Africa

World Sports Bodies raise Concern Over Kenya Copyright Bill

Published

3 years ago

February 15, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Kenya’s 2019 Copyright Amendment Bill, incorporates principles from the WIPO Internet Treaties of 1996, aimed at preventing unauthorised access to and use of creative works

A coalition of global sports bodies has written an open letter to the Kenyan government, expressing concern about the Copyright Amendment Bill currently before parliament, and its potential impact on the availability of international sports content in Kenya.

The Sports Rights Owner Coalition (SROC) is an alliance of more than 50 international and national sport bodies, representing some of the world’s leading sport codes and competitions – including the English Premier League, the FA Cup, Wimbledon, MotoGP, and the Rugby World Cup.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

In the recent letter, signed by Chairman Mark Lichtenstein, the SROC says its members are “extremely concerned” at changes that will be made to Kenya’s Copyright Act if the Copyright Amendment Bill becomes law.

The SROC is particularly worried about proposals to repeal sections 35B, 35C and 35D of the Copyright Act, which allow for take-down notices issued to internet-based service provider platforms which enable content piracy to flourish.

A take-down notice is a widely used remedy employed by copyright owners worldwide, compelling online platforms to rapidly remove content from their websites if it is suspected that the content infringes copyright.

The Kenya Copyright Board (KeCOBO) champion of the Partners Against Piracy (PAP) initiative, has come out in support of the SROC letter.

“Take-down notices are a critical tool for copyright holders and related rights holders to fight digital content piracy by controlling the distribution and economic viability of their work and how it is accessed online,” says Edward Sigei, KeCOBO Executive Director.

“Across the world, they help to safeguard the intellectual property rights of sports rights owners. If rights owners cannot request that pirated sports content is taken down immediately, that will threaten the future of live sports broadcasts in Kenya. Why would international sports media allow sports broadcasts in Kenya, if they have no way of stopping them from being pirated!”

Kenya’s 2019 Copyright Amendment Bill, incorporates principles from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Internet Treaties of 1996, aimed at preventing unauthorised access to and use of creative works. Takedown notices are among these principles and are necessary tools to enforce copyright protections for rights owners and distributors.

If the Amendment Bill is passed into law, Kenya will be out of step with global trends, the average Kenyan will lose out on great sports entertainment. A further negative consequence of this Amendment Bill passing would be the reputational and economic investment quagmire it would create is jeopardising Kenya’s ability to renew participation in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Agreement (AGOA) program, as one of the additional provisions of renewal requires a demonstrated commitment to copyright protection as a prerequisite to signing. Repealing section 35 of the Copyright Act, would do the exact opposite and threaten investor confidence.

The SROC points out that in Europe, policy makers are strengthening not weakening the effectiveness of take-down notices, particularly regarding live content. New proposals to protect live content more effectively in Europe are expected in the first half of 2022.

“Were the Copyright Amendment Bill to be enacted, it could have devastating consequences for both the Kenyan economy and Kenyan consumers,” says the SROC letter. “Rights holders from sport and other creative industries are extremely unlikely to license their content in a jurisdiction that effectively legitimises piracy. Consumers would therefore be deprived from watching their favourite sports and television shows, and leave Kenya isolated on the global copyright stage.”

The coalition – which includes the English FA, UEFA, the IAAF, and the International Tennis Federation – goes on to ask that the proposed new law be urgently reconsidered “so as not to harm Kenyan consumers and threaten the availability of sports and entertainment content in Kenya.”

Africa

Play’n GO announces landmark South African partnership with Hollywoodbets

Published

7 hours ago

April 1, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced a new operator partnership in South Africa with Hollywoodbets.

The legendary games studio went live in South Africa in 2024, and this newly announced partnership will see classic Play’n GO titles such as Fire Joker, Rise of Olympus 100 and Boat Bonanza now available to Hollywoodbets players in South Africa.

Play’n GO enjoyed a landmark year in 2024, expanding its reach globally, and recently announced the launch of two brand new slots mechanics, Blitzways™ and Crashback™.

Stuart Trigwell, Director of Business Development at Play’n GO, commented “South Africa is a market of increasing significance in iGaming globally, and we’re very pleased to have gained such a strong foothold in the country with this partnership.

“The Hollywoodbets brand is synonymous with iGaming in South Africa, and this partnership reflects the commitment of both Play’n GO and Hollywoodbets to deliver the best casino gaming experience possible to players in the region. We’re excited for the opportunities that will come from this partnership, and we look forward to many years of success together.”

Wayde Dorkin, Head of Product at Hollywoodbets added “We’re looking forward to welcoming Play’n GO’s legendary games portfolio to our platform, and we know our players are just as excited as we are. We’re committed to being the number one operator in South Africa, and partnering with Play’n GO is a significant step forward on that journey.”

The post Play’n GO announces landmark South African partnership with Hollywoodbets appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Africa

Springbok Casino is Offering 25 Free Spins in Honour of South Africa’s Top 5 Wild Egg Hunters

Published

10 hours ago

April 1, 2025

George Miller

springbok-casino-is-offering-25-free-spins-in-honour-of-south-africa’s-top-5-wild-egg-hunters

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Enjoy 25 Free Spins on Charms of the Forest slot from April 1-30

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The post Springbok Casino is Offering 25 Free Spins in Honour of South Africa’s Top 5 Wild Egg Hunters appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Africa

EGT Digital continues to hit milestones in Africa

Published

1 week ago

March 25, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

EGT Digital keeps on expanding its presence on the African continent. Recently, the popular operator Bangbet has begun using the provider’s Gaming Aggregator, significantly enriching the choice of visitors to its Kenyan betting site. Now players can enjoy EGT Digital’s extensive gaming portfolio, including over 120 casino titles, the crash game xRide, as well as the jackpot top-performers Bell Link, High Cash, Clover Chance, and Single Progressive Jackpot.

“It is a great pleasure for us to start our collaboration with Bangbet, one of the most prominent operators in Africa,” shared Zsuzsanna Zeibig, Sales manager for Africa at EGT Digital. “I am also very happy with the excellent performance of our games, which have very quickly established themselves as their customers’ favorites. I believe that this fruitful cooperation will further increase the operator’s popularity, while paving our way to other key players in the region.”

David Kabue, Director of Bangbet, also gave high evaluation to the partnership: “EGT Digital’s gaming content has brought enormous diversity to our slot offerings in terms of themes, high winning chances, and attractive bonuses. Bell Link has stood out as a particularly engaging product, with the other jackpot solutions also demonstrating impressive results. That is why we have decided to integrate the Bulgarian provider’s games into our betting sites in the other markets where we operate – Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda – in the coming months.”

The post EGT Digital continues to hit milestones in Africa appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.