Exclusive: SportPesa’s Jason Gibson on Building Africa’s Gaming Future Through Trust, Local Insight and Community Investment
In this exclusive interview with iGaming News Today, Jason Gibson, Chief Commercial Officer at SportPesa discusses the differences between African markets, the importance of trust, SportPesa’s approach to brand building and its long-term investment in sports and communities.
He also explores how AI is transforming customer segmentation, CRM, call centres, marketing and personalised gaming experiences. Alongside technology, Gibson highlights responsible gaming as a growing priority and calls for stronger cooperation between operators and regulators.
Q1. You have worked across marketing, business operations and executive leadership, from BetLion to SportPesa. How have those experiences shaped the way you approach commercial growth today?
Jason Gibson:
I have spent a lot of time on the ground in the markets, which I think has given me a different perspective compared with many people in similar positions. I made the decision to actually move into the markets where we were operating, so I gained a broad understanding of how different markets work, how people behave and what makes the industry tick.
Along the way, I have also built relationships with suppliers, partners and people on the ground. I think it is really important to show your face in markets, because that gives you a strong network of people you can call on when you need something.
Commercially, that experience makes it easier to understand what I am trying to achieve in each market. When you have relationships with people who understand the industry and your business, commercial agreements become much more meaningful than simply working from a rate card or a standard commercial template.
Q2. Africa is one of the most diverse gaming markets in the world. What do you think international gaming companies often misunderstand about African customers?
Jason Gibson:
The biggest mistake I see is companies building their products from afar and then bringing them into Africa. At SportPesa, when we develop our product direction, we really try to build around what customers actually need.
Trust is a major element. Customers want to know that their money is safe, that deposits and withdrawals are fast and that bets are settled quickly. These are fundamental parts of the product experience.
A lot of international companies have the global backing and funding to enter Africa, but they do not always take the time to understand the people, their frustrations and how things actually work on the ground. There can be a lot of challenges from initial setup through to day-to-day operations, and those realities can be very different from what companies are used to in other markets.
It is also important to understand that Africa is not one market. The countries are completely different, and even our three main markets have very different customer bases and needs. Marketing behaviour can be different too. For example, Tanzania is very strong on Instagram, while Kenya has a much stronger Facebook presence. You only really learn these things by spending time in the market and with the people.
Q3. SportPesa operates across markets including Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. How do you approach building one strong brand while still adapting to the needs of different markets?
Jason Gibson:
For me, there are two elements to building a strong brand. There is the traditional brand identity – how you look, your logo and how you present yourself online. But when I talk about brand, I also mean how we show up for our employees, our communities, the teams we sponsor and the athletes we work with.
We have a very clear approach to that. It is not simply about putting our name on the front of a football or rugby shirt. We invest in the community and the infrastructure around the teams we support.
If we put our brand on a team but the administration of that team is struggling, the team will not perform, fans may stop attending matches and the sport itself can lose credibility. Ultimately, that also affects us. That is why we invest in the wider ecosystem and bring professionalism and support into those environments.
There is still a relatively immature administrative structure around some areas of sport in Africa. Clubs can struggle with funding, management and even basic revenue-generating systems such as ticketing. So our approach is to understand those challenges and provide support rather than simply writing a cheque and walking away.
I think some brands have tried to copy this model without understanding the amount of time and effort that has to go into it after the initial investment. Consistency and long-term involvement are what make the difference.
Q4. SportPesa has invested heavily in sports teams, healthcare projects and community initiatives. How important are these investments in building a brand that people genuinely trust?
Jason Gibson:
I think it is everything. Giving back and investing in the communities that trust our brand is one of the most important things we do. People need to feel and see your presence on a day-to-day basis.
For us, community investment is an always-on approach. We do not wait until the end of a licensing period to complete a CSR activity and take a few pictures. From the moment we enter a market, we are committed to being involved.
A lot of our focus is on sports, and that is intentional because the communities around professional sport are extremely important. If the sport grows and the fan base grows, there are also wider economic benefits. Vendors outside the stadium, small businesses and other people around the sporting ecosystem all benefit from increased traffic and activity.
We also believe in long-term investment. If we support a football team in the fourth division, for example, it is not just a one-year investment. We typically look at three to five years or more because we want to see that team progress through the divisions and eventually reach the top level.
