Continent 8 Technologies, a global managed hosting and cloud provider focused on the iGaming and online sports betting sectors, has launched a new data center in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The firm has also launched a new facility at a casino resort in New York.

Continent 8 conquers South Africa

The company announced its first entry into the African continent on September 30, noting that the new data center will enable customers to offer services to South African players with lower latency and more consistent service.

The data center is directly connected to Continent 8’s private global network, which comprises more than 100 locations worldwide.

Mike Small, CEO at Continent 8 Technologies, said: “Expanding into Africa is a significant milestone for Continent 8 and a natural next step in our global growth strategy. South Africa is one of the most important, regulated betting markets in the world, and establishing a presence in Johannesburg allows us to bring the full strength of the Continent 8 platform closer to customers operating in the region.

"Beyond local infrastructure, customers will gain access to our private global network, cybersecurity expertise, cloud ecosystem and one of the most connected networks in the world, enabling them to innovate, scale and operate with confidence across multiple jurisdictions.”

The exact location of the data center or any potential colocation provider has not been disclosed.

Johannesburg is South Africa's largest data center market. Operators include NTT Data, NexAxis, Digital Realty, Africa Data Centres, Equinix, Vantage, and Teraco, among others.

Shortly after disclosing the South African site, Continent 8 revealed it has also added a data center facility in New York at the Tioga Downs Casino Resort in Nichols.

Reportedly, the facility currently offers approximately 500kW of capacity and 24 racks, with the ability to expand to 48 racks.

The 160-room Tioga Downs casino features 890 slot machines, 28 table games, and a poker room.

Continent 8's Justin Cosnett, chief product officer, previously told DCD that it selects data center locations based on "where the vertical takes us, and locations are needed for regulatory purposes.”

DCD previously spoke to Continent 8 in its deep dive into the infrastructure behind igaming and gambling. Read it here.