As we gear up for the SBC Summit Barcelona – Digital on September 8-11, the year’s biggest digital event in the calendar – we’ve been sitting down with our event sponsors to get the low down on what they’re most excited about.
For John Bamidele, Founder/CEO Africa Sovereign Media, publisher of gbc.ng, the spotlight is firmly on Africa and the opportunity to discuss with some of the industry’s leaders about the potential for the market.
What are you looking forward to at the SBC Summit Barcelona – Digital?
SBC Digital Summit Barcelona brings another perspective to the gaming event world. As a media personality based in Lagos Nigeria, l have been eager to attend Betting on Sport held every year at Stanford bridge, home of Chelsea Football Club. What is of significant importance to me is the African Market Networking Roundtable session which is meant to highlight sport betting in Africa – not because I am a speaker in the session, but it goes to show that major gaming events in the world are beginning to see the potentials in the African continent.
Football is the biggest sport in Africa and it has cult followings across both sexes, old and young. Football is a uniting force in the continent and major Leagues in Europe like the English Premiership, Ligue A in France, Serie A in Italy and La Liga in Spain are religiously followed by Africans.
Players of African origin have also lit up these leagues and contributed immensely to the successes recorded by their various clubs. Therefore, having this sort of session will bring to the fore, an industry that is usually referred to by the western world as an emerging market.
What would be your biggest bit of advice for betting and gaming businesses trying to mitigate the impact of COVID-19?
Nobody saw pandemic coming. Its impact on the gaming industry is massive. We have witnessed how various countries and jurisdictions salvage the industry from total collapse. My bit of advice for companies is to be innovative. Innovation is what can help them in this type of situation. They should think out of the box and come out with ideas that will stand them out.
The industry has been stressed and we have seen companies rightsizing and downsizing. In Africa, there is no parameter to measure the impact of the pandemic therefore it becomes more difficult to measure the impact.
Right now, the gaming industry in Africa should start migrating from brings and mortar to igaming. Although we have witnessed massive inflow of investments in that sector but l think Africa should start moving towards igaming.
What are you promoting at SBC Summit Barcelona – Digital?
I have a website known as gbc.ng(www.gbc.ng) which is Africa’s leading b2b gaming news portal. It was set up basically to inform gaming professionals, stakeholders and top gaming executives on the latest trend in the gaming industry. We also inform and educate foreign gaming top shots on the gaming industry in Africa.
First and foremost, we will like to make gbc.ng the preferred and the most authoritative b2b gaming news portal in Africa. The site will also help investors coming to Africa to reach out to their target market and audience.
We know Africa gaming like the back of our hands, therefore we are the sure bet when looking for a platform that will help in the area of publicity, advertising, promotion, marketing and public relations. For those wanting to get a license, we will act as your adviser and help navigate the gaming business environment in Africa.
What industry innovation will capture the most attention in 2020?
Sincerely, have not really noticed that but will like to concentrate on the industry in Africa. The pandemic has not allowed for a lot of innovations, Africa gaming industry is getting out of the wood. What I have noticed is that a lot of sport betting companies in Africa have introduced Esport into their offerings and virtual games.
Although virtual games are on the rise in Africa, esport is not. However, with the pandemic putting a stop to physical sports all over the world, sport betting companies in Africa are beginning to be more innovative.
Which operator has impressed you the most in 2020?
Again, l will stick to Africa. I think sportybet stand out for me. Sportybet is an igaming sport betting company which has grown exponentially in the past two to three years. The operator has been able to woo Nigerian pundits because of its prompt payment.
Before and even during the pandemic, a lot of Nigerian bettors switched over to Sportybet because of prompt payment, options and accessibility. They have also been able to do this with less advertisement.
What partnership has stood out in the past 12 months?
I will give that to Tvbet. The company has brought a new dimension to casino gaming and they have been able to enter into partnerships with lots of gaming companies.
Which parts of the conference agenda have caught your eye?
The African Market Networking Session is it. Like l said at the beginning of this interview, gaming event companies are now beaming their search light on Africa. This means, professionals all over the world will get to know more about the gaming industry in Africa.
Therefore, we will like to see more of this type of session in your subsequent events. Again, l think bringing your leading and innovating “Betting on Sports” to Africa will cement a lot of partnerships and deals.
Further details, including the agenda, full line-up of 200 speakers and list of the 100 virtual exhibitors, are available from the official SBC Summit Barcelona – Digital website.
To join the 10,000 delegates from around the world, click here to register for free.