Operations Manager

Initiate International; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading iGaming operator is seeking an experienced Operations Manager in Cape Town to oversee the regulatory compliance and smooth operations of their sportsbook and casino platforms. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in the online gambling industry, understanding the complexities of regulated environments while ensuring operational readiness for audits. This role demands strong leadership and decisive management within a high-accountability environment, vital for maintaining platform stability and compliance with local gambling regulations.

Qualifications

• Experience with a licensed South African bookmaker is mandatory.
• Proven experience in sportsbook and casino operations.
• Ability to manage compliance with WCGRB requirements.

Responsibilities

• Ensure smooth, compliant operation of sportsbook and casino platforms.
• Oversee daily operationaling of payment processing and player funds.
• Act as central authority for operational interactions and audits.

Skills

Regulatory compliance expertise

Operational risk management

Strong communication skills

Leadership in regulated environments

Education

5–7+ years experience in online gambling, sportsbook, or gaming operations

Tools

Compliance management systems

Gambling regulation frameworks

Job description

Our client is a fast-growing, iGaming and sports betting operator building a high-performance operation in Cape Town. Operating in a tightly regulated environment, they are seeking an experienced Operations Manager to take ownership of the day-to-day operational engine across sportsbook, casino, payments, compliance, and platform stability.

This is a critical control role — the operational heartbeat of the business — sitting at the intersection of technology, compliance, finance, risk, and customer experience.

If you thrive in regulated environments, understand how sportsbook and casino platforms actually work under the hood, and enjoy bringing order, structure, and accountability to complex operations, this role will suit you down to the ground.

The Role

As Operations Manager, you will be responsible for ensuring the smooth, compliant, and stable operation of the sportsbook and casino platform in line with Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board (WCGRB) requirements.

You will act as the central operational authority between platform providers, customer support, payments, compliance, finance, and risk — ensuring nothing falls through the cracks and that the business is always audit-ready.

Key Responsibilities

Regulatory & Compliance Oversight (WCGRB-Focused)

• Ensure continuous compliance with:
  • WCGRB licence conditions
  • Approved Internal Control Procedures (ICPs)
  • Responsible Gambling Programme
  • Approved Management and Service Level Agreements
• Maintain operational readiness for:
  • WCGRB inspections
  • Regulatory audits and compliance reviews
• Own and maintain documented operational procedures covering:
  • Player account management
  • Sportsbook betting operations
  • Casino game operations
  • Incident, dispute, and complaints handling
• Act as a primary operational point of contact for WCGRB engagements, working closely with the Compliance Officer

Platform & Technical Operations

• Oversee the daily operation of:
  • Sportsbook platforms and betting engines
  • Casino games and RNG-based products
  • Wallets, payment flows, and transaction processing
• Manage relationships with platform and technology providers, including:
  • System performance and uptime
  • Incident management and escalation
  • Software updates, patches, and change approvals
• Ensure platform stability, scalability, and transactional integrity
• Lead escalation and resolution of:
  • Platform outages
  • Betting or settlement issues
  • Casino game malfunctions or discrepancies

Payments, Player Funds & Reconciliations

• Oversee operational processes relating to:
  • Player deposits and withdrawals
  • Player fund segregation
  • Payment provider integrations
• Ensure accurate daily reconciliations between:
  • Platform data
  • Payment providers
  • Bank accounts
• Identify and escalate discrepancies to Finance and Compliance
• Support audits and regulatory reporting related to player funds

Sportsbook & Casino Operations

• Ensure correct and compliant operation of:
  • Betting markets and odds feeds (in collaboration with Risk & Trading)
  • Bet settlement processes
  • Casino game availability and rule compliance
• Monitor betting and gameplay activity to identify:
  • Operational irregularities
  • System errors or potential abuse
• Ensure betting rules, game rules, and payout structures are correctly applied and clearly visible to players

Customer Support & Player Experience

• Oversee Customer Support operations to ensure:
  • SLA targets are consistently met
  • Player queries and disputes are resolved fairly and timeously
  • Complaints handling meets WCGRB requirements
• Ensure player complaints are:
  • Logged accurately
  • Investigated thoroughly
  • Escalated appropriately where required
• Support the operational execution of Responsible Gambling interventions

Risk, AML & Responsible Gambling Support

• Support AML and KYC operational workflows, including:
  • Account verification
  • Transaction monitoring escalations
• Work closely with Risk, Trading, and AML/KYC teams to:
  • Identify suspicious betting or transactional behaviour
  • Implement effective operational controls
• Ensure correct operational execution of:
  • Self-exclusions
  • Betting limits
  • Time-outs
  • Player protection measures

Reporting & Governance

• Prepare and deliver operational reports for:
  • Executive leadership
  • Board-level reporting
  • Regulators (where applicable)
• Track and report on:
  • Platform performance and uptime
  • Operational KPIs
  • Incident logs and root-cause analysis
• Maintain operational risk registers and incident logs
• Strong working knowledge of South African gambling legislation
• Hands-on understanding of sportsbook and casino operations
• Experience working with betting platforms, casino game providers, and payment systems
• High operational risk awareness and attention to detail
• Strong vendor, stakeholder, and cross-functional management skills
• Comfortable operating in an audit-driven, regulated environment
• Calm, structured, and decisive under pressure

Qualifications & Experience

• 5–7+ years experience in online gambling, sportsbook, or gaming operations
• Proven experience working with a licensed South African bookmaker
• Strong operational exposure to sportsbook and/or casino platforms

Advantageous

• Direct experience dealing with the WCGRB or another provincial gambling board
• Exposure to compliance, risk, audit, or regulatory functions
• Management experience within regulated gaming or financial environments

Authority & Decision-Making

• Operational decision-making within approved policies and ICPs
• Authority to elevate incidents to executive leadership, compliance, and platform providers
• Changes to regulated systems or controls subject to formal approval processes

Performance Measures

• Platform uptime and operational stability
• Zero material regulatory findings
• Speed and effectiveness of incident resolution
• Player complaint resolution times
• Audit and inspection readiness
• Accuracy of operational and financial reconciliations

This is a high-impact, high-accountability role suited to an operations professional who understands that in iGaming, operational discipline is not optional — it is the business.