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

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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

Kiron rolls out Kiron.Lite Virtual League with MojaBet brands across six African markets

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Kiron Interactive has launched its Kiron.Lite Virtual League with MojaBet brands across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Zambia and Nigeria. The rollout also includes Ghana via Keedbet and Benin via LNB Pari.

Kiron said Kiron.Lite is built for mobile-first and low-bandwidth environments, aiming to maintain performance across varying network conditions. The company positioned the deployment as a response to operator demand for content that can reach more players without impacting gameplay.

Steven Spartinos, Co-CEO of Kiron Interactive, said: “The expansion of Kiron.Lite with MojaBet is an important step in making virtual sports content more accessible across diverse African markets. In many regions, players are engaging primarily through mobile devices and often within bandwidth constrained environments. Kiron.Lite was developed specifically to address those realities, delivering a high quality virtual sports experience with significantly reduced data requirements. This launch reflects our continued focus on creating products that are commercially effective for operators while remaining accessible and relevant to local player behaviours.”

Aris Filippopoulos for MojaBet added: “Kiron.Lite Virtual League aligns strongly with the needs of our player base across multiple African markets. The product delivers an engaging football entertainment experience while supporting the mobile first environments that are increasingly defining player interaction today.”

The post Kiron rolls out Kiron.Lite Virtual League with MojaBet brands across six African markets appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Africa

Sun International Appoints Nthabi Motsoeneng as Chief Marketing Office

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Sun International has announced the appointment of Nthabi Motsoeneng as Chief Marketing Officer. A seasoned marketing leader, she brings over 20 years of experience driving consumer-centric brand strategies across emerging and developed markets.

She joins Sun International from Pernod Ricard, where she served as Chief Marketing Officer for Africa and the Middle East, leading regional marketing strategy and delivering award-winning campaigns and strong commercial results. Her work has earned global recognition at Cannes Lions and the WARC Awards, where she has also served as jury member and jury president.

Prior to Pernod Ricard, Nthabi held senior marketing leadership roles at Tetra Pak as Marketing Director for Southern Africa, and at Kimberly-Clark, Tiger Brands, The Coca-Cola Company, GlaxoSmithKline and SABMiller, building deep expertise across FMCG and global brand environments.

In her new role, effective 1 June 2026, she will lead Sun International’s marketing strategy across the group’s portfolio of urban casinos, resorts, hotels and online platforms, with a focus on strengthening brand equity, deepening customer engagement and supporting growth through the group’s omnichannel ecosystem.

“Nthabi brings extremely relevant experience from lifestyle brands to Sun International and our portfolio of experience‑centric resorts and casinos. Her understanding of how to translate deep consumer insights into actionable marketing initiatives will be critically important as we continue our journey to build a digitally led, market‑leading, omnichannel gaming company of scale,” said Ulrik Bengtsson, Chief Executive.

“Sun International is a truly iconic African business with a rich heritage and tremendous potential. I am thrilled to join the organisation and contribute to shaping the next chapter of growth by building stronger customer connections, elevating our brands, and creating experiences that people will remember and return to,” said Nthabi.

Nthabi joins the leadership team at a critical time as the group accelerates its evolution into a digitally led, omnichannel gaming and hospitality business. She holds a BA in Marketing Communication and Industrial Psychology and is accredited in Lean Six Sigma and Agile Scrum methodologies.

The post Sun International Appoints Nthabi Motsoeneng as Chief Marketing Office appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Africa

Broadway Platform Partners with Ghanaian Operator Afrinova

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Broadway Platform, the all-in-one iGaming platform, has partnered with Ghanaian operator Afrinova as it further expands its footprint in the African continent.

The agreement will see Afrinova’s platform powered by Broadway’s full-service AI-powered product suite, including casino, as well as a complete payment, CRM and risk management solution, as the operator looks to grow its presence in its home market of Ghana.

Ghana, like many regulated African markets, offers significant growth opportunities, with increasing internet penetration, a young population and growing familiarity with betting products.

The Afrinova partnership is the latest commercial agreement secured by Broadway Platform, which has also strengthened its offering after a recent deal with Altenar.

Giorgi Samkharadze, Director of Broadway Platform, said: “Partnering with Afrinova is a really exciting moment for us as we strengthen our presence in one of Africa’s most exciting regulated markets.

“Our commitment to exceptional product delivery is unmatched, and we look forward to powering Afrinova’s market-leading offering for many years to come.”

Imad Hawwach, Managing Director at Afrinova, said: “Broadway Platform’s comprehensive back-end offering allows us to seamlessly deliver a best-in-class experience to our customers across Ghana. It’s an extremely exciting partnership for us, and one that allows us to stand apart from our competitors.”

The post Broadway Platform Partners with Ghanaian Operator Afrinova appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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