Unveiled at an exclusive industry event themed “Beating the Odds: Innovation and Solutions for Smarter Betting Operations,” the new offerings are tailored to optimise payment flows, simplify collections, enable instant payouts, and personalise the player experience through reliable, tech-driven processes.

Hosted at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, the session convened key stakeholders, regulators, and operators from across the gaming ecosystem, all seeking smarter, more efficient ways to serve Nigeria’s fast-growing digital-first consumer base.

With a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities in the gaming sector, Interswitch’s integrated solutions are designed to boost operational efficiency, streamline collections, and improve customer satisfaction through seamless transactions, faster payouts, and personalised rewards.

In his welcome address, Osasere Atohengbe, vice president, Sales and Account Management, Interswitch, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to empowering businesses with intelligent and scalable solutions. He said:

“At Interswitch, our mission is to enable businesses with the right tools to thrive. We see technology as a powerful enabler, not just for gaming operators, but also for the players who expect fast, secure, and frictionless experiences. With our integrated suite of payment and collection solutions, we’re helping gaming platforms simplify backend operations, from reconciliation and payouts to collections and tracking, ultimately unlocking greater value and scalability in today’s competitive market.”

Delivering the keynote address, Adetoun Adeyemi, director of Legal, Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, who represented Bashir Are, chief executive officer, Lagos State Lotteries and Authority, lauded the initiative and emphasised its potential to transforming the entire gaming ecosystem:

“We are truly excited about the potential of Interswitch’s Integrated Solutions Suite to significantly impact the gaming industry. These innovations will not only provide operators with smarter, more efficient tools but also empower us, as regulators, to foster a transparent, compliant, and well-structured ecosystem. This initiative supports our collective goal of building a responsible and well-structured gaming industry in Lagos State.”

At the core of the offering is the Interswitch Payment Gateway, which facilitates seamless, real-time payments across a wide range of channels, including cards, bank transfers, USSD, Quickteller, Google Pay, OPay, and more, via a single, unified integration.

This simplifies onboarding and transaction processing for operators while elevating the payment experience for end-users across touchpoints.

Also featured is the Interswitch collections platform, Paydirect, a multi-channel collection platform that allows operators to accept payments through online platforms, physical bank branches, agent networks, and Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals. All transactions are consolidated into a centralised dashboard, enabling simplified tracking, real-time monitoring, and error-free reconciliation.

To support real-time disbursements, the Quickteller-powered funds transfer service allows operators to instantly pay winnings or transfer funds to bank accounts across Nigeria.

This not only fosters trust but also improves player satisfaction by ensuring timely settlements. Also integral to the suite of solutions is the Static Virtual Account (Pay with Transfer) feature, which assigns unique virtual account numbers to individual customers.

This innovation eliminates referencing errors, simplifies deposit identification, and enables automated reconciliation, giving operators greater visibility, control, and accuracy in managing inflows.

Beyond payments, Interswitch showcased an expanded portfolio of business-enabling solutions designed to drive operational efficiency, enhance customer engagement, and improve user experience for gaming operators.

The Interswitch Corporate 360 (IC360) platform was highlighted as a comprehensive tool that consolidates financial operations, covering everything from tax compliance and vendor payments to real-time account visibility and ERP integration, helping operators streamline processes and reduce redundancy.

In addition, Interswitch’s Enterprise Rewards Solution offers a digital rewards platform that incentivises customer behaviour with instant airtime, data, vouchers, and other perks, backed by intelligent analytics for targeted engagement.

The USSD and offline solutions ensure uninterrupted access to gaming services even without internet connectivity, reducing transaction drop-offs, while the Salary Lending Solution provides employees of partner firms with quick, short-term salary advances via Quickteller.

Complementing these offerings, the broader suite also incorporates advanced tools such as Digital Escrow Services for secure transactions, Fraud Management Systems to mitigate risks, and API Integration Tools that enable seamless incorporation of Interswitch’s capabilities into operators’ existing infrastructure.

Together, these solutions underscore Interswitch’s commitment to delivering not only smarter payments but also comprehensive business enablement for gaming operators.

Through its combination of cutting-edge payment solutions and a wide array of operational tools, Interswitch is redefining the future of Nigeria’s gaming industry.

