Press Releases
Orange holds first Pan-African football tournaments enabling youth to be actors of positive change, to tackle plastic waste, via their passion for football

Orange, a major partner of African football since 2008, is the official sponsor of the AFCON for the 7th time in a row
The Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 is a major event on the continent and this year’s edition is eagerly awaited following its postponement in 2021 due to the Covid crisis. In the lead up to the big event and as official sponsor, Orange (www.Orange.com) has held a series of ‘Orange Sponsors Change’ regional football tournaments across its footprint enabling 12-13-year-olds to play football and collect plastic waste in exchange for rewards and the chance to be celebrated during the AFCON final on February 6th. All the regional tournament winners will then be invited to the International final of ‘Orange Sponsors Change’ next spring for an unforgettable experience.
The competition, running from 9th January to 6th February 2022, will be held in six stadiums in five cities across the country. Out of the 24 teams that have qualified, 11 belong to a country where Orange is present: Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Mali, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia.
Passion with a purpose – the genesis of “Orange Sponsors Change”
The Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 provides Orange with an opportunity to reiterate its environmental commitments. Plastic waste is now one of the world’s biggest problems and Orange believes it can play a role in combating this issue.
“Orange Sponsors Change” is a unique program which was first launched 2018 in Liberia and Cameroon and then successfully extended in 2019 to Egypt and Tunisia. With fans’ passion for football and a participative approach at its core, ‘Orange Sponsors Change’ gives all football fans and young players the opportunity to enjoy their passion for football whilst having a positive impact on their communities and the planet. Fans are encouraged to collect and recycle their plastic waste via recycling bins during the tournaments, and in return for their recycling efforts, Orange works with local companies to recycle the plastic collected and return them to fans and their communities in the form of soccer jerseys, balls and even soccer fields constructed exclusively from recyclable materials.
“Orange Sponsors Change,” a pan-African program premiere
This year, Orange wanted to take advantage of its partnership with the largest African sporting event to extend and promote Orange Sponsors Change in 12 countries on the continent (Morocco, Sierra Leone, Mali, Liberia, Cameroon, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, CAR, DRC) and give it a new pan-African dimension.
This first Pan-African edition encouraged 12-13 year-olds to participate in local qualifying tournaments while collecting plastic waste, and the first local tournaments mobilized thousands of young people and their families and achieved tonnes of plastic waste collection, for example:
- In Cameroon, football players who participated in Orange Sponsors Change joined forces with the Orange “Clean Your City” initiative to collect waste in seven cities across the country. In total, 1,300 volunteers roamed the streets to collect 14 tonnes of plastic which will be transformed into football equipment and redistributed to football academies in Cameroon.
- In Côte d’Ivoire, 500 players from 50 different clubs across the country took part in the competition, collecting over 19 tonnes of plastic that will be transformed into construction equipment.
During the AFCON
The stadiums will be filled with Orange tap-taps enabling fans to support their team and share their passion. This year all the tap-taps will no longer be made of plastic but recycled biodegradable potato starch, reflecting Orange’s commitment to the reduction of plastic waste. In addition, Orange will be providing young players across it’s footprint with 20,000 balls made from recycled rubber, so they can continue to enjoy their passion for football long after the big event.
Béatrice Mandine, Executive Director of Communication, Brand and Engagement said: “At Orange, we support major sporting events in the countries where we operate by placing the focus of our strategy on the fans: we offer them the means to enjoy their passion. “Orange sponsors change” adds another brick to this promise: combining passion for football and commitment to the environment. It is a great action that will leave a positive legacy”.
Alioune Ndiaye, CEO of Orange Africa and the Middle East, explains: “Africans are very passionate about football. Orange Sponsors Change helps raise awareness among young people about environmental issues through football; this is a great proof of the Orange Group’s commitment to society and the planet.”
Source: Orange
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Press Releases
Kiwis Deserve Safe Gambling That Gives Back

