South Africa’s Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board granted DigiPlus a national manufacturer licence, a bookmaker licence and a bookmaker premises licence, according to the report. DigiPlus said the approvals would enable it to enter the market; the report stated that the company had applied in late September.
The approvals give DigiPlus a route to enter South Africa’s regulated gaming market.
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DigiPlus Interactive said Brazil's recently announced prohibition of online gaming and sports wagering was unlikely to materially affect the group. The operator gave that assessment less than three months after resuming operations in Brazil.
DigiPlus said it was monitoring developments in Brazil. The outlet linked the response to what it described as a presidential ban on online gambling.
DigiPlus said it is preparing withdrawals and customer-fund returns in response to Brazil’s provisional measure banning fixed-odds betting. The company said new deposits were barred from 25 September, voluntary withdrawals are due by 5 October, platforms must stop operating from 6 October and banks must return remaining balances from 9 to 14 October. DigiPlus said the measure’s legal and legislative process remains ongoing.
FATF warned that illegal and unlicensed offshore gambling creates significant money-laundering risks. It said illicit markets in some jurisdictions are as large as or larger than regulated markets, and identified rapid cross-border transfers, complex ownership and weakly supervised partnerships as risks.
DigiPlus has appointed Teneo as strategic adviser for its international expansion. The engagement covers overseas opportunities and risks as DigiPlus operates in Brazil and South Africa and considers entry into New Zealand. DigiPlus disclosed neither the engagement’s value nor its duration.