Mlungisi Mvoko, member of the executive council for Economic Development, has told that new technologies and gaming could lead to an increase in the revenue base for the Eastern Cape Province.

“It is still our fervent belief that through the infusion of new technologies in the 4th Industrial Revolution and optimal regulation, gaming could lead to an increase in the revenue base of the province,” Mvoko said while attending the 15th Gaming Regulators Africa Forum.

“It comes as no surprise that technology has had a remarkable impact on the gaming industry. So, if you are wondering how technology is impacting the gaming industry then you need to look no further than how a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin has revolutionized the realm of online users,” he added.

The 15th Gaming Regulators Africa Forum, themed “Fourth Industrial Revolution and its Impact on Gaming in Africa,” brings together representatives from countries which include Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The conference focuses on global economy shifts and the impact of this on the global gaming industry. Mvoko told delegates that the shift to legalise gambling and the growth in the sector has benefited provincial treasury.

He said the industry had given consumers an additional choice of recreation, generated considerable tax revenue and increased employment. Mvoko said the provincial economy grew by an estimated R985 million over the last five years as a result of the gambling industry.

The Eastern Cape economy was predominantly driven by car manufacturing and tourism industries. But the ongoing global economic crisis has brought about an indirect decline in both industries.

Mvoko said the gaming and gambling industry must be boosted in a manner that supported and facilitated economic development.

Sports betting platform SportPesa has geared up for a protracted legal battle with the Kenyan government. The operator told that the government was deliberately politicising a dispute over tax to interfere with its Kenyan operations. This has left SportPesa unable to process mobile payments, prompting it to cancel all sports sponsorship agreements in the country.

On 1 July, Kenya’s gambling regulator (BCLB), declined to renew the licence applications of SportPesa and 26 other companies. The BCLB claimed it was owed a total of KES60.56bn in unpaid taxes, claiming that Kenya’s Gaming Bill states that the country’s 20% tax on winnings applies to both profit and to the bettor’s original stake.

“SportPesa is fully tax compliant in all of the markets in which we operate. We have been recognised by the KRA as such, receiving tax compliance awards in 2016, 2017 and 2018,” a SportPesa spokesman said.

The SportPesa spokesman said that the company secured a High Court order that overruled the regulator and prevented the authorities from suspending payment services and interfering with the company. However, on 10 July, the state ordered the telecoms company Safaricom to block banking services to the 27 companies. On 22 July, SportPesa opted to take legal action against the regulator to overturn the blocking order. The High Court is currently considering whether the authorities acted illegally in blocking access to customers’ accounts.

On 9 August, Sportpesa announced it was suspending all of its sports sponsorships in the country. On 11 August, SportPesa was also named in a Sunday Times investigation into the advertising of betting to children in Kenya. However, a SportPesa spokesman denied the operator was deliberately targeting minors.

“SportPesa takes its commitment to ensuring responsible gaming in Kenya extremely seriously. We do not advertise to children and are compliant with all advertising regulation in every market we operate in,” the spokesman said.

Sportingtech, igaming platform provider increases its African market share closing the deal with MENA Sports Consulting (U) Limited, trading as BetOn in Uganda. The full scope of the sports betting and gambling products and services are available through all delivery channels – online, mobile and retail.

The full scope of sports betting and gambling products

Pulse Platform is a multi-management platform that combines sports, technology, casino games and betting into a single solution.

After upgrading to Sportingtech’s state-of-the-art igaming offering, BetOn now has all the benefits of the platform, utilizing online, mobile and retail channel to run its country-wide betting operations.

It uses all the latest features and updates from risk analysis tools, content and sportsbook management, powerful CRM and CMS for online business, to the Cashier Application.

Cashier Application was specially developed for retail business. It is a completely web-based application – no installation required, simple to use and optimized to work with any hardware configuration.

Increasing African market share is paramount

“We are extremely happy to widen our impact in the African igaming market. Entering the Ugandan market with BetOn is a vital milestone.

 We aim to support promising projects like BetOn in achieving their goals in setting the standard for online, mobile and retail betting excellence in Uganda.

 This is a great opportunity for both Sportingtech and BetOn to use and showcase the full power of our Pulse Platform”, expressed Vito Sesar, Business Development Manager at Sportingtech.

Vito Sesar, Business Development Manager at Sportingtech

Meet Sportingtech to discuss business opportunities

In case you want to meet Sportingtech’s team and find out more about its sports betting offering or other products, you can do so by sending an email to marketing@sportingtech.com or sales@sportingtech.com, and arranging a meeting, whether it’s a Skype call or a meeting in person at one of the upcoming igaming events.

To learn more about Sportingtech, please visit this link: http://bit.ly/2TrVlrU.

About Sportingtech

Sportingtech is igaming platform provider bringing you advanced technology product package for running online and land-based betting and gambling operations for any market. With offices in Malta, Portugal and Curacao, the company strives to develop ground-breaking solutions for the operators, targeting some of the most demanding jurisdictions.

Knowing how sports betting and games of chance have progressed in the last decade as well as market demands regarding the software, information technology systems, legislation requirements, we at Sportingtech make it easier for you to overcome all these challenges.

About BetOn

BetOn draws upon the best practices in both Europe and Africa operating a full online and offline sports betting and lotteries product portfolio. The company is setting the standard for online, mobile and retail excellence in Uganda covering all the major sporting events across Europe and the world.