Africa
Nigeria adopts pioneering system to collect taxes directly and in ‘real time’ from online transactions
The Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria (FIRS) has signed an agreement with UK based Fintech company E-Technologies Global Limited, to help it modernise its tax collection system for the digital age.
The project is the first of its kind where a pioneering approach to tax collection, enforcement and monitoring is being implemented as a managed service through E-Tech’s Sentinal National Payment Gateway. Sentinal is a unique transaction processing system that instructs integrated payment service providers to deduct taxes or charges at the point of transaction and remits funds in real-time to Governments’ Treasury accounts.
The project with Nigeria starts with the launch of a new initiative by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission of Nigeria to attract ‘Tier 1’ offshore global gaming operators to apply for a five year Permit to offer all gaming and sports-betting services to Nigerian players. Operators must comply with full risk-based AML screening and pass the ‘fit and proper’ test to demonstrate responsible gaming practices before being granted a Remote Operator Permit.
All approved operators will then connect to Sentinal where gaming duty will be deducted from player deposits and remitted directly to the Government in real-time. The Permit has the advantage of allowing global operators to legitimately offer online gaming services to Nigerian players without the need to incorporate locally in-country and is subject to their continuing compliance with the Permit Terms and Conditions.
Mohammad Nami, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria, said: “The world is entering a challenging time where there is a strong obligation on Governments to increase tax revenue as a percentage of GDP so as to provide much needed funding for local infrastructure and public services. Nigeria needs to innovate and harness technology to ensure that online transactions are taxed and accounted for.
“We have been very impressed with the Sentinal System which allows us to not only collect tax revenues at source, but also provides us with tax reporting and monitoring tools in real-time. The system will integrate with our own TaxPro Max portal.”
Lanre Gbajabiamila, Director General of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission of Nigeria, added: “Online gaming continues to grow rapidly in Nigeria, particularly on mobile, and the adoption of E-Technologies’ Sentinal National Payment Gateway is a huge step to allow us to capture gaming duty at source.
“We are welcoming all responsible offshore gaming operators to apply for a Remote Operator Permit as long as they pass all the relevant criteria including full AML screening and responsible gaming practices. We are proud to be the first country to adopt the Sentinal System and we believe it will bring a real national benefit to Nigeria.”
David Kicks, CEO of E-Technologies Global Limited, said: “Governments in rapidly developing nations are struggling to keep pace with the evolution of eCommerce and the ascent of mobile transactions. E-Technologies was created specifically to address this issue and we have built an incredibly strong team with unrivalled expertise across fintech, eCommerce and iGaming.
“We are thrilled that the Nigerian Government has made the decision to integrate our Sentinal System, empowering them to streamline online taxation. By understanding better how the payments ecosystem behaves and evolves, we can drive a paradigm shift towards a point of consumption tax methodology.
“This landmark deal will herald a new era in rapidly opening new regulated markets for responsible gaming operators, as grey market operating becomes increasingly problematic.”
Africa
Delasport Enters the South African Market
After successfully complying with Brazil’s brand-new regulations, Delasport’s sportsbook is now officially certified for the South African market as well.
Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) issued an Affirmative Statement of Compliance to the global B2B supplier, making their expansion possible in numerous SA jurisdictions: Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, North West, and Limpopo.
This functional certificate opens the door to cutting-edge sports betting features for the South African audience. Advanced personalization through My Sportsbook, My Event Builder, and My Combo makes Delasport’s solution a critically acclaimed product.
South Africa and Africa in general are becoming more and more important points on the global iGaming map, since they have a rising population of more than 1.5 billion people according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Nearly 60% of the population are aged 25 or below. This contributes to the fact Africa is the fastest-growing mobile market with a ‘leapfrogging phenomenon’ – millions of people’s first experience of the internet is via their mobile devices.
‘We are excited to enter such a promising regulated market like South Africa and show what real localization looks like,’ Delasport’s CEO Oren Cohen Shwartz comments. ‘At Delasport, we believe in being both global and local – always thinking about the big picture while not losing sight of the smallest details. For us, entering the South African market doesn’t simply mean translating the interface, but tailoring the experience according to their habits, local providers, regional content, and much more.’
The post Delasport Enters the South African Market appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Africa
Soft2Bet takes its first steps into Africa with a multi-year Turnkey deal with media leader Channels TV
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.
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.”
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.”
The post Soft2Bet takes its first steps into Africa with a multi-year Turnkey deal with media leader Channels TV appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Africa
BetBlocker expands to support African markets with the launch of Bemba, Nyanja and Tonga language support
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.
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.”
The post BetBlocker expands to support African markets with the launch of Bemba, Nyanja and Tonga language support appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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