Ted Orme-Claye, Editor at SBC News, says what everyone in the industry has been thinking these last few weeks, “The affordability issues are just never leaving us alone are they?”.

On this episode of the iGaming Daily Podcast, Orme-Claye is joined by SBC’s Charlie Horner to discuss the latest developments in the Affordability Checks saga, Super Group’s reporting restructure and Flutter’s BlackRock Buy-In amid a struggling 12 months.

The duo began by taking a look at the recent departure of Dr James Noyes from the DCMS’s Gambling Act Review Evaluation Advisory Group. Noyes stepped down citing issues with the practical implementations of the financial risk assessments (FRAs). What makes his resignation so notable is Noyes’ historical support of these checks. 

“A term we often hear bandied about with these is frictionless. This idea of making these checks as unintrusive as possible” says Orme-Claye, “Noyes expressed concern that the affordability solution as it stands is not going to be frictionless and will impact gamblers”. 

Noyes had previously written to Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, expressing his concerns over the friction caused by the FRAs. His resignation creates more uncertainty in an already protracted regulatory process, that is leaving both operators and customers unsure as to what the future will look like. 

Moving along, the pair began discussing Super Group and its recent reporting restructure that saw the iGaming giant segment Africa separately from the rest of the world. The move formalises what CEO Neal Menashe had been stating publicly for some time: Africa is the company’s primary growth priority. 

“This isn’t the first quarter where Africa have been the biggest revenue generating segment for Super Group,” said Orme-Claye, highlighting how Super Group’s continued expansion into Africa in recent years has come at the expense of North America – a decision Orme-Claye characterised as increasingly wise, given how competitive and costly those markets have proven to be for international entrants. 

The continent presents a compelling opportunity for expansion, but Orme-Claye is clear that scaling in this region must be done with strict adherence to rigorous responsible gambling frameworks. “Africa as a continent is still struggling with high rates of poverty, and there is a question mark hanging over the ethics of the gambling industry and its desire to expand into these types of markets”. 

Horner points out that SBC Media’s International Player Safety Index – Africa, released earlier this year, provides a useful reference point for operators assessing their approach. 

Finally, the pair explore Flutter Entertainment and its recent stock decline that has seen the company lose approximately 60% of its share value in the last 12 months. FanDuel, a subsidiary of Flutter, currently accounts for over 40% of the group’s revenue and holds a commanding position, alongside DraftKings, in the US sports betting market. 

The company has been actively reviewing its London Stock Exchange listing, with New York firmly established as its primary exchange. On the potential delisting, Orme-Claye says, “I don’t really think that’s as a result of any drop offs in share price, it’s more to do with the firm’s decision to reposition itself more firmly in the US”.

Against this backdrop, BlackRock – the world’s largest asset management firm – has acquired an approximately 5% stake in Flutter, possibly highlighting strong institutional confidence in Flutter’s long-term trajectory.

Check out this episode of the iGaming Daily Podcast on the SBC Media YouTube Channel.