Gambling firm Sportpesa inks deal with Airtel to grow users
Airtel Kenya CEO Adil Youssefi with his Sportpesa counterpart Ronald Karauri. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
Bettors can now deposit money to their Sportpesa accounts and withdraw amounts through Airtel Money free of charge.
Airtel Money’s biggest rival, Mpesa, currently charges Sh15 for every withdrawal made from a Sportpesa account.
Sportpesa clients in Kenya can now do sports betting using Airtel Money at no extra cost after telecommunications services provider, Airtel, inked a deal with the sports betting firm on Wednesday.
Bettors can now deposit money to their Sportpesa accounts and withdraw amounts through Airtel Money free of charge. Airtel Money’s biggest rival, Mpesa, currently charges Sh15 for every withdrawal made from a Sportpesa account.
“Sports enthusiasts can now do sports betting using Airtel Money free of charge with the freedom to engage their passion for sports and make money through SportPesa at the same time,” said Airtel Kenya's chief executive Adil El Youssefi while announcing the partnership in Nairobi.
To register with SportPesa through Airtel, Airtel Money users will need to SMS the word ‘Game’ to 79079, after which they will have to accept terms and conditions. The SMS costs Sh2.
To place a bet, one will be required to top up their betting wallet through Airtel Money to the SportPesa Paybill name 'SPORTPESA' and on reference to write the word 'FOOTBALL'.
SportPesa chief executive Ronald Karauri said that Sportpesa participants should have the confidence of placing their bets using Airtel Money, which is “a secure and convenient” mobile commerce service that allows users to do mobile money transactions at the most affordable cost available in the market.
Mr Karauri said that they (Sportpesa) are committed to better the customer betting experience.
“We believe this will provide an opportunity for more Airtel subscribers who are passionate about sports to make money out of this passion. Seeing that we provide the best odds and now there are no transaction charges, it is more win with SportPesa,” said Mr Karauri.
