At 27 years, Maha Otu is at the top of her career ladder, a position many peers only see in their dream. This achievement is even more remarkable because she is a woman in the largely male-dominated sports-betting industry, reports the GAMINGWEEK TEAM
Take us through your work trajectory. How did you get here?
I know I appear to be too young. Many people are surprised to know that I am Maha. Nobody actually expects a young person, let alone a young lady, to be a director in a sports betting company in Nigeria. I never imagined it myself. I studied Industrial Chemistry. So, initially, I wanted to work in a brewery. As a young Nigerian, that was what I was targeting. I did my internship in a brewery. I loved it. That’s what I wanted to do. But we have to make do with what we get in Nigeria, so I started out in sales with a telco company, and from there, I got a job as a customer service consultant in a sports betting company. That was how I got into the sports betting industry.
Before that, I really had no idea of something called an industry for sports betting. I had no idea it was an industry until I got the customer service job. And I think that’s the best way to start; starting from the very bottom, interacting with customers and really understanding challenges that customers may face, both online and offline.
What year were you a customer service personnel?
This was in 2019. From there, I worked hard and was diligent, and then I got the job with BetWinner. I joined BetWinner as the Team Lead. This was in 2020. I was the one who personally set up the company here in Nigeria, got the team, employed everybody here initially, and then tried to grow the company. I think the shareholders saw something in me that, maybe, I didn’t see in myself and decided to appoint me as a director in 2021. So that was how I actually got to this position as a director for BetWinner, Nigeria.
2020 was a very challenging year for the world with COVID. How did you wade through all those challenges?
For me, at that point in time, while we were all locked down, it was a time to learn, and I think for most people, too… I was working at the time from home. I initially was thinking of leaving the industry and going into tech. So, that COVID period was the time for me to learn a tech skill, but when I was appointed as a director, I had to take up this full responsibility and understand that I have a bigger role to play in the industry than I thought. So that was how I navigated the whole COVID period.
Was it the offer to be a director that made you stay?
It’s not just about the offer. It’s something that I did not see myself attaining, being a director is like a peak in the industry. Being a team lead, the next position you’re thinking about is the managerial position. Let’s say customer service manager at the time, and then I am appointed as the director. So that means there is something that I have personally to offer. There’s something that I personally didn’t see in myself that probably the shareholders saw and believed that I could actually do it. So I wasn’t going to give up all of that and go and chase something else I wasn’t even sure about.
What would you say are some landmarks or those out-of-the-box things that you did that made them say, ‘You know what? We want you to be the director!’?
I think it was about me being ambitious and not giving up… because we were just coming out of COVID, and I set up this company during that time. Doing everything diligently and being really smart about it. As a request is coming in, we needed to employ the best hands. I did employ the best hands. I have people in the company who I believe in and who I trust and who also ended up earning the trust of the company, as well. I feel all of that contributed to my getting this position because I earned that trust. They believed that they had someone that they can trust here in Nigeria because the shareholders are not here. So, they needed eyes on the ground, and they saw me as an individual who has earned their trust to handle this position.
Do you own part of the company now? Do you have shares?
Not at the moment. No.
What were some of the challenges of setting up the team?
Setting up the team was post-COVID. That was September 2020, after the lockdown. There was not much of a challenge setting up the company and employing people at the time. A lot of people lost their jobs. And I also had a pool of people who I have worked with, who I could trust to come and work with me as well, and who believed in my vision and my goals for this company. There was not much of a challenge setting up the company at that time.
What about now?
Then I was just a Team Lead, but now it’s more responsibilities. Of course, it will come with some more challenges because I am really into the operations of the company. The other challenges have to do with being concerned with regulatory issues, marketing and trying to ensure people accept us in this competitive market. That’s what we are trying to navigate.
Aren’t you concerned that you may have peaked too early in life? What else is there for you to do at this time?
It was a shocker for me at first because it’s not the job that you applied for and you were expecting. It’s just something that was given, and for me, that was grace. And at first, I was a bit confused and not sure if I could actually fit into those shoes because they’re really big shoes to fit into. So far, I have tried, and I have been able to believe in myself more because that’s the most important thing, that is the major challenge or hurdle anyone has to go through, because if you don’t believe in yourself, other people won’t see you in that light till you are confident in yourself, and you believe in yourself. So, I believed in myself, and I believed that I have a lot to achieve in this industry.
