“ Shop closures will have a very small effect on the industry ; as soon as these operations are allowed to commence , they will do so with little disturbance to historic turnover figures ”
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“ Shop closures will have a very small effect on the industry ; as soon as these operations are allowed to commence , they will do so with little disturbance to historic turnover figures ”
NEIL WILKIE , YELLOWBET push other products such as poker , bingo , online casino and slots ”. But he adds : “ The jury is still out on the long-term popularity once we see a return of live sporting events .”
More certain , he suggests , is that the recent crisis will “ give the continent the kick-start it needs and allow people to move away from retail ”. They won ’ t shun it entirely , he adds . “ Not that shops won ’ t always have their place . There are strong cultural ties to betting shops and people like to bet with their friends . They also provide free Wi-Fi , which is important .”
Neil Wilkie , managing director of Yellowbet , suggests that betting shops ’ roles in many villages and townships as the “ social hubs of the communities ” will continue . “ Shop closures / lockdowns will have a small effect on the industry ; as soon as these operations are allowed to commence , they will do so with very little disturbance to historic turnover figures .”
Mathew Symmonds , chief executive and founder of Web Analysis Solutions , the company behind largely African-facing affiliate sites WinDrawWin and
PredictZ , agrees . “ Many still prefer to bet offline than online , partly because of trust , but also because betting in retail shops creates a social environment for consumers where they can meet others and watch sport in those shops .
“ Many consumers still like to bet in physical cash , and get a physical bet slip , and many consumers do not have access to payment methods that they can use online , like bank accounts or cards . Mobile data is still expensive in Africa too , so betting online is more restrictive than in European markets .”
October 2020