With smarter, tech-enabled operations, the company is empowering gaming operators to enhance compliance, increase efficiency, and build deeper relationships with customers.

By leading conversations on smarter payment solutions and enabling tech-powered growth in gaming, Interswitch is reinforcing its role as a trusted partner in shaping the future of digital financial services, not only in Nigeria but across Africa.

The programme themed, ‘Sustainable Tax Management: Exploring Digital Remittance’ was held on Thursday, November 24, 2022, and had in attendance stakeholders within the revenue service value chain – private citizens, tax managers, accountants, tax auditors, tax consultants, bankers, and business owners.

To increase awareness of the benefits of adopting the digital tax remittance system, FIRS introduced the taxpayers’ sensitization programme.

The activities for the programme included demo and enquiry sessions on the Tax-Pro Max e-filing platform launched by the Government tax management agency to address the complications experienced by taxpayers using the previous collection system.

Interswitch, as a key technology partner to the FIRS, showcased its Paydirect solution as a simple and reliable payment option on the FIRS Tax Administration Platform (TaxPro-Max).

The Paydirect solution, which is integrated with the FIRS’ TaxPro Max system, adds to the seamlessness in the filing and remittance of taxes, boosting the efficiency of the collection system and facilitating compliance.

Speaking at the event, Group Head, Government, Interswitch, Osasere Atohengbe, noted that the rise of technology-led processes has led to the improvement of service delivery, and Interswitch, as a technology-driven and user-focused company, will continue to work with the collection agency to ensure that taxpayers have access to easy tax filing and payment systems, while also boosting government revenue and national development.

Atohengbe added, “Not only is it important to pay taxes to improve infrastructural development, but the system of tax payment also needs to be addressed to ensure that its collection is sustainable, seamless, transparent and effective.

“To do this, taxpayers need to be in the loop, and we at Interswitch will continue our work with the FIRS to provide the necessary infrastructure that promotes the adoption of digital tax payments among taxpayers.”

The event also featured award presentations to stakeholders and partners of Interswitch and the tax collection agency for their continued support in advancing the goal of tax collection in the country.

Remarking on the sensitization of the critical mass on the need for the uptake of digital remittance in the country, Manasseh Otega, the Assistant Director, Taxpayer Service Department, noted that there was a significant growth in the number of taxpayers as it continues in its awareness drive.

Recently, Interswitch and FIRS concluded a sensitization program held in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), extending its message across the country, in a bid to improve the taxpayers’ experience, widen the tax net and simplify tax remittance.

Interswitch Collections Solution is a platform that enables government agencies and corporate organizations to collect and monitor revenue across various channels such as banks, Point of Sales (PoS) terminals, Internet banking, and the Quickteller (web, mobile, ATM, and USSD) platform.

The use of this platform by the state government will ensure transparency in revenue collection, and bills payment while checking revenue leakages.

Adamawa State Government will also benefit from the ease of use the platform offers as well as centralized view of all revenue collected by its agencies and online real-time reporting and monitoring.

To support the state government’s drive to engender open governance, accountability and strategic planning, the payment platform will reduce reconciliation issues, improve efficiency, and ensure access to detailed business intelligence reports for effective decision-making.

Speaking on the partnership, Chinyere Don-Okhuofu, the Managing Director, Interswitch Industry Ecosystems, stated, “This strategic collaboration aligns with our overarching goal of facilitating safe, secure, and seamless payment options for Nigerians through our digital payment platforms. The robust payment platform was designed to help the governments to achieve strong economic growth and foster sustainable development for Nigeria”.

Also speaking about the alliance, the Regional Head of Sales, North, Interswitch Group, Thomas Ezeh, said “Interswitch is committed to empowering the Adamawa government to collect Internally Generated Revenue efficiently and effectively. Our goal, among other things, is to help governments at all levels and agencies to achieve their revenue targets.

“We encourage all government agencies to come on board as we believe that digital revenue collection and payment have the potential to attract investments and boost economic growth.”

Due to the trust in Interswitch’s robust payment solutions, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB), Kaduna and Kano States have partnered with the African payment giant for seamless filing and payment of tax, duties and examination registration.

This attests to​​ Interswitch’s commitment to delivering robust and efficient payment solutions that align with global standards.