INSIGHT
In general, players are lower value
in Africa than in Europe, but this is
counterbalanced by their sheer volume.
Similarly, the region requires a more
simplistic approach.
For affiliates this simplicity may be
viewed positively, as banner advertising,
SMS and TV campaigns will reap rewards
in Africa. Europeans, meanwhile, require
more sophisticated marketing tactics.
Symmonds explained that local
brand awareness is critical to success, so
partnering with operators that use local
brand ambassadors and are well recognised
in each market is important.
“One of our operators started giving
away prizes. You had to place a certain
type of bet and you went into a prize draw.
But when the prize came over to us on the
banner ad it was a diesel generator.
“We thought ‘that’s not attractive at
all’. But in Africa it’s a really premium
prize, so you have to understand how the
local market works, and what incentivises
people,” he said.
Equally, prediction sites reap rewards
as African punters look for tips on where
to place their bets. Nairabet issues betting
codes to bettors, so that they can share
their tip with others.
“People are getting wiser by the day, but
if we can be that authority and they respect
your knowledge of sports betting that is
definitely the way to go,” Alabi explained.
growing. Alabi said casino now accounts
for 20% of Nairabet’s business and the
proportion is growing, while Symmonds
pointed to the opportunities in virtual
products, as bettors look for opportunities
to keep placing bets after the football
has finished.
Plotting the opportunities in Africa
is made easier if you see its countries as
following a similar growth curve as that
of Europe over the past 15 years.
“Trust online is going to get a lot better,”
said Symmonds. “The way I look at it,
Africa is perhaps how we were in the early
2000s when it seemed a bit alien to log in
online with your credit-card details and
deposit money. You were just not sure
about things,” he explained.
Sports betting
It’s fair to say that the bulk of the
opportunity is in sports betting in Africa,
with casino still a little-understood vertical.
According to iGaming Business and
H2 Gambling Capital’s recent Africa
dashboard, betting makes up 36% of
the market compared with just 21% for
casino, while state lotteries deliver 33%
of total revenue.
“ It’s fair to say that the bulk of the opportunity is
in sports betting in Africa, with casino still
a little-understood vertical”
“Now it’s second nature to us, and I
think that’s where Africa was a year or two
ago and that trust is continuing to grow.”
However, as the market matures the
opportunities to leverage other verticals
off the strength of sports betting are
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AMA for Affiliate mag April 2018.indd 1
04/04/2018 17:27:30