The Government’s new Online Casino Gambling Bill, currently under Select Committee review, is a step in the right direction toward creating a safer, fairer, and more transparent gambling environment for New Zealanders. As the country’s leading source of information on legal online gambling, we at PlayCasino.co.nz support the push to regulate offshore operators and introduce licensing, age checks, harm minimisation measures, and tax contributions.
But we believe the bill has a serious flaw: it makes no provision for the ongoing funding of community sport, which currently receives over NZ$170 million annually from gaming machine grants.
This gap in the legislation threatens the very fabric of Kiwi sport — the local clubs, youth teams, and community programmes that rely on consistent, ring-fenced funding from gambling grants. If licensed online operators are going to take market share away from the current retail sector, then it is only fair and responsible that they contribute back to the communities they serve.
We Believe in Smart Regulation That Gives Back
The bill includes strong proposals for reducing harm, enforcing local oversight, and holding operators accountable. That’s excellent — and long overdue.
But regulation is not just about minimising harm. It’s also about maximising benefit. And right now, community sport stands to lose big.
As Martin Snedden, Chair of Cycling New Zealand, rightly put it:
“Sport has thrived for decades off the back of community gambling grants. It all goes to clubs, not professional sport.”
We couldn’t agree more. If these new offshore casinos are to be welcomed into our regulatory framework, then they must be required to support the public good, just like the domestic gaming trusts they’ll be replacing.
Public Submissions Close 17 August – Let’s Make Our Voices Heard
This is not a done deal. The bill is still under Select Committee review, and the Government is accepting public submissions until 17 August. That means every New Zealander has a chance to weigh in and help shape the future of online gambling in Aotearoa.
We’re calling on our readers, our fellow players, sports lovers, parents, club organisers — everyone who cares about keeping our communities strong — to speak up.
We’ll be publishing a simple guide to help you make a submission quickly and easily. The more people who raise this issue, the harder it will be for lawmakers to ignore.
How We See It: Four Principles for a Better Gambling Bill
- Safer Gambling for Players
We fully support age verification, harm prevention, and enforcement of responsible gambling standards. - Legal Options for Kiwis
Licensing offshore operators gives Kiwis safe, controlled alternatives to the black-market casinos they’re already using. - Fair Play for Communities
If operators are earning revenue from Kiwi players, they must return some of it to the grassroots clubs that hold our communities together. - Transparency for All
Licensing is meaningless unless it comes with clear rules — and clear benefits — for the whole country.
We want the Online Casino Gambling Bill to succeed. We want safer play. But we won’t stay silent while community sport is pushed to the side.
We’ll Only Recommend Licensed, Responsible Operators
Once New Zealand’s online gambling market is regulated, we at PlayCasino.co.nz will only promote and review licensed casinos that meet the highest standards of safety, fairness, and transparency.
But we also want to see those operators contributing back — not just to tax revenue or harm services, but to the clubs and communities that make New Zealand what it is.
Final Word: Gambling Should Be Safe — and It Should Give Back
This bill is a chance to build a future where gambling works for players and communities, not just for offshore companies.
Let’s not miss that chance.
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The post Kiwis Deserve Safe Gambling That Gives Back appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
247Bet Is Here: Casimba Gaming Unveils New Sportsbook Brand

Casimba Gaming is proud to announce the launch of 247Bet, a dynamic new sportsbook brand designed to deliver a cutting-edge, multi-channel betting experience.
Casimba Gaming is a leading B2C and B2B iGaming provider, powering more than 20 casino brands with a full-stack platform, including over 6,000 titles from 75+ providers.
Speaking on the launch of 247Bet, Chief Product Officer Jon Liska said, “Building on the success of our leading casino offering, we’re expanding into sports betting to give our customers the ultimate choice in gaming entertainment. 247Bet will offer a seamless customer journey with modern user experiences, giving customers the ability to find the sports, markets, and content they want faster than ever.”
Initially launching under White Hat Gaming’s UKGC licence, 247Bet will cater to the UK market, with strategic plans to expand under the MGA licence to additional markets where Casimba Gaming already operates.
Liska adds, “With 247Bet, we wanted to build a brand that feels fresh, intuitive, and engaging from the very first tap. Our initial focus is the UK, but we will be looking to expand this to wider European markets, key Nordic Sports, principal North American and other global markets.”
Known for its global footprint and with an established integration with White Hat Gaming’s casino platform, Altenar’s platform will be used to power the sportsbook product. Altenar provides a robust solution, equipped with promotional tools and features for a market-leading betting site.
To enhance player engagement, 247Bet is also leveraging Smartico’s industry-leading gamification technology and CRM functionality and is working in partnership with NetRefer to build a high-performing affiliate programme as a key acquisition channel.
Dersim Sylwan, CEO of Casimba Gaming added, “The launch of 247Bet is a proud moment for Casimba Gaming and a natural next step in our evolution. This bold move is part of our vision to create a hero brand with global appeal; delivering a world-class, multi-channel experience that excites players everywhere.”
As part of the long-term strategy, Casimba Gaming is actively hiring a Sportsbook Product Manager to lead the brand’s promotional roadmap, content strategy, and overall performance.
To find out more, visit https://247bet.com/
The post 247Bet Is Here: Casimba Gaming Unveils New Sportsbook Brand appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Gambling in the USA
Kambi Group plc signs on-property sportsbook partnership with the Oneida Indian Nation’s Turning Stone Enterprises

Oneida Indian Nation to offer Kambi’s premium Turnkey Sportsbook at three properties in Upstate New York
Kambi Group plc (“Kambi”), the home of premium sports betting solutions, has agreed a long-term partnership with the Oneida Indian Nation to provide its leading retail sportsbook solution to Turning Stone Enterprises’ three sportsbooks in Upstate New York.
Under the terms of the agreement, Oneida will replace its current third-party sports betting supplier with Kambi’s flexible Turnkey Sportsbook, which includes cutting-edge technology such as kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, Bring Your Own Device technology and an award-winning Bet Builder.
Turning Stone Enterprises is the parent organization for all business operations of the Oneida Indian Nation. The premier gaming destination in New York state, Turning Stone Enterprises’ portfolio of gaming venues includes – Turning Stone Resort Casino, YBR Casino & Sports Book and Point Place Casino.
Werner Becher, CEO of Kambi, said: “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the Oneida Indian Nation, further strengthening our tribal partner network and expanding our footprint in one of the largest sports betting markets in the US. Oneida has a proven track record of offering best-in-class gaming experiences, and we look forward to working with them to ensure they have an unparalleled sportsbook offering for years to come.”
Ray Halbritter, Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Turning Stone Enterprises CEO, said: “Our collaboration with Kambi marks a major step forward for our sportsbooks. This new partnership will give our guests faster, more intuitive ways to place bets and add an all-new level of excitement to our sports betting experience.”
The post Kambi Group plc signs on-property sportsbook partnership with the Oneida Indian Nation’s Turning Stone Enterprises appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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