For now, I just want to make BetWinner a successful company in Nigeria. That is my major goal. That will determine a whole lot of things for me, and it will determine how I am seen in the industry and how to also measure other women in the industry; for people who might want to consider giving women the same role.
What do you plan to do exactly? What are you looking at when it comes to advancing BetWinner Nigeria?
BetWinner, Nigeria, is majorly an online sports betting company. We’re not looking at going retail for now. So, we want to first understand and gain that online audience, and maybe we can look at retail in the future, but for now, it is online. Our goal is to ensure we continue improving technology and innovation to suit that target audience and to ensure we continue meeting the needs of people in the online space. So that is my major goal. And that’s the strategy to just focus on the technological aspects of it.
What are some innovative ways used to pull these customers?
I can’t lay out my strategies here. It will be unveiled gradually. I really can’t give details of what the strategies are and all of that. One thing is: we are mobile, and the customers can have access to us anywhere on mobile and their smartphone via the mobile app. That is one obvious thing. We would leverage on that and also improve on that as well.
In terms of gender inclusion and diversity, what’s your assessment of the industry?
I think we should all know that the industry is not so diverse because we have more men… it’s a male-dominated industry, and the truth about it is, even when… let’s say there’s an operations role or anything like that, it’s men that will be considered for that role, maybe because over the years, it has been male-dominated and success has been seen from men, majorly. My having this position now is like a landmark, if I should say so. When people want to look back and see which female has done it? How far has she taken the company? It is also giving a different perspective as to how other shareholders or companies view giving women these responsibilities.
At BetWinner, what is the structure like in terms of trying to include women in the company’s operations? Is it something they are deliberate about since you feel so strongly about it?
As someone who is obviously privileged to be in this position, I also want to give people that opportunity as well. And BetWinner, as a company and a global brand as well, does not see gender when it comes to roles because most people I work with from other countries are women. Those are people involved in operations. We are very diverse and inclusive when it comes to gender. When it comes to roles, we are very inclusive. Women are involved in operations as well, not just mere positions or anything like that. In the operations role, I have a lot of women there.
Where is BetWinner originally from?
Malta.
What advice do you have for women seeking a career in the gaming industry?
Women should not be scared of chasing big dreams. At times, maybe we shy away from certain dreams because we feel like it’s too much, or at times it feels like too much responsibility. And as a woman, there are other aspects of our lives that we need to manage, as well as our careers. So, women should not be afraid of chasing big dreams. I would also like to advise women to be aware that the gaming industry is big enough to accommodate them, that they are really needed in the industry, and that their experience is very sufficient. The operations and every other aspect of the gaming industry need women. We need that feminine input because it gives us a different view of how to see the industry.
How do you measure success at BetWinner?
Personally, how I measure my success is being able to have a team that has my back; have a team to go through this work with me and achieve my goals with me. And having an environment where I see that employees, my employees, have a conducive place to work, giving room for growth and beyond. That’s success for me
Does it tie to how BetWinner defines success?
It ties to what BetWinner defines as success because, at the end of the day, I have to define success for the company. It’s also my role to define success for the company. I have to create that structure. So, if that’s a success for me, I ensure that I create that success. That is a success for the company as well.
Why have you not used your brand ambassador, Nigerian soccer legend Mikel Obi, so much in terms of activation? Do you have such plans?
We have plans. As I said earlier, I won’t unveil those plans here. But definitely, you will see more of him before the end of the year.
There’s this tango between the federal government and the states. Have you had any problems with state regulators?
It’s a very sensitive topic, and it’s a battle we keep going back and forth with, and yes, we have the Lagos licence because we had to… our office is here. We had initial issues: they said that when you have the federal licence, since you are operating online, you don’t need it (state licence), but Lagos state insisted that we needed it since our office is in Lagos. And because we’re very compliant and we didn’t want any issues, yes, we have the Lagos State licence, and we have the Oyo State licence as well. It’s a battle that’s been on for years now, and we hope it ends soon because we are on the receiving end. At the end of the day, we just try our best to ensure that we still are able to survive through that because we can’t put our business on hold till there are favourable court verdicts. We just have to try and ensure that we survive through it.
