![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gaming-awards.com\/NEWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Honoure-Gaming-Int-300x156.jpg\")
In 2013, when Honor\u00e9 Gaming was set up, the iGaming sector was mainly taken up with desktop operations, eye-catching graphics and live data streams. However, for co-founder Christophe Casanova, the development of other mobile phone applications held great promise for people who lived in remote areas, where connection was weak, the equipment was not very advanced and the phone served as the most important source of web access.<\/p>\n
Now, Honor\u00e9 Gaming is engaged in B2B online and retail technology solutions for sports betting, horse racing, lottery and casino through one back-office system. The company is designed for low-bandwidth, mobile-first operations within emerging markets. The company opened an office in 2023 in Dakar, Senegal, as part of its expansion into Africa. Now they focus on Latin America.<\/p>\n
Christophe Casanova, CEO and co-founder of Honor\u00e9 Gaming, talked to me about the key philosophy of their platform, the realities of operating in emerging markets, and what is meant by saying that \u201ctrust is the essential asset”.<\/p>\n
Initially, we talked about the technical difficulties in creating a platform intended for places where connectivity is not a given but a premium. I then asked Casanova what the most difficult trade-off was in order to make sure everything will work properly.<\/p>\n
His response was characteristically pragmatic. Instead of creating an advanced platform and later making it efficient, his team decided to do the exact opposite by addressing the problem from the start. Their starting point was having a mind-set focusing on \u201clow-bandwidth budget”, so they skipped all multimedia elements available on regular platforms such as video streaming, flashes and frequent updates about the odds.<\/p>\n
The emphasis was therefore on lighter data payloads and advanced caching techniques as well as designs that would still work even if the connection could not be made. Casanova also mentioned how important it is to create products that perform well on older devices since a responsive web design isn\u2019t much of a benefit if the application doesn\u2019t work on an older Android phone or if it times out because of a bad 2G network connection in the countryside.<\/p>\n
While I enquired how he juggles the emphasis on performance with other matters of importance in terms of product features, he answered that in the end it is a matter of sequence and not of exclusion.<\/p>\n
There was a clear order of importance in which core gambling functions were created and made stable, with more complicated functions only installed once the initial ones proved to be reliable and did not impair the experience of those enjoying gambling while using less developed networks as well as low-speed operations.<\/p>\n
Casanova has previously observed that “mobile\u2011first is not just a slogan, it’s the infrastructure and the primary habit of players.” I wanted to hear more about what mobile-first means in action and where operators fail when applying examples of Western companies for user experience models.<\/p>\n
Casanova\u2019s mobile-first view is a good product that is aimed at the way users work on their device rather than a desktop version. This involves having a better user interface with fewer taps, faster technology with quick loading times even with slower internet, and a payment option tailored for mobile users only.<\/p>\n
He emphasised that many operators do not understand the requirements of customers. Many operators wrongly believe that customers will behave the same as players from<\/p>\n
developed countries in terms of the amount of frustration endured and expectations regarding the level of sophistication.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gaming-awards.com\/NEWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Honoure-Gaming-Int2-247x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Unnecessary complex processes of registering on the platform, complicated verification, and numerous promotional messages do not benefit the operators in these markets. According to him, customers make quick decisions in these markets and always choose several devices to perform trivial transactions.<\/p>\n
He pointed out another frequently made mistake: undermining the significance of the retail and agent networks despite the increasing popularity of digital channels. He warned that focusing on online channels ignores the fact that trust is still primarily built through offline channels.<\/p>\n
Trust is an integral aspect of passive gaming, as stated by CPO Valentin Raigue, since he described trust as \u201cthe most important asset”. This statement brings me to the question of how to achieve the same degree of trust online as in real life in gaming.<\/p>\n
According to Casanova, in areas where retail is the fundamental pillar of trust, people are already used to betting with visible acquaintances in recognisable stores while handing over cash in person. Digital firms must gain similar trust without having to rely on physical presence. He claims it is mostly a matter of assurance and transparency rather than marketing.<\/p>\n
He stressed the importance of mobile money in establishing trust. Integrations with operators such as Orange, MTN, and Wave are paramount to the trust equation, as they form the payment rails that are already trusted for day-to-day payment exercises. This way, deposits and withdrawals for gambling have been incorporated into these platforms, thus eliminating a huge psychological barrier.<\/p>\n
Additionally, this approach makes the betting process similar to the retail experience, where transactions are instant, recognisable, and verifiable, as the player gets a confirmation of the transaction via the same channel they would use to receive their money.<\/p>\n
