Christopher Coyne, Co-Founder and CEO of 888 Africa, has provided insights into the African market and where he believes opportunity lies as a growing number of government lean towards regulation.
Speaking to iGaming Daily, Coyne, laid out the checklist that the firm undertakes before expanding into a new market and what the group looks for in terms of success.
He specifically looked at Malawi as a key opportunity and one that 888Africa has ‘been focused on, both in setup and then operation, for probably 12 months now. It’s a market that is light-ish on competition’.
The operator’s ambition is to achieve a podium position in every market it enters, a success that Coyne believes it is well-positioned to achieve in Malawi.
When expanding, he revealed there are significant elements that the group looks for to ensure that the market is stable, he stated that we at whether “they currently have a war? Is there political unrest? Or, are there any other environmental factors that could hinder its viability?”
Also central to this is the tax regime in the country, as Coyne stated that it simply has to be workable conditions for the operator.
One such market that has provided obstacles is Kenya, where the appetite of 888Africa has been majorly stifled by a tough tax regime.
Providing an outlook on the Kenyan market, Coyne revealed it has been difficult for a while, fuelled by Government concern over the proliferation of the Aviator games.
The advertising ban in Kenya has also had a major impact on the potential of the market. “So we’re not sure how long this ban is going to last, but there has been a ban on advertising for a period now in Kenya. And that really means anything digital.
“We can’t really work with affiliates, we can’t really do the other marketing that you were doing in previous past times. For a period, there was also the grip on us in terms of CRM activity. So we couldn’t really even speak to our existing acquired customers.”
