Globally, Internet adoption has steadily increased over the years – and Africa has not been left out. Quite the opposite. The continent’s growing young population and uptake of Internet and smartphone technology have driven the growth of various industries.
According to the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GMSA), Africa will have 120 million new mobile subscribers by 2023 – reaching new heights of a total of 615 million and corresponding to 50 percent of the region’s population.
This digital movement is opening up new possibilities which are giving new forms of entertainment a chance to thrive, and one of them is online sports betting. It is fair to say that in the past ten years sports betting has emerged all over Africa, and is expected to grow with the global digital economy.
Picking up on trends popular in Europe and North America, and with Africa’s love for sports, it is fast becoming an online gaming continent. With accessibility increasing, the question arising is: what’s available, and which companies are trusted to pave the way to wins for the users?
BetKing’s Entry
No matter their culture, language, political persuasion, social status or race, people across the African continent have one thing in common: the shared love for sports – especially football. Combine that with a population of 1.3 billion people, of which around 70 percent are youths, and you get a highly desirable market for sports betting operators.
In February 2018 BetKing launched in Africa with its first office in Lagos, Nigeria, and a solid mission – to create an efficient system that enables the quests of its kings and kingmakers by providing the right technology, radical innovation and uncompromising service to all customers, while at the same time driving as much impact within communities as possible.
BetKing believes everyone is a king, and this is reflected in everything that makes up the brand: from the colours that symbolise royalty and wealth to its excellent service delivery that is specially designed for kings; and most importantly, an objective to grow the kingdom one king at a time.
Within four years of operating in Africa, the company has spread its tentacles to countries including Ethiopia, Kenya and just recently Ghana. Currently serving millions of customers across Africa, BetKing has fast become a favourite among punters across Africa – despite them having access to a plethora of other bookmakers.
So, what then has accounted for BetKing’s success across Africa to become the platform of choice?
Transforming lives through sports entertainment
A look at the company’s activities will send a clear message – BetKing Cares. Across all markets, BetKing – unlike any other business – is known as a company that provides entertainment for individuals; but is also known for empowerment, transforming lives and the positive impact brought by the brand to individuals and communities.
The company’s goal is to change the face of sports betting in Africa, and in doing soBetKing remains committed to initiatives which improve the conditions of societies where they operate. This has come to life through various initiatives that cut across entrepreneurship and employment, sports development and environmental sustainability, to mention a few.
Under the company’s CSR initiative BetKing Cares – which serves as the cornerstone of the organisation’s commitment to positively affecting lives both within and outside the communities it operates in – over the past four years BetKing has made significant contributions to the socio-economic transformation of Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia.
In Nigeria, the company rolled out a ‘Month of Good’ initiative designed to positively impact communities. Through collaborations with two well-known non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – Market Doctors and the African Clean-Up Initiative (ACI) – the campaign supported medical outreach impacting hundreds of people in significant cities like Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Benin, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Anambra, as well as beachfront and drainage clean-up initiatives in some of these cities.
In 2020, the Ethiopian Premier League heralded a new era in Ethiopian football with the backing of BetKing and MultiChoice. The investment and partnership aimed to provide international exposure for the league by giving Ethiopian football players a platform through which to put Ethiopia on the world football map. In Kenya, BetKing invested in the renovation of Dagoretti Youth Community Centre based in Nairobi’s Kawangware slums.
The making of ‘kings’ and ‘kingmakers’
BetKing’s agent network has enabled thousands of individuals to own their businesses and become their own boss. The enterprise has enabled the youth among these fans to view sports betting as a business rather than just a game. This opportunity creates direct & indirect employment in communities, and the ripple-effect leaves a positive impact on the economy.
The agent network has proven invaluable for the youths involved, and most individuals have gone further to testify that the business has a positive impact on their standard of living and socio-economic well-being. Aside from giving thousands of youths a chance to work for themselves, the company invests in ability-building for its network of agents.
A recent collaboration between BetKing and DSTV offers new agents complimentary DSTV equipment and subscriptions which reduce set-up costs and drives customer engagement. BetKing’s unique approach to customer experience and CSR efforts, combined with its offer of the biggest odds-on major leagues with exciting markets across several sports and virtual games, has powered its rapid growth in Africa over just four years.
The expansion to Ghana
BetKing’s agenda is not for Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia alone. BetKing is dedicated to changing the face of sports betting in the whole of Africa – including Ghana. On August 6, 2022, BetKing officially launched in Ghana with a high-level stakeholder event that presented an opportunity for the brand to reiterate its plans for the Ghanaian market.
The Head of Policy for the Sports Ministry, Mohammed Sannie Adams; the Commissioner of the Gaming Commission of Ghana, Peter Mireku; former Black Stars Asamoah Gyan, John Paintsil and Samuel Kaffour; the media and key players from the sports industry were all present at the event, which was held at MultiChoice Ghana Limited.
As seen in recent years, there is unique opportunity and talent in the country to grow Ghana into a world-class sports ecosystem, and BetKing hopes to play a major role in this journey – with a more dedicated focus on youth.
Since different markets, regions and communities have different needs, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach the company’s strategy is to gain insights into communities in Ghana to understand what they need and how BetKing can support them. BetKing aims to reach underserved communities to guarantee inclusion for all. As part of its plans, BetKing aims to develop entertainment centres while catering to their needs, and overall ensure value is delivered in an impactful and sustainable way.
Positively affecting communities and bringing excellent, responsible gaming & compliance standards remains BetKing’s collective commitment to sports fans across Ghana and beyond – and helps ensure sports betting continues to be an exciting, engaging, entertaining but, most of all, impactful if not a life-changing experience.
>>>The writer is Managing Director for Kingmakers