After opening a new office in Dakar in 2023, the company now plans to move into Latin America. I wanted to know what valuable lessons are transferred from Africa to Latin America and how both regions differ when it comes to platforms.<\/p>\n
According to Casanova, one of the main aspects learned from its expansion to Africa is the importance of local reality instead of adapting pre-existing models. He stated that the same principle will apply in Latin America and that it is important to get insight into behaviour, payment habits, connectivity challenges, etc., before starting to make assumptions concerning product usage.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gaming-awards.com\/NEWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Honoure-Gaming-Int3-300x153.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
He made a clear division of the differences by region. The payment system in most of Latin America is primarily based on banking and card systems and mobile wallets, whereas the payment system in Francophone Africa is mainly based on mobile money. The ability to access the internet in Latin America is higher than that of Africa and so changes the dynamics. The legislation regarding the payment systems in Latin America as compared to Africa differs based on each market since there are some countries that have developed formal licensing rules for payment systems relatively faster than African markets.<\/p>\n
But one thing, he insisted, remained constant: the need for a platform architecture flexible enough to absorb those differences without requiring a rebuild each time.<\/p>\n
Finally, I brought up the global buzz around prediction markets, from election forecasting to novel event contracts, and asked whether he saw a genuine opening for them in the African markets where Honor\u00e9 operates.<\/p>\n
Casanova was cautious in his response. While prediction markets are an interesting category to watch, he warned against assuming that the momentum they have in the US or in crypto-adjacent circles translates directly to their markets. The regulatory question alone is significant, he noted.<\/p>\n
Most of the jurisdictions they operate in have built their licensing frameworks around clearly defined categories\u2014sports betting, lottery, horse racing and casino\u2014and prediction markets on political or economic events sit in a genuinely ambiguous space that regulators have not yet had to address. Moving into that space without clarity from regulators, he argued, would be premature and could potentially damage the trust they have spent years building with both regulators and players.<\/p>\n
He also explained why prediction markets are not an immediate threat to their core business. A large share of player activity in their markets comes from multiples combining several selections into a single bet for a larger payout on a small stake. This is a habit deeply embedded in how their players engage with sports betting. Prediction markets, by their nature, do not lend themselves easily to that format, as they are built around single, discrete outcomes priced like a trade rather than a combinable selection within a bigger slip.<\/p>\n
That difference alone, he argued, insulates their markets from much of the disruption prediction markets could pose elsewhere, because the core product experience their players want is not what prediction markets are built to offer.<\/p>\n
He did, however, see a more natural opening in narrower, sports-adjacent prediction formats\u2014things like outcome markets tied to tournaments or seasons rather than single events. That, he acknowledged, is closer to what their players already understand, but even there it would sit alongside rather than replace the multiples-driven sports betting that remains their foundation.<\/p>\n
His conclusion was characteristically disciplined: he would rather move into that space carefully and with regulatory alignment first\u2014the same discipline they have applied to every other product line\u2014than chase a trend before the market and the rules around it are ready.<\/p>\n
As our conversation drew to a close, I found myself reflecting on the quiet confidence of Casanova’s approach. In an industry often seduced by novelty and visual excess, Honor\u00e9 Gaming has built its reputation on something far less glamorous but infinitely more sustainable: discipline, reliability, and an unshakeable commitment to understanding the real world its players inhabit.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gaming-awards.com\/NEWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Honoure-Gaming-Int4-300x166.jpg\")
The company’s success in Francophone Africa, its growing presence in Latin America, and its reputation as a trusted B2B partner all stem from a single, unfashionable insight: that technology should serve people, not the other way around. And in markets where every kilobyte counts and trust is earned one transaction at a time, that insight is worth more than all the flashy features in the world.<\/p>\n
Honor\u00e9 Gaming is a B2B technology provider offering sports betting, horse racing, lottery and casino through a single platform, purpose\u2011built for low\u2011bandwidth, mobile\u2011first environments in emerging markets. With offices in Paris and Dakar, the company serves operators across Francophone Africa and is currently assessing opportunities in Latin America.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In 2013, when Honor\u00e9 Gaming was set up, the iGaming sector was mainly taken up with desktop operations, eye-catching graphics and live data streams. However, for co-founder Christophe Casanova, the development of other mobile phone applications held great promise for people who lived in remote areas, where connection was weak, the equipment was not very […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews"],"yoast_head":"\n