local and international growth of Esports.
“Over the last five years, IESF events have grown rapidly, and so has the excitement around hosting one of the world’s biggest esports events. IESF events are truly one-of-a-kind and bring huge value to our host nations – or as we like to call them, the “Esports capital of the world.’ It’s amazing to see this growing interest, and we can’t wait to continue bringing the global Esports community together through these incredible events.”- stated Boban Totovski, the General Secretary of IESF.
We are now thoroughly reviewing the applications to determine which cities meet our criteria and requirements and align with IESF’s core mission of developing Esports in a sustainable and inclusive manner.
IESF is dedicated to ensuring that every event we host leaves a meaningful and lasting impact. The upcoming selection of our host cities will shape the future of many Esports communities across the globe and redefine the Esports landscape by supporting new emerging regions and strengthening the existing ones.
Central Europe
SOFTSWISS Steps In to Assist Southern Poland After Severe Flooding
SOFTSWISS, a global tech supplier of software for the iGaming industry, along with its employees, has actively aided communities affected by the recent flooding in Southern Poland.
In September, Storm Boris brought devastating floods to Central and Eastern Europe, causing widespread damage. Torrential rains left thousands of homes submerged, severely impacting numerous cities in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Romania. In Poland, the southern regions were hit the hardest, with dozens of towns requiring urgent evacuations and support for affected communities.
To provide immediate relief, SOFTSWISS made a financial donation to the Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy, a well-known Polish charity organisation. SOFTSWISS has two development offices in Poland, allowing employees to quickly join the relief efforts and offer their assistance during the flood.
Under the company’s coordination, Polish employees packed boxes of over 100 kilograms of essential items, including food, hygiene products, and necessities such as matches, candles, and batteries. SOFTSWISS handed these supplies to Caritas Polska, a charitable organisation spearheading relief efforts for the affected areas.
Earlier this year, SOFTSWISS also organised a large-scale charity and awareness campaign to support flood-hit regions in Brazil.
“Unfortunately, natural disasters happen, and we don’t want to stand idly by. We strive to help in any way we can. This aligns with one of our core values, We See People, which applies not only to our employees. We always see the people beyond the business, and I believe our ESG initiatives reflect this,” said Natalia Perkowska, Deputy Chief HR Officer at SOFTSWISS.
The aid campaigns in Poland and Brazil are part of SOFTSWISS’ broader global strategy focused on social responsibility and sustainable development (ESG). The company also dedicates to long-term social and environmental projects, with notable initiatives such as participation in World Environment Day, Pink October, Movember, and various environmental protection efforts.
Recently, SOFTSWISS was recognised as The Best Employer of 2024 at the SBC Awards.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 23,500 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
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