Africa

Going for posts, Unstoppable inclusion with Rugby Africa

Published

4 years ago

May 3, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Fatma’s journey in rugby began with coincidence, much like many of the greats in the game, Rugby has been a quest of growing one’s confidence. Back in 2015, without any prior experience in playing rugby, Fatma had only attended rugby games as a spectator, most of which were only played by men. After a life changing suggestion for a new hobby from a friend, she made it out to the rugby field behind her office and there her story began, with the support of other female players. When she picked up the oval ball for the first time, she knew that she had found what she had been searching for.

Despite champions of Rugby in Botswana like Fatma campaigning for its broad-based promotion, Rugby and more importantly as a sport for women, has largely remained a sport which exhibits great potential for growth. Fatma exclaims that in Botswana, Rugby for women is hardly discussed. On the other hand, this has not left her, and other Unstoppables demotivated, in fact the value of their work is the single greatest force behind the grassroots development of the game. Her work has been applauded by World Rugby and Rugby Africa, amongst many other organisations and institutions seeking to promote women empowerment. Through the work of Fatma and others, future sports women will join or learn from the sport.

In her own career as a player, Fatma has seen a marked improvement in the participation of more teams in the women’s league. With the number of players increasing over the years, she anticipates that there will be more athletes from school rugby, advancing to league rugby. Further to this she believes that there will also be more women as coaches and referees in the near future- unstoppable.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

As part of her outreach efforts, Fatma launched the “A Try for Change”, which is a grassroots initiative to empower girls through the sport. She and others seek to conscientize young women and girls to grow their self-confidence, as a means of unlocking their true potential in society. Rugby is used as a medium of instruction, but the goal of her work is to empower attendees to become agents of change in their respective communities- on or off the field of play. The programme is targeted at primary school leavers and includes modules on introspective exercises, recreational activities with learning objectives, mentorships, as well as preparatory programs in enterprise development.

Coming from a conservative background which does not prioritise the involvement of women in sports, Fatma has vigorously worked to change perceptions of elders and community leaders, to work with their support. She has opened way for reports and researched findings, to find their way into the hands of key decision makers. Overall, the programme has received a positive reception from participants, teachers and the Botswana Rugby Union, and plans are already afoot to run ‘A Try for Change’ again in the new year.

Based on the feedback she has received working with young girls, Fatma used the global “Try & Stop Us” campaign to address the issue of Gender Based Violence affecting women and children inher community. As an Unstoppable leader, she is breaking the silence of abuse in communities by raising awareness around civil liberties and justice. She deeply empathises with young girls who are not taught about building their confidence in school, as the priority is generally put on teaching the standard course curriculum. Sessions with Fatma and her team have become safe and supportive structures for personal development in the schools and communities they serve.

Fatma believes that instilling self-confidence in young women sets them up for life, not only for them to be leaders in the future, but more importantly now, for them to be able to tackle head on collisions with Gender Based Violence and many other scourges of society.

President of the Women’s Rugby Advisory Committee at Rugby Africa, Ms Paula Lancoemphasised that, “the WRAC and creation of its sub-committees will ultimately help increase awareness of women in rugby, attracting more tournaments and partnerships with sponsors, increasing the overall popularity of the game in the continent.”

According to Maha Zaoui, Women’s Manager Rugby Africa, “With the impact COVID-19 has placed globally, we are able to work with the sub-committees to overcome challenges the pandemic has placed on world sports and identifying untapped opportunities,”.

For Fatma, Rugby has been life changing not just for her career as a person, but more importantly it has empowered her as an individual to transform the lives of many. Her personal journey has become a reference point for others, who share in her passion and struggle for inclusion in different parts of their lives. Her outreach work has won many over and today has set the foundation for unstoppable future female leaders in Botswana and Africa at large, who have been transformed through the philosophy of the game.

Source: Rugby Africa.

