Entain Plc has launched its first African markets venture, debuting its flagship international sportsbook brand, bwin in Zambia.
bwin announced its Zambian entry at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Lusaka, where Entain proclaimed to local media its “commitment to promote sports and tourism” in the East African nation.
Interim trading saw Entain leadership reveal to investors the FTSE100 firm’s intent to expand in Africa, targeting potential launches in Zambia or Kenya.
Zambia’s gambling laws are currently upheld by three different legislative frameworks for casino, lotteries and sports betting, with markets overseen by individual government departments.
Regulated by the Betting Control Act, sports betting licences are sanctioned by the Zambian Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB).
Speaking at the launch party, bwin Africa Chief Marketing Officer Spencer Okach said: “We are thrilled to enter the Zambian market which has one of the most highly regarded regulatory environments on the African continent.”
“We are extremely confident that our new Zambian customers will love the unparalleled bwin brand experience with its exciting line-up of thousands of betting markets and hundreds of games.”
bwin is ready to accept Zambian customers, having made necessary integrations with the leading African mobile networks and localised payment providers of Airtel and MTN.
Further directives will see bwin become the first African sportsbook to promote the BetBlocker tool to Zambian customers – an easy-to-use harm prevention app that allows players to manage their access to betting and gaming sites in a controlled manner.
Launching its first African venture, Entain reaffirmed that “bwin will build on the work of the Entain Foundation, with a commitment to make a positive impact on society by investing in responsible gambling and sustainability initiatives.”
Source: SBC News
