DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, Feb. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — When Meridianbet’s Tanzania operations spoke at the American Chamber of Commerce Appreciation Dinner last week, the presentation opened with a single number: 500.
That’s how many community initiatives the sports entertainment company has completed across Tanzania since 2009. Education programs. Small business training. Youth sports sponsorship. Public health awareness campaigns. Local infrastructure support.
For a gaming company operating under a NASDAQ-listed parent (Golden Matrix Group, ticker: GMGI), sustained community investment at this scale is unusual. The industry has a reputation for extracting value. Meridianbet’s seventeen-year presence in Tanzania tells a different story.
The Social Model
“We’re in the business of friends gathering at local clubs to watch matches, share a drink, and place small stakes on the outcome,” a company representative said at the event. “The betting is part of the experience. The gathering is the real value.”
The framing matters because it shapes operational decisions. Meridianbet Tanzania, as is the case worldwide, structures its platform to encourage many customers placing small amounts. The alternative would be concentrating revenue among high-stakes players. That model creates problems. Problem gambling. Revenue volatility. Regulatory scrutiny.
Small-stake betting spread across many customers creates different dynamics. Lower risk per individual. More stable revenue. Better alignment with Tanzania’s consumer protection regulations.
The company’s responsible gaming protocols reflect this approach. Early intervention when betting patterns suggest trouble. Support resources in Swahili and English. Limits designed to keep stakes small and entertainment value high.
Community Ambassadors
The scale of Meridianbet’s community programs drew attention at the AmCham dinner. What got people talking was who runs them.
The company built a network of “community ambassadors.” These are customers who participate in CSR initiatives as partners. They identify needs in their neighborhoods. They volunteer in education programs. They mentor local entrepreneurs. They organize school supply drives and coach youth sports teams.
This shifts how corporate social responsibility works. Traditional CSR runs top-down. Companies donate money. Communities receive it. The relationship is transactional.
Meridianbet’s model distributes responsibility. Customers become patrons of community development. The company provides platform and resources. The customers craft the donation policy.
“When a customer helps fund a school program or mentors a young business owner, they’re building their own community,” the representative said. “We make it possible.”
Seventeen years and 500 initiatives suggest the model works. Whether it scales beyond Tanzania remains to be seen. For now, it appears to have created genuine community ties rather than performative charity.
The Gender Metric
One data point from the presentation got repeated in conversations after the event: 70% of managerial positions across Meridianbet’s African operations are held by women.
The gaming industry globally runs around 30% women in leadership roles. East African businesses average 35%. Meridianbet’s 70% is an outlier.
The company implements a performance-based hiring and promotion. No quotas. Just competence rewarded. Whether that’s the full story or not, the outcome is measurable. Management teams reflect the communities they serve. Diversity intentions are easy to state. Diversity outcomes are harder to deliver. The Company’s numbers show outcome.
Seventeen Years
Tanzania’s gaming market has grown considerably since 2009. Mobile penetration increased. Disposable incomes rose among the middle class. International operators entered. Some stayed. Many left when margins compressed or regulations tightened.
Meridianbet stayed. Seventeen years. 200 employees. Hundreds of local retail partnerships. That longevity suggests the company views Tanzania as infrastructure, not opportunity.
American companies face pressure to demonstrate ESG commitments in emerging markets. Words are easy. Execution is hard. Meridianbet’s Tanzania operations show what seventeen years of execution looks like.
About Meridianbet
Founded in 2001, Meridianbet Group is a well-established online sports betting and gaming group, licensed and currently operating in 18 jurisdictions across Europe, Africa, and South America. The Meridianbet Group’s successful business model utilizes proprietary technology and scalable systems, allowing it to operate in multiple countries and currencies with an omni-channel approach to markets, including retail, desktop online, and mobile. The Company is part of the Golden Matrix Group (NASDAQ: GMGI). Contact https://x.com/meridianbet_ofc and ir@meridianbet.com.
About Golden Matrix
Golden Matrix Group (NASDAQ: GMGI), based in Las Vegas, is a gaming technology company operating globally through B2B divisions (GMAG, Expanse Studios) that develop and license proprietary platforms, and B2C operations including RKings (UK competitions), Mexplay (Mexico online casino), and Meridianbet—a leading sportsbook licensed in 18 jurisdictions across Europe, Africa, and South America. Learn more at www.goldenmatrix.com.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/09adef19-d7f1-47a5-bb28-4e4c87152fe3
