Group Plans Sports Betting Introduction to South Africa

Sports betting is among the hottest trends in online gambling. If British betting tycoon has anything to say about it, South Africa will soon be a major beneficiary. With online casinos already taking in billions of dollars a year, gamblers have turned their interests to online sports betting, making wagers on European football, basketball, and other games. The Victor Chandler International group wants to get a bigger piece of the pie and sees huge potential to do so in South Africa's untapped market.

Some people are skeptical of the idea based on the country's high crime rate, worried that the introduction of online gambling will only exacerbate the situation. However, CEO Victor Chandler is not one of these people. "We are not aiming at the bottom end of the market. It is people with disposable income, obviously people who have access to the internet and credit cards, that is the market. We are looking at mainly the middle class, those with money. We see ourselves as a form of entertainment."

The Chandler group runs out of Gibraltar and includes a sports book, a casino, and poker rooms. While the company has expressed interest in classic brick-and-mortar casinos in South Africa, for the time being, they are starting with online casinos. Mr. Chandler plans to visit this fall to scope out the market's potential. With athletics as popular in South Africa as anywhere, sports betting is sure to have a bright future here.