Day One of the BiG Africa Summit kicked off with the opening remarks by Chairperson, Christina Thakor- Rankin, Principal Consultant at 1710 Gaming Ltd., UK, followed by the Keynote Address by Thiran Marimuthu, Acting CEO, Gauteng Gambling Board, namely, "Keeping up to date with the changes to licensing and operating a gaming company – South Africa vs the rest of the world".

"I think it is important for us to now at this conference that we have a gambling revolution here. Where we get to learn future skills and build new job opportunities", said Thiran Marimuthu, Acting CEO, Gauteng Gambling Board.

The first panel discussion of the day took to the stage next. Moderator, Zu Tohtayeva, CEO, SteelRose Legal Ltd, lead the panel namely, "As the ever-growing regulatory demands being – How can technology, innovation and certification compliance play its roles". Panellists included Annalisa Naidoo, Product and Business Development Specialist at Bitville Gaming, Devon Dalbock, General Manager at GLI and Steve Hall, Founder at Jarvie Worldwide.

"It was a great start to getting connected again. BiG Africa has helped showcase how far Africa has come past COVID!" – Annalisa Naidoo, Product and Business Development Specialist, Bitville Gaming.

Participants enjoyed a refreshing Networking Tea Break thereafter before joining in on the first presentation of the day, namely "Technical SEO – Core web vitals – what is it and how to fix your website", by Ivana Flynn, Head of SEO at William Hill International, and Edoardo Ganetti, Head of SEO at Casumo.

The second panel discussion of the day was up next. Martin Sack, Founder and Director at Brainstorm Online (Pty) Ltd, moderated the panel namely, "Retail vs Online, what are the pros and cons?" Panellists who joined him on stage included Dolan Beuthin, CEO | Co-founder at BetMonsta, James Everett, Sales Director Africa at BetGames and Patrick Alike, Development Manager at Pragmatic Play.

After highly informative discussions, participants enjoyed a Networking Lunch Break before an entertaining Presentation & Live Lottery Draw by EMIRAT AG. Frank Herold, Member of the Board at EMIRAT AG opened the stage again with his presentation, "How to securely grow your business with bigger payouts", followed by a Live Lottery draw.

"Lottering statistics increased during the pandemic. The industry is booming internationally." – Frank Herold, Member of the Board, EMIRAT AG

"One always looks forward to learning from leaders from all over the world. Today was no different, we always get more than what we paid for. " – Robert Mdluli, Business Development Manager at Hollywoodbets.
 
Speaker, Ryan Macquet, Founder and CEO at Africa Electronic Sports Association, took to the stage next with his presentation, "Esports, far more than just a game."

The third panel discussion of the day was up next. Moderator, William Scott, Director at Warrenside Limited, lead the panel discussion; "Why localisation matters to succeed in the international arena". Panelists included, Frank Herold, Member of the Board, EMIRAT AG, Mark Tipping, Consultant, Gaming4Africa, Dolan Beuthin, CEO | Co-founder at BetMonsta, Lombo Mphande, Executive Director at Bitville Gaming South Africa (Pty) Ltd, and Martin Sack, Founder and Director, Brainstorm Online (Pty) Ltd.

"The mistake we make as potential investors is that we think that because something works, it's going to work elsewhere. We need to navigate people to strengthen localisation " – Lombo Mphande, Executive Director, Bitville Gaming South Africa (Pty) Ltd.

The last panel discussion namely, "The recent development in horse racing and how sports betting could boost the industry", was moderated by Christina Thakor-Rankin, Principal Consultant at 1710 Gaming Ltd. He was joined on stage by panellist, Dolan Beuthin, CEO | Co-founder at BetMonsta, Sean Coleman, CEO, South African Bookmakers Association and Robert Toth, Business Development Manager at Global Bet.
The Chairperson, Christina Thakor- Rankin, Principal Consultant at 1710 Gaming Ltd., UK, ended off the conference for Day One with her closing remarks.

Day One concluded with refreshing networking drinks, proudly sponsored by EI Networking. The BiG Africa Summit attendees had the opportunity to network responsibly and engage in conversation over delicious drinks and refreshments.

Eventus International would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the speakers of the 8th Annual BiG Africa Summit for sharing their insights and experiences with our international C-level audience. We would also like to thank  BetConstruct, Elite Executives, EI Networking, EMIRAT AG, Nascent Edge, Melbet Affiliates, and Global Bet for their continuous support.
  
It will be yet another full house tomorrow, so be sure to contact us for more information if you would like to secure your pass to the BiG Africa Summit: info@eventus-international.com Arrange your meetings with top gaming operators from the African continent by registering today and announcing your attendance!

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