The new product enables bettors to interact with a sportsbook directly through WhatsApp, removing the need for a dedicated betting application, browser-based\u00a0platform\u00a0or data-heavy sportsbook. According to the company, users can send a message or voice note, receive betting\u00a0odds\u00a0and complete their wagers within a single conversation<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chatbet was developed by Bola Group, which\u00a0operates\u00a0the\u00a0Bolabet\u00a0brand across Zambia,\u00a0Zimbabwe\u00a0and Malawi. The product is live\u00a0immediately\u00a0in Zambia, with rollout to Zimbabwe and Malawi expected to follow. The company said the platform has been designed specifically for African markets<\/strong>, where data costs and accessibility remain significant barriers to digital betting adoption.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Powered by ChatLayer Media Technologies, the product supports betting across major sports and forms part of the operator’s wider digital growth strategy across Sub-Saharan Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Group CEO Hilton Hasson said: “Our teams have spent six months working on something that has never existed in Africa before. WhatsApp is already in everyone’s pocket, data costs<\/strong> make traditional platforms a barrier, and sports betting in this market is still massively underserved digitally, and\u00a0Chatbet\u00a0solves all three.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hasson added: “The fact that it launches as the World Cup kicks off is no accident. This is the biggest sporting event on the\u00a0planet\u00a0and we are the only operator on this continent where a fan can place a bet via a voice note. This is a huge step forward<\/strong> for sports betting in\u00a0Africa.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bolabet described Chatbet as Africa’s first WhatsApp-native sports betting product and said it is currently the only operator on the continent offering customers the ability to place bets through voice notes. The claims could not be independently verified. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The company said the launch forms part of its broader customer acquisition strategy and long-term vision for digital betting across Sub-Saharan Africa. <\/p>\n\r\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/05\/basketball-300x200.jpg\")
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