Africa

South Africa: Tribunal Grants Lottoland Interim Relief – Orders Google to Grant Lottoland Access to its Advertising Platform

Published

5 days ago

November 18, 2024

Niji Narayan

south-africa:-tribunal-grants-lottoland-interim-relief-–-orders-google-to-grant-lottoland-access-to-its-advertising-platform

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Competition Tribunal (“Tribunal”) has issued an interim order directing Google Ireland Ltd and Google South Africa (Pty) Ltd (collectively, “Google”) to permit Lottoland South Africa (Pty) Ltd (“Lottoland”) to access its advertising services known as “Google Ads”, for so long as Google permits any firm in South Africa to utilise Google’s Ads Services to advertise fixed-odds betting on the outcome of lotteries. The Tribunal’s order applies for a period of six months from its date, or the conclusion of a hearing into the prohibited practices alleged by Lottoland, whichever is the earlier.

This platform enables advertisers to display ads to users who utilise Google search, with Google Ireland acting as the service provider for Google Ads in South Africa.

The Tribunal’s order follows an interim relief application by Lottoland, a licensed bookmaker, which, inter alia, offers fixed-odds bets on the outcome of various lotteries around the world, including the South African national lottery, sporting events and other betting contingencies. Lottoland competes with other licensed bookmakers in South Africa such as Hollywood Bets, World Sports Betting, Betway, Betfred (which owns Lottostar) and Netbet (which trades as Sportingbet).

In summary, Lottoland alleged that Google terminated its access to Google Ads without justification while allowing access to its competitors, causing it financial harm and distorting competition in the market that Lottoland operates in, to the detriment of consumers.

Google contended that Lottoland’s offering of fixed-odds bets on the outcome of the national lottery in South Africa contravenes sections 57(1) and 57(2)(g) of the Lotteries Act. It submitted that in terms of its online advertising policies, which are designed to protect users, restrictions are placed on the promotion of certain gambling activities. Of particular relevance, the promotion of lotteries is limited to state-licensed entities and that this restriction is in place to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Lotteries Act.

Reasons for Decision

A non-confidential version of the Tribunal’s reasons will be published in due course once any confidentiality claims in relation to the reasons have been finalised with the parties involved. In deciding the matter, the Tribunal considered the following three factors holistically, balancing each factor against the other to determine what is reasonable and just:

• Evidence relating to the alleged prohibited practice;

• The need to prevent serious or irreparable damage to the applicant (Lottoland); and

• The balance of convenience.

The post South Africa: Tribunal Grants Lottoland Interim Relief – Orders Google to Grant Lottoland Access to its Advertising Platform appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Africa

SunBet Extends Online Betting Platform Contract with Bede Gaming Amid Record-Breaking Performance

Published

2 weeks ago

November 12, 2024

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

SunBet Extends Online Betting Platform Contract with Bede Gaming Amid Record-Breaking Performance

Bede Gaming has secured a further contract extension with South African online sports betting brand SunBet, the digital arm of Sun International and one of the fastest growing operators in the SA online market.

The new contract renewal comes as SunBet reports record-breaking digital growth in its H1-24 performance report, including a 72% year-over-year (YoY) growth in revenue and 72% increase in active players, driving an 89% improvement in EBITDA.

As a leading supplier of software to the igaming industry, Bede has supported the ambitions of this customer with tailored features and services to achieve SunBet’s business objectives while delivering the highest cost efficiencies.

Since the launch of the SunBet Slots offering in 2022, Bede has provided various additional optimisations, including integrating 7 new game providers to SunBet.co.za, releasing enhancements to the existing Kambi Sportsbook integration functionality, and delivering bespoke training on product features such as Bede’s powerful rules engine and bonusing suite.

This year alone, Bede has partnered with SunBet’s operations to –

Optimise environmental infrastructure, aiming to deliver run cost efficiencies that will reduce the total cost of ownership by 30% by the end of the year.
Develop a bespoke aggregator tool to achieve cost-effective game content customisation via a streamlined South Africa-specific solution.
Enter into the new regulated markets of Namibia and Botswana (due to launch in 2024).

