SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Multinational African online bookmaker BetLion has been acquired by 888Africa, a joint-venture of 888Holdings, in a major step for the group’s vision on the continent.
BetLion is based in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi and has been licenced in both its founding market and in Zambia since 2019, and most recently expanded its international reach with a Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) licence.
888 has been pursuing its own strategy of expansion in the African market since launching 888Africa in March 2022, a joint venture led by former The Stars Group (TSG) CMO Christopher Coyne as CEO.
On the BetLion takeover, Coyne remarked: “This acquisition is a critical step as we aim to create truly unique betting and gaming experiences to players across Africa.
“The talent and technology at BetLion is perfectly suited to our growth model and ambitions, and will help to further strengthen our offering as we look to build market-leading positions across Africa. We also look forward to working with our new colleagues and introducing new customers to our local brands.”
888Africa is based in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, where it holds a local gambling licence, alongside other licences in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia.
The company has been active since October 2022, making its market debut seven months after initial launch, and is targeting a leadership position in online betting and casino across Africa.
In BetLion, 888Holdings asserts its African JV has found ‘significant local talent’ backed by four years of investment and development, alongside an extensive multinational user-base.
The company’s new acquisition focuses on a ‘high-quality, low data, and customer-first, mobile-based’ betting platform, servicing over three million customers with its own front-end technology.
Robert Chirchir, BetLion MD, said: “888Africa is a business with huge ambitions on the continent. We’re delighted to be getting involved in its exciting growth journey, and supporting its expansion through our market-leading front-end software and platform and established licences across the region. We look forward to working more closely with the team and continuing to delight customers with our joint offer.”