That is what I mean by an always-on approach. We want to be involved from grassroots level and continue supporting organisations and communities as they develop. CSR should not be something temporary; it should be part of how a brand operates every day.
Q5. AI is changing marketing, customer engagement and business operations. How do you see AI influencing the way gaming brands connect with customers across Africa?
Jason Gibson:
A lot of the AI we are seeing today is being used around outbound messaging platforms, CRM journey management, push notifications, SMS and email communications, as well as customer segmentation.
We are dealing with millions of customers across multiple markets, so no human team can process the amount of data that AI engines can handle. Messaging and customer segmentation are therefore major areas where AI can add value.
We have also seen significant use of AI in our call centres. Africa is still very call-centre-heavy because customers value trust and often want to speak to a real person. However, we have started using bots to deal with some of the inbound traffic. That means we do not necessarily need as many agents handling routine calls and can use those people for other activities, including marketing and upselling.
AI is also helping us understand digital spend across different platforms, identify what is working and what is not, and support designers with templated creative work. That allows creative teams to spend more time on the more valuable and genuinely creative side of their work.
One of the biggest challenges, however, is the fear among employees that AI will take their jobs. A major part of our approach is therefore education. People need to understand that someone still needs to give the AI the instructions and manage the process. The technology should help people become more efficient rather than simply replace them.
We are also looking at AI on the platform side. Traditionally, the industry has often followed a one-size-fits-all approach where every customer sees the same landing page. But if someone is primarily a casino player and does not use sportsbook, there is no reason to keep showing them sportsbook content. AI can help create much more personalised experiences based on what individual customers actually use and want.
Q6. As the gaming industry grows across Africa, how can operators balance commercial growth with responsible gaming and customer education?
Jason Gibson:
I think responsible gaming is going to be an increasingly important pillar for Africa. We have seen, particularly with the growth of online casino, an increase in requests around self-exclusion.
The important thing is that while the majority of players may never need these services, the smaller number who do need help must receive the right attention and support. It is not enough to look at the numbers and say that only a small percentage of the customer base needs these services. Every customer matters, especially when they need help.
The systems and infrastructure around responsible gaming are improving, but I also think regulators have an important role to play. We ran a social awareness campaign in Kenya through the regulator, and I believe these initiatives are important because regulators are ultimately the ones who can enforce responsible gaming standards across the entire market.
For example, if SportPesa has strong self-exclusion tools and a customer excludes themselves from our platform, but there is no central system preventing them from simply going to another operator the next day, the problem has not really been solved.
That is why I believe regulators need to invest in central databases and infrastructure for customers who need support. The taxes operators pay should also contribute towards developing these systems. Responsible gaming needs to be a joint effort between operators and regulators.
Q7. SportPesa has set an ambition to become the leading gaming operator in Africa by 2030. What do you believe needs to happen to turn that vision into reality?
Jason Gibson:
I do not think we need to change the way we approach markets. We were early movers in Kenya and Tanzania, while South Africa is a newer market for SportPesa, but the principles remain the same.
For me, the key is sticking to our process and continuing to give customers the best possible mobile experience. Customers need to feel that their money is safe, deposits and withdrawals need to be fast, and bet settlement needs to happen quickly. If someone wins a bet, they should not have to call and ask why it is taking an hour to receive their money.
Trust will remain a major element of our growth.
The other important part is continuing to invest in the communities and the sports ecosystem that make our industry work. We want to remain visible on the ground, not just online.
As the industry becomes increasingly digital, it is easy for brands to lose focus on offline engagement. We will continue putting people and boots on the ground, investing in communities and making sure SportPesa is genuinely felt across the countries where we operate.
About SportPesa
SportPesa is a digital gaming and sports entertainment company founded in Nairobi in 2014. The company began as a mobile betting operator and has developed its offering across sports betting, jackpots, gaming technology, live scores and sports-related entertainment.
SportPesa operates through locally licensed entities in different markets and has a strong presence across African gaming markets, including Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.
The company’s brand strategy extends beyond online betting. SportPesa has invested in sports teams, athletes, grassroots programmes, sporting infrastructure and community initiatives. Its stated approach is to support the wider sporting ecosystem and create long-term value for players, clubs, fans and communities.
SportPesa also places emphasis on mobile accessibility, customer experience, responsible gaming and technology-led innovation. Its digital offering includes online and mobile betting services, while its wider gaming ecosystem includes jackpot products and other sports entertainment features.
