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Africa

Carry1st Raises $4.0 Million to Catalyze Mobile Gaming in Africa

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Carry1st has raised a Series Seed round of US$2.5 million led by CRE Venture Capital with participation from Perivoli InnovationsChandaria CapitalLateral Capital, Transsion’s Future Hub, and Kam Kronenberg III, among others. This round brings its total capital raised to $4.0 million. Proceeds will go to recruiting top-tier talent, investing in platform technology, and publishing new content. Pardon Makumbe, Managing Partner at CRE, and Henry Lowenfels, Chief Product Officer of One Team Partners (former Scopely SVP), will join the board.

Carry1st is the leading mobile games publisher serving the first generation of African smartphone users. Since launching in 2019, the company has reached over 1.5 million users across the region. Carry1st Trivia was ranked the #1 free-to-play Android game in Nigeria and Kenya; and was named the Best Media & Entertainment Solution for 2019. The company plans to partner with international studios to launch multiple games in 2020 and scale its audience to over a million monthly active users.

“Social gaming is the largest and fastest-growing form of mobile media, grossing more than three times all other app categories combined. Our mission is to bring this world of interactive content to Africa and likewise to connect Africa to the world,” said Cordel Robbin-Coker, Carry1st CEO and former Carlyle dealmaker. “Our belief is that building a local publisher, with differentiated tech and operating capabilities across marketing, distribution, and monetization is the way to be this bridge. We are pleased to partner with CRE and our investor group to accelerate this vision.”

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Founded by Cordel Robbin-CokerLucy Hoffman, and Tinotenda Mundangepfupfu, the company addresses key challenges in Africa for consumers and content producers alike. Carry1st serves the world’s fastest-growing market, set to add over 350 million smartphone users and increase data consumption by 17x by 2025. By providing tailored content, localized engagement, and payments solutions, Carry1st aspires to accelerate the growth of the African mobile content market, which is already projected to increase by 400% over 5 years.

CRE Partner, Pardon Makumbe said: “We are excited to partner with the world-class team at Carry1st to take the pain out of distributing and monetizing games across Africa. The continent is young, vibrant, and mobile-first — by focusing on the building blocks, we believe Carry1st is well-positioned to define the category, and catalyse the development of the industry for Africa’s over 1.3 billion consumers.”

Lucy HoffmanCarry1st VP of Operations added: “It’s really exciting to be part of developing a new industry in an emerging region. In doing so, we will stimulate thousands of jobs and drive digital inclusion. When people come online for the first time, they want to connect with people and have fun. In these unusual times we are reminded of the power of games to delight, to educate, and ultimately to unite.”

 

SOURCE: Carry1st

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Africa

Soft2Bet takes its first steps into Africa with a multi-year Turnkey deal with media leader Channels TV

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Soft2Bet has signed a multi-year turnkey agreement with leading Nigerian media company Channels Media Group to provide its powerful platform solution and Managed Services in the largest regulated market in Africa.

As part of the deal Soft2Bet will power Waddibet, Channels Media Group’s online sports betting and casino offering, driving value for the group by managing its entire customer acquisition and retention strategy through its market-leading ‘Managed Services’ offering.

The partnership will make full use of Channels local knowledge and Soft2Bet’s online sports betting and casino expertise as the broadcaster leverages its reach to deploy Soft2Bet’s Motivational Engineering Gamification Application (MEGA), the gamification solution that enables operators to deliver market-leading ROI by providing quality content and driving player engagement in regulated jurisdictions.

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Regulatory expansion

Soft2Bet’s regulatory footprint grew significantly in 2023 as the group entered major markets like Sweden, Denmark, Romania and Italy and in 2024 this has continued and it is set to forge ahead on this path with worldwide expansion into Africa’s largest economy and most populous country with Channels TV.

As the company executes on its strategic roadmap throughout 2025 it will continue integrating new partners to its B2B platform and adding to its content library to deliver the richest and most complete turnkey solution for its partners.

Martin Collins, Chief Business Development Officer of Soft2Bet, said: “As a group, Soft2Bet is truly delighted to announce its first African partnership with a high-calibre media partner like Channels TV. Nigeria is the continent’s largest economy and a vibrant market and the combination of Channels TV’s strong brand equity and our highly localised and powerful solutions will deliver strong growth in this major market.”

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Tobi Momoh, Group Strategist & Consultant of Channels Media Group, added: “Our joining forces with Soft2Bet will see us  blend our local expertise with their cutting-edge online sports betting and casino operations. We’re also highly excited at the thought of integrating Soft2Bet’s MEGA gamification and are confident in our ability to deliver premium content and elevate player engagement across this market. Together, we’re committed to setting new industry standards and establishing a leading iGaming brand that will provide unmatched entertainment to our players.”

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Africa

BetBlocker expands to support African markets with the launch of Bemba, Nyanja and Tonga language support

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BetBlocker, the UK registered gambling charity that provides free, anonymous to use blocking software, had today announced the expansion of service to support users in the Bemba, Nyanja and Tonga languages.

With a rapidly expanding userbase, this is the first language support provided by BetBlocker to specifically target users in Africa. Using funding provided by Entain to support Zambian users, these three languages were selected and the most prominent indigenous languages, with almost 75% of the Zambian population speaking one of these dialects.

Working in partnership with Fresh Start Zambia, a charitable organisation working to minimise gambling harm, who supported the translation work, the three languages go live today.

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Founder and Trustee for BetBlocker, Duncan Garvie, had this to say about the launch of the Bemba, Nyanja and Tonga versions of the app:

“For BetBlocker it’s critical to be able to reach users in a language that they can comfortably engage in to ensure a smooth and speedy set-up process. Native languages also help us step past cultural barriers, showing that BetBlocker isn’t simply available to these communities, it’s actively working to support them.

This is especially important in under-served and under-supported markets, like many of the African countries. The sad truth is that there simply aren’t the support services available for many African nationals that exist in more established jurisdictions. To my mind that makes it doubly important to ensure that BetBlocker is available and easily accessing.”

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Africa

Altenar obtains National Manufacturer licence in South Africa

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Leading sportsbook provider prepares to debut in African market after rigorous certification process

Altenar, a leading sportsbook and iGaming software provider, has successfully obtained a licence from the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board (WCGRB), marking a significant milestone in its expansion into the burgeoning South African market.

Altenar is now a registered and licenced National Manufacturer in the thriving jurisdiction, following a rigorous process. During the initial stages, several stakeholders were required to complete detailed KYC and compliance checks, as well as fill in significant paperwork to demonstrate the provider’s suitability.

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This latest market debut demonstrates Altenar’s position as a sought-after partner with a flexible and localised solution. The opportunity opens up the doors to further expansion on the African continent and demonstrates its appeal to operators across multiple continents.

Sam Hill, Sales Director at Altenar, said: “Altenar is delighted to receive our licence to supply our sportsbook solution into South Africa. It is another significant step for us globally and is a key target market for us to further establish our product. We’re confident we have all the necessary product features and quality to offer the best solution on the market. This is across core sports such as football and racing, as well as offering customers the ease to prioritise key local content and sports via our highly flexible UI/UX.

“There are also a variety of ways that we support seamless cross-sell between products, which in a market such as South Africa, with the popularity of all verticals, will stand us and our customers in good stead. We are looking forward to the future in South Africa and the wider African market.”

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