NeoGames’ BtoBet has strengthened its presence in the African betting scene, partnering with Mozambique’s SOJOGO and Ethiopia’s UtopBet.

The ‘global arm’ of the Portuguese National Lottery Santa Casa de Lisboa, SOJOGO will leverage BtoBet’s proprietary sportsbook technology for both online and retail operations in Mozambique. 

SOJOGO and Santa Casa Global’s respective General Director and Executive Director, Alcinda Santiago and Francisco Pessoa e Costa, issued separate statements, saying that BtoBet ‘matches our own ambitions’ and would provide a ‘superior betting and gambling experience’.

Dima Reiderman, BtoBet Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to partner with SOJOGO in Mozambique. The agreement is yet another significant validation of the strengths of BtoBet’s competitive sportsbook solutions. 

“SOJOGO has ambitious plans to grow its footprint in the local market, and we look forward to helping to unlock those ambitions with the power and flexibility of our premium betting product.”

The agreement represents an expansion of a pre-existing arrangement NeoGames has held with Santa Cruz in the Portuguese market for ‘over a decade’, as the company’s CEO Moti Malul, observed.

He asserted that BtoBet would leverage its ‘wealth of experience’ in Mozambique to create a ‘leading sportsbook product’ for SOJOGO and deliver ‘exciting betting experiences’ to the brand’s customers.

“SOJOGO is on a mission to create a premium betting experience in Mozambique, and thanks to BtoBet’s cutting-edge technology we believe that they will be able to deliver a bespoke and localised experience to their players,” he added.

Meanwhile, the agreement with Ethiopian operator UtopBet expands BtoBet’s global presence to 28 jurisdictions, providing the firm with bet offers on local and international tournaments.

NeoGames’ sportsbook subsidiary also aims to diversify its new East African partner’s content offering with a range of virtual sports games, alongside sports betting services, including risk management.

Commenting on the firm’s Ethiopian expansion, Malul remarked: “We are pleased to further strengthen our presence in Africa, by going live in the highly competitive Ethiopian market. 

“UtopBet is one of the more well-known brands in the local market and I am pleased that the choice to power their retail and online channels fell on our flexible solutions and services. I am confident that together we will reap excellent results on the long term.”

Africa has been a target of expansion for BtoBet in 2022, with the brand having partnered with Cameroon’s Ngnatat Sarl Trading prior to NeoGames’ acquisition of Aspire Global – then the parent company behind BtoBet.