In the 2026 Barcelona ICE conference fireside chat, Betway Africa Chairman Laurence Michel deeply shared the core logic of building a sustainable gambling business on the African continent. He emphasized that success in the African market does not depend on speed, but on patience, capital investment, and years of market-specific experience accumulation. Although the African gambling market is rapidly standardizing, it is neither simple nor universally opportunistic, and operators must be prepared for long-term investments and accept a "market-by-market" development pace. Relevant African gambling market sustainable operation cases and compliance standards can be found on the PASA official website.
Cornerstones of Success: Patience, Capital, and Long-termism
Michel believes that the three core elements of rooting in the African market are indispensable, and quick success is hard to achieve:
Rejecting "quick-win thinking": The African market needs time to cultivate, cannot pursue short-term returns, and must be laid out with a long-term mindset;
Continuous capital investment: Stable financial support is the basis for coping with market fluctuations and advancing localized operations;
Deep market understanding: Each country's market environment is different, requiring market-by-market learning and accumulation of exclusive experience, not one-size-fits-all.
He frankly stated that Africa is not a market where "anyone can easily share the spoils," and operators aiming for quick results are likely to fail.
Localization Core: Reject Copying, Root in Local Details
International brands wanting to establish themselves in Africa must abandon the idea of "direct export of European products":
Establishing a local team: The key to deep localization is to build a local team, not remote control, to ensure a rapid response to local needs;
Understanding cultural nuances: Michel emphasized, "To succeed, one must grasp the local details," including language habits, consumer behavior, cultural taboos, etc.;
Benchmarking local competitors: Mature local operators have already adapted to the market, and international brands need to adjust their products and services specifically to compete with them.
This "grounded" operating model is the core reason why Betway has established a foothold in Africa.
Keys to Sustainability: Regulatory Collaboration + Responsible Gambling
Looking to the future, Michel lists three main directions as the core priorities for sustainable business:
Strengthening responsible gambling: "There is still a lot of work to be done in responsible gambling and regulation across Africa," especially as the market matures, this need becomes more urgent;
Proactively engaging with regulators: Actively communicating with local regulatory bodies, adapting to regional regulatory frameworks, rather than being passively compliant;
Being wary of unreasonable taxation: High tax rates, if lacking effective enforcement, not only fail to protect consumers but also allow the black market to flourish, weakening the competitiveness of legal operators.
Michel also mentioned that Africa will not replicate the European market structure, and the future will continue to maintain a fragmented, locally driven character, meaning that operators who "understand the local" will continue to gain an advantage.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders" gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
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