Golden Race Gets Green Light to Offer Online Gaming Services in South Africa

Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) Africa, has certified the virtual sports and betting supplier, Golden Race to operate in South Africa. The certification grants Golden Race B2B provider status, and with that the right to roll out its V4 solution and offer its online products and solutions in the SA gambling market. As per a tweet sent by Golden Race on social media:

We are now certified as a wagering b2b online provider in #SouthAfrica! This certification has been issued for the latest version of #GoldenRace’s V4 online solution, that presents an extended games portfolio and important innovations.

The group’s products including 3D virtual football, virtual keno, 3D racing and 24/7 online live games. Golden Race is no stranger to the African gambling market. The group processes 80% of the tickets sold for virtual gaming markets on the continent and its virtual football leagues continue to gain popularity. Its V4 online solutions also provide updates to features such as a new back-office. Golden Race also signed a partnership with Headsquare, which is the exclusive brand licensee for Betway in South Africa.

Signed Deals with 100 Operators

2020 was a significant year for Golden Race. The group experienced significant expansion and, according to Golden Race, it signed agreements with no less than 100 new operators in the first three weeks of the pandemic. In a webinar sponsored by Golden Race in April 2020, the group’s CEO and founder, Martin Wachter, said that many sports betting companies were looking at its virtual games as a way to get back lost sports betting revenue. The pandemic wreaked havoc with international sports leagues and games, and sportsbooks had to find a way to retain players and keep them entertained.

“I see a lot of traffic every day coming into us, people see that we are maybe the only solution when you lose content on sports betting, with the suspensions that are happening everywhere,” Wachter said in the webinar. Looking to the future, Wachter said: “I see virtual sports as a big opportunity. You have to understand that what you push now in online it will be here, it will remain. And when you are back in retail, when you are back with your sports betting, you still will have the beauty of virtual sports in your traffic. People get used to it, so this is what I see in Golden Race. Even if we lose all the retail and we lose money, one day we will be back and we have topped up our virtuals online and we will be stronger than ever.”

Virtual Sports Betting is Legal in South Africa

While the National Gaming Board continues to warn operators that they may not offer their online casino games from inside the country, this is not the case for virtual games such as those offered by Golden Race. Virtual sports betting is considered a legal form of sports betting, and operators can apply for licenses to serve the South African market.