Its Time

About Its Time

“Africa is an important and growing part of SmartSoft’s international strategy, and joining the African iGaming Alliance represents an important step in strengthening our long-term commitment to the continent,” he commented.

Peter Kesitilwe, CEO of the AiA, added: “SmartSoft already has significant exposure to African markets, and we look forward to working with their team on issues ranging from B2B licensing and market access to responsible gaming, channelisation and sustainable regulation.”

The AiA said this was the latest example of its objective of bringing industry stakeholders into “constructive dialogue” as Africa’s gambling market develops.

About Its Time

Prediction markets aside, the absence of crypto on a federal level may have some drag on the regulated industry, especially in the iGaming and sports betting space.

Younger patrons are increasingly familiar with crypto, but the lack of regulatory adoption in the regulated space can push bettors to offshore or unlicensed platforms, most of which do accept it. At the ICE Barcelona conference in 2025, a panel of international sports betting CEOs lamented the fact that they were barred from adopting crypto, while their black-market competitors were not.

A report released in June by payment provider Paysafe said the percentage of online sports bettors who dabble in crypto is 64%, more than double the US average of 30%. Crypto deposits are only legal in two states, Wyoming and Colorado, but crypto withdrawals are not legal anywhere – 85% of respondents said they would welcome withdrawals as an option, Paysafe said.

How to play Its Time

The collaboration includes sponsorship rights for significant NFL events such as Super Bowl LXI and the NFL Mexico Game – a regular-season NFL matchup on 22 November 2026 in Mexico City between the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings. 

The deal extends to activations around the 2027 Super Bowl in Los Angeles. The companies have outlined provisions for hospitality programmes, VIP experiences, activations across several Mexican cities and official NFL merchandise opportunities for Codere Online’s customer base.

“This agreement strengthens our premium positioning while underlining our long-term commitment to Mexico, a market with an extraordinary passion for the NFL,” said Carlos Sabanza, director of sponsorships and public relations at Codere Online.