How old are you?
I turned 27 on the 26th of March last month.
Have you ever placed a bet before?
Yes.
Was it before you came into the industry or after?
After. Before I came into the industry, I wasn’t very much aware. But after I did, I did place a bet.
Curiosity? To find out what the process is?
To find out and to make money, of course, to double my money.
Did you win or lose?
Oh, my God, I lost a lot. And that’s why people have to be more aware of having control when placing bets. Gambling addiction is real, and you can easily be wrapped in it because it’s fun. It’s really fun. So, you just keep going and keep going, but control is very important.
How concerned are you? Since you mostly operate online, how do you know if underaged persons are playing?
Through the registration process, IDs and documents are supposed to be submitted. So through that process, we know that this person is underage, and the platform is not accessible to underage gamblers, so you wouldn’t have access to placing bets or withdrawing anything from the platform .
How concerned are you? Since you mostly operate online, how do you know if underaged persons are playing?
Through the registration process, IDs and documents are supposed to be submitted. So through that process, we know that this person is underage, and the platform is not accessible to underage gamblers, so you wouldn’t have access to placing bets or withdrawing anything from the platform once we notice that you are underage. And also, try to support gambling addiction projects with Gamble Alert. We try to partner with them to ensure that people who have this addiction get help and also spread the news out there about gambling addiction so that young people can be aware. In this country, things are hard. It’s not easy for most people, so it just seems like an easy way out. But it is not. At the end of the day, maybe you get this amount today, but you need to know when to stop.
How concerned are you that soon, the federal government might be issuing licences to international betting companies with no physical presence here to operate in the same space as BetWinner?
I feel like the federal government should be more concerned about that. I think they are just seeing the ‘now’ of the whole situation because those people will pay for licences and all of that, just the money that comes in at the time. But the long-term goal wouldn’t be beneficial to Nigeria, especially. If BetWinner didn’t come into operation in Nigeria, I wouldn’t be sitting down here.
It doesn’t give that room and opportunity for Nigerians to get jobs, local content promotion, and for those companies over there, they wouldn’t be able to finetune their products to suit the market here because they are not here, and they can’t fully understand the market like people who are actually in the industry on the ground. So, I hope the federal government rethinks it because it would not be beneficial to us and to them as well in the long run.
If you were to lead a lobby to the parliament, whether state or federal, what is topmost on your mind concerning the industry? What kind of laws would you like to see?
The first lobby that would be beneficial to us is having a unified taxation law/process. Having the federal and state government agree on how they want taxation to go. Then also would be promoting a better regulation for underaged gambling with something better, something more robust that goes beyond just saying “+18”, we need a more robust regulation with regards to that.
What are your opportunities and challenges in the industry?
The major one that we are still battling is this federal and state government taxation, and asides from that, the industry is highly competitive in trying to get your own audience. It can be a bit of a challenge. Inflation, too, is a problem. Marketing is not cheap, it is a lot of money put into marketing, and with things increasing in price every time, this month you spend this amount, and next month, it is not the same thing again. It is not easy for companies to keep up, especially companies that are just starting out. Then also, foreign exchange. It is not easy, forex can be very challenging for most companies.
But for opportunities: there is room to grow, it is a growing industry. There is room for companies to be strategic and make it, and rule in the Nigerian market and go through all these hurdles and all these problems and still maintain quality and acquire the target audience.
Where do you see BetWinner in five years?
I see BetWinner Nigeria as that company when you mention online sports betting; that’s the first company that comes to mind.
QUOTE
I just want to make BetWinner a successful company in Nigeria. That is my major goal. That will determine a whole lot of things for me, and it will determine how I am seen in the industry and how to also measure other women in the industry; for people who might want to consider giving women the same role. BetWinner, Nigeria, is majorly an online sports betting company. We’re not looking at going retail for now. So, we want to first understand and gain that online audience
