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For years, sponsorships have been the financial backbone of African sports, sustaining leagues and teams.
However, a critical question remains: how much of this funding actually benefits the players? Too often, the answer is: not enough, and not fast enough. This imbalance has left many athletes struggling despite the lucrative deals surrounding their teams.
At the Africa Gaming Expo (AGE) Lagos panel on “Sports Betting and Local Leagues: Balancing Integrity and Revenue Generation,” Nii Armah Ashong-Katai, betPawa’s West & Southern Africa Regional Manager for CSR & Sports Development, introduced an innovative approach.
Instead of relying solely on traditional sponsorship models that filter funds through multiple layers of administration, why not create an innovative sponsorship approach that directly rewards the athletes who make the game what it is?
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This is the philosophy behind betPawa’s Locker Room Bonus (LRB) — an initiative designed to reward and celebrate players instantly after winning a game. The Locker Room Bonus eliminates bureaucratic delays, putting money straight into players’ pockets before they even leave the stadium.
The Locker Room Bonus is powered by betPawa, a brand owned by pawaTech Group, Africa’s leading gaming technology provider. With a mission to revolutionize the sports ecosystem, betPawa leverages cutting-edge digital payment platforms to facilitate immediate payouts via mobile money. Unlike conventional sponsorships that can take months or even years to benefit players, LRB ensures that every player in the matchday squad is rewarded promptly.
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How the Locker Room Bonus Works
Pre-Match Setup:
- Teams submit a list of players, including full names, jersey numbers, and mobile money-registered phone numbers.
- Players confirm their identities via betPawa’s pawaPass security platform.
- Once verified, players become eligible for Locker Room Bonuses.
On Match Day:
- Matchday squad lists are provided by local football authorities or clubs.
- betPawa’s team prepares a potential payout list based on the submitted squad.
- Bonuses are paid out immediately to winning players, with draws excluded from payouts.
Terms and Conditions:
- Recognition of Teams: The initiative accommodates varying team sizes and player rosters based on specific leagues and sports.
- Bonus Coverage: The reward extends to matchday squad players and three technical staff (head coach, assistant coach, and goalkeepers' coach in football).
- Eligibility Requirements: Player details, including mobile money registration, must be submitted 10 days before the first payout.
- Match Results: Official match results, signed by the head referee, must be communicated promptly.
Integrity is at the core of betPawa’s vision for African sports. To uphold fairness, matches eligible for Locker Room Bonuses cannot be wagered on through the betPawa platform. This ensures that the incentives remain purely performance-driven, fostering transparency and professionalism in local leagues.
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Additionally, by requiring timely match schedules and accurate squad lists, betPawa is helping to professionalise sports in Africa. The Locker Room Bonus system ensures that games start on time, teams are well-organised, and sponsorship initiatives remain structured and effective.
The conversation at AGE Lagos 2025 showed that the sports industry is ready for change. Betting companies and brands have long played a role in funding African sports, but initiatives like Locker Room Bonus show that there’s a more effective way to make an impact—one that puts players at the center. As betPawa continues its expansion, including its recent move into Nigeria through a four-year licensing partnership with Choplife Gaming, the brand is reinforcing its commitment to innovation in African sports.
About betPawa
betPawa is a mobile iGaming brand. It operates across 17 countries in Africa, having opened six new markets in the last 12 months. The brand is on a mission to ‘make betting friendly’ by providing 24-hour customer support, a user-friendly platform, the lowest minimum stakes, and guaranteed & instant payments.
About pawaTech Group
pawaTech Group, co-founded by Danish entrepreneur and investor Kresten Buch in 2015, is an iGaming solutions provider, delivering sportsbook, casino, lottery, and player management software as a service. In addition to this, pawaTech provides operational support and licenses to betPawa via its African HQ in Kigali, Rwanda. betPawa is Africa’s largest betting brand, available in 17 African countries.
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