The scramble for Africa: Exclusive interview with 10bet Africa CEO
THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH 10BET AFRICA CEO ARTHUR PERRY
5th May 2022
10bet is due to launch in Kenya at the beginning of June, capping a rapid schedule since launching its first operation in Africa last October. Gaming Intelligence speaks to 10bet Africa chief executive officer Arthur Perry
When 10Bet launches in Kenya in June, it will be the fifth African country the operator has opened up in less than a year. It is planning many more.
It launched with a minimal viable product (MVP) in Ghana and Tanzania in October last year. It continued with a jurisdiction each month. Zambia followed in November and the Democratic Republic of Congo was launched in December. The Kenya launch has taken a bit more time but the company is keen to get it right.
It is building a local hub in every country that it is launching in. This might just be a customer support team to begin with but it will also involve marketing resources in due course. It has a small operational team in its Bulgaria office but it is building a regional headquarters for 10bet Africa in South Africa.
Perry took on the leadership of 10Bet Africa in July last year but he is part of the furniture at 10bet and is thrilled to lead the next phase of its expansion.
10bet’s roots lie in Europe. It was founded by a group of Israeli entrepreneurs over 20 years ago and its core market quickly became, and remains, the UK. 10bet did run on the SBTech platform but since the latter’s acquisition by DraftKings has been building its own technology to replace it.
Regions are being launched as semi-independent entities. Perry leads 10bet Africa. Another chief executive will launch 10bet in Latin America later this year.
10bet’s independence is emphasized by its choice of a completely fresh technology partner, which is new to the sector. Perry is keen to keep its identity under wraps for now while the company and its supplier fine tune the platform.
“Our product is not optimal yet but we are trying to be as dynamic as possible,” says Perry, “tailoring the product to local markets.”
That might mean a site built for low-tech mobile phones or lighter websites or SMS betting or “something more engaging for the data aware territory that Africa is”, as Perry puts it. The sportsbook will, of course, be tailored to specific events in local markets.
“It helps when you have a young supplier, which is able to be very dynamic. The feeds are all taken from the same source but it’s all about the UX at the end of the day. When you’re coming into a market where data and mobile penetration are question marks, you have to be very dynamic in the product that you deliver to the end user. UX and a tailor made UX for each market is something that I am putting my foot on.”
Perry is building something and he is passionate about making it as African as possible.
“Our strategy is to find good, strong local business people who can drive both operations and any marketing initiatives we have in the market,” he explains. “We understand that local talents are very important. You cannot come in as a European success and just flash cash around. It will never work. That is a one-to-two year strategy that is bound to fail. We want some sort of longevity in the market.”
Perry has been happy with the progress in MVP mode. It began pushing traffic towards the site during the opening months of 2022. Moving into Q2, the company will begin to ramp up its marketing efforts.
10bet began to invest in African football by signing major sponsorships deals with six football clubs: Dodoma Jiji FC (Tanzania), Talanta FC (Kenya), Red Arrows (Zambia), Aduana Stars (Ghana), Enyimba (Nigeria) and Daring Club Motema Pembe (DRC). The deals include shirt sponsorship but also branding around the stadiums and with their youth teams and reserve teams.
While every territory is important, 10bet has focused intently on Ghana. The growth in the country’s internet and mobile infrastructure makes it fertile territory. However, Perry believes the market is heavily saturated with existing bookmakers.
“Ghana is not the biggest population but it is the most well developed from a sports betting culture perspective,” Perry continues. “I’m not afraid of competition. We have a USP. Others are simply not doing enough.”
As he says, there is no shortage of competition and it is growing by the day. Local brands such as Bet King, Naira Bet and Premier Bet are being joined by international competition. Betway is largely a local operator, working from its base in South Africa, but it is one with vast international experience. 888 recently announced the launch of 888Africa with a team largely culled from Premier Bet’s parent GOAT Interactive.
Perry and his team have done their homework. This project has been in the planning stages for a long time. Comprehensive groundwork has been completed, resulting in partnerships with a number of local stakeholders but in any conversation with Perry, his focus always comes back to the product.
“Our main focus will be on delivering the fastest product, the fastest payment resolution. We are going to try and build our USPs around that. “
Perry says that he does not expect to enter the market and be number one on day one. The leading operators in Africa all have a retail presence and that is something that 10bet will embrace, despite having little experience with bricks and mortar operations.
“I am going to tackle it from a product perspective and from a UX perspective. Trying to bring experiences that the other operators did not bring to the Ghanain customer – or to any other customer. They simplified their products, took market share and got laid back. “
Fighting talk indeed. But as smartphone usage grows exponentially, the opportunities will grow for an operator that is laser-focused on the customer experience. Kenya is next. A pan-African operation is the ultimate aim. 10Bet Africa is growing at pace.