The Rift

About The Rift

Starting on Monday, the initiative brings together stakeholders in Africa, including regulators and industry associations. The Africa Safer Gambling Week will be held annually.

The initiative is based around a core objective of ensuring the growth of the gambling sector in Africa runs alongside “effective consumer protection, responsible gambling practices and greater public awareness”.

Under the campaign banner #PlaySafeAfrica, each day of this week will focus on a specific aspect of safer gambling. These include responsible gambling, personal limits and the prevention of underage gambling.

How to play The Rift

Each day of Africa Safer Gambling Week has centred on a different issue around player protection, including responsible gambling and the prevention of underage gambling.

Kesitilwe acknowledges that while Africa is one continent, it is also hugely diverse in terms of markets with different realities across regulatory structures and social contexts.

Therefore, the aim is not to create a single regulatory model, but rather continued collaboration that allows for locally relevant messaging and measures.

What is The Rift?

Enda Kendrick, chief executive of service provider Veltium, similarly says the largest UK and European sharp-betting groups have moved rapidly into US prediction markets. He believes there are also more than 100 smaller operations, ranging from individual traders to teams of around 10, interested in entering the regulated US market.

Yet the presence of professional counterparties complicates the customer-facing idea that prediction markets merely allow users to trade opinions with one another. As Kendrick puts it, two ordinary customers are not going to place $10 million or $20 million behind the Philadelphia Eagles. Markets at that scale require institutions.

For Marantelli, the exchange format could also cause some customers to lose money faster than they would with a conventional sportsbook. The ability to enter and exit positions creates a perception of flexibility, but that optionality can encourage users to commit more of their bankroll.