News
Betsafe Sponsors Two Kenyan Football Teams for Three Seasons
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Not many people can say that they have looked towards Kenya for betting opportunities, although now could be the time for that to change. You see, two Kenyan football teams have had their sponsorship taken over by the Betsafe online sportsbook.
It was on Wednesday, June 17 that Betsafe made the announcement of its new sponsorship deals with Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, both of which play in the Kenyan Premier League. Operating as an offshoot of the Betsson AB brand, Betsafe’s unison with the two football teams will run for three seasons, beginning with the 2020-21 campaign ahead.
As part of those deals, the Betsafe logo will appear on the kits of both teams, and together, they are worth a combined 95 million Kenyan shillings (£722,000) per season. The lion’s share of that will go to the reigning league champions – Gor Mahia. But how did such a deal come about? Well, it all took place under Betsafe’s recently launched Kenyan offshoot – Bet High Kenya.
The country’s local media spoke with Tom Bwana, who operates as the Public Relations and Partner Manager for Bet High. He said that Betsafe would be launching its own operations in Kenya soon, and that the top priority for Bet High is Kenyan football. There is a number of top betting sites in Kenya that are already active, as the industry is growing considerably there. So, while seeking one out isn’t such a problem, once Betsafe’s Kenyan offshoot becomes fully active, there will be another alternative for bettors to utilise.
“Long-Term Financial Support” Celebrated
Both of the Kenyan football teams who have secured the sponsorship deal with Betsafe took it upon themselves to celebrate the fact that everything had become official. Chairman of Gor Mahia, Ambrose Rachier said that he was happy to see his club now has “long-term financial support from a strong and safe partner”, while the Chairman of AFC Leopards, Dan Shikanda spoke of the security that the unison brings to the team.
It was the local betting operator SportPesa that sponsored both football clubs prior to Betsafe taking over. However, the Kenyan-Bulgarian brand (which also sponsored English Premier League club Everton) closed down its business last year following a bust up with the government regarding back-tax claims. This saw all of its local sports sponsorships cancelled in August of 2019, which marked the second occasion such an event took place. The “uncertainty” of the regulatory climate was blamed for this move.
That move was what left both of the Kenyan football teams without any sort of financial life support. According to some sources, Gor Mahia hasn’t paid any of its football players for the past five months due to this, so the sponsorship deal with Betsafe will come as a welcome and almost life-saving moment for the club.
It’s a shame, as Kenya had one of the most prosperous betting markets in Africa up until the government redefined how betting licences were handed out and how its operators were taxed. SportPesa wasn’t the only brand to pull out of the market within Kenya once this occurred, as another big name in Betin closed its Kenyan operations, too.
News
Already Media opens new Warsaw headquarters
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Already Media, the tech-driven affiliate and media company, has opened its new headquarters in the Polish capital of Warsaw.
The office will initially house more than 20 members of Already Media’s 250-strong global team, with a focus on C-suite positions including CEO, COO, CLO, CFO, as well as senior SEO department heads.
Officially opening on July 1, the office provides a base for the company as it continues to pursue a primarily remote-work strategy, hiring on-the-ground talent worldwide, particularly in the emerging markets it focuses on.
Alina Famenok, CEO of Already Media, said: “It’s a proud moment to open our new headquarters in Warsaw. We’re excited to tap into the city’s thriving tech and start-up scene, as well as adding to our team from the huge amount of local talent here. Already Media has expanded rapidly over the last couple of years, and this HQ positions us well to continue what has been a remarkable journey so far.”
Members of the Already Media team – whether they work remotely or are based in Warsaw – enjoy a wide-range of benefits, with a focus on professional growth, health and work-life balance.
The approach has helped the company build a unique culture which contributes significantly to maintaining its edge when it comes to innovation.
It has been a busy few months for Already Media. In March, it acquired iconic affiliate asset PokerListings. In the months since, PokerListings has already significantly ramped up its video content output and launched into additional markets.
News
SiGMA East Europe edition moves to Budapest with Affiliate World
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SiGMA East Europe will hold its third event for the Balkan-Slavic markets in Hungary this September. Powered by Soft2Bet and taking place at the Hungaro Expo in Budapest from the 2nd to 6th of September, the event is expected to attract a 9,000-strong crowd to the expo’s Pavilion E arena.
The event will also be held back-to-back with Affiliate World, which takes place on the 5th and 6th of September in Budapest – making SiGMA East Europe a must attend for operators.
This unique partnership promises an unrivalled networking environment, offering operators the chance to connect with top tier affiliates from a diversity of sectors. With an estimated 5,000 new affiliates expected to participate, this collaboration is set to elevate opportunities for operators and suppliers alike, while also bringing many of the world’s top affiliates closer to the iGaming community. Affiliate World also took place alongside the SiGMA Eurasia event, held in Dubai earlier this year.
Affiliate Announcements
Stase Blitz: ‘For PIN-UP Partners, iGB L!VE is a trove of opportunities and sets the tone for the rest of the year’
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PIN-UP Partners will be attending iGB LIVE 2024 with a mission to be at the vanguard of the affiliate sector and a pledge to set new trends as the industry prepares to bid farewell to Amsterdam ahead of iGB L!VE’s relocation to London in July 2025.
PIN-UP Partners will be using its iGB L!VE presence to build new partnerships and find affiliates as CMO Stase Blitz confirmed: “For PIN-UP Partners, iGB L!VE is a trove of opportunities, as the event brings together the best and the brightest of the iGaming industry. Every year, iGB L!VE delivers for the business, and our team leaves the event with hundreds of new contacts that have the potential to really propel our business forward.”
Looking ahead to what she believes the industry will experience at the show she noted: “We can expect to be part of what will be the biggest edition of iGB L!VE there has ever been which would be the best possible way to say a big thanks to Amsterdam in advance of the move to London in 2025.
“Like everyone in our field we are always looking to identify new affiliates and iGB L!VE provides us with the perfect platform to do exactly that. For our part we will be using our presence on booth 11-D50 to launch amazing terms for our offers alongside some catwalk-worthy merch!”
She added: “One of our goals is to build a strong community: harnessing the power of people who are the greatest influence on any industry – but in particular ours! At iGB L!VE we are planning to host a grand event where we can gather our friends and partners for networking and so much more, so don’t forget to stop by our booth!
“The PIN-UP Partners team is delighted to be a part of the iGaming industry’s greatest event.”