Colin Cole-Johnson, Bede Chief Executive Officer.“It’s been fantastic to see SunBet grow throughout the course of our partnership, and I’m delighted by their commitment to Bede at this crucial point in their journey. Securing another extension on this contract is testament to our dedication to our customers.”

SunBet’s partnership with Bede dates back to 2017, when digital offerings to this market were restricted to sports betting and live casino. With the change to slot content regulation in the South African market in August 2022, SunBet has expanded its online offering through Bede’s platform environment and has seen substantial growth in revenue and performance as a result.

Simon Gregory, SunBet Chief Executive Officer Bede has been a strong long-term partner for us, supporting and delivering on SunBet’s growth ambitions with quality and expertise. I’m very much looking forward to these next steps, especially now as we approach new African expansions.”

The post SunBet Extends Online Betting Platform Contract with Bede Gaming Amid Record-Breaking Performance appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Africa

EveryMatrix secures largest African turnkey deal with MBet partnership

Published

2 weeks ago

November 7, 2024

George Miller

everymatrix-secures-largest-african-turnkey-deal-with-mbet-partnership

Reading Time: 2 minutes

EveryMatrix has sealed its largest turnkey platform partnership in Africa to date and will migrate MBet from its existing software to EveryMatrix technology.

The turnkey sportsbook agreement will see EveryMatrix power MBet with its award-winning technology in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

MBet’s sports betting offering will be transformed via the high-performing, ‘always-on’ OddsMatrix digital sportsbook platform that includes access to a content catalogue of 170,000+ monthly live sportsbook events, empowering Odds Management control tools and comprehensive 11-sport pre-live and live Bet Builder.

The East African operator will also gain access to a suite of player-friendly localised products including in-house lightweight front end, USSD betting, SMS functionality, Do It Yourself manual event creation tools and a dynamic betslip engine supporting 50+ accumulator selections.

This enhanced sportsbook platform package will be further supplemented by the integration of additional EveryMatrix core turnkey products including casino productivity platform CasinoEngine, cross-product reward system BonusEngine and player management platform GamMatrix.

Migrating from 11-year-old proprietary technology to an EveryMatrix tech stack, MBet becomes the latest ambitious operator to join the rapidly expanding EveryMatrix platform network. Fresh from the recent acquisitions of FSB Technology and Fantasma Games, the industry’s fastest growing iGaming technology supplier now has more than 1,100+ staff across 15 global offices.

Established in 2013, MBet has developed into one of the leading sportsbook brands in the competitive East African region following the creation of a customer-centric proposition aided by a portfolio of local sports partnerships.

Ebbe Groes, CEO and co-founder, EveryMatrix, said: “This tier-1 African turnkey partnership sends a strong signal that EveryMatrix is rapidly becoming the ‘go-to’ platform provider for ambitious operators in the exciting Africa region.

“Africa presents a unique set of scalability challenges for platform providers and, with millions of bets processed daily across our OddsMatrix sportsbook platform, this is a region tailormade for the transformative capabilities of the EveryMatrix technology.

“I’m particularly pleased to see this deal follow our acquisition of FSB Technology. FSB has developed a strong client base across the African continent and the experience and product readiness from FSB was instrumental in EveryMatrix winning this landmark deal.

“We are pleased to welcome MBet to the EveryMatrix platform and look forward to propelling their offering into a market-leading proposition in Tanzania, DRC and beyond.”

Javier Diaz, CEO, MBet, said: “We are immensely proud of everything MBet has achieved in the last decade. Securing leading positions in Tanzania and the DRC has demonstrated the growth journey we’ve been on.

“What has become clear in the last 18 months is that to take us to the next level in our operations we need to be aligned with a leading third-party technology provider.

“After a thorough search we are confident that we have selected the right partner in EveryMatrix. The hyper growth they have achieved globally in the last several years has been inspiring and their end-to-end turnkey offering provides us with the content, tools, features and localised capabilities to differentiate our daily offering and scale MBet upwards onto a new level.”

The post EveryMatrix secures largest African turnkey deal with MBet partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.