Data-Free Betting in Africa – Free Internet for Gambling?

[Natalim]

I came across something interesting in the African gambling scene: several betting companies (like Betika in Kenya with their “Bila Bundles”) are now offering data-free betting. Meaning, you can place bets on their apps without using up your mobile data.

How does it work? Basically, the telcos and betting apps make special deals:

- The betting app’s traffic is zero-rated (not charged to the user).
- Sometimes the betting company itself pays the telco for the data, so the user sees it as “free.”

This is spreading fast, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia. For many users in rural or low-income areas where data is expensive, it’s an easy way to gamble online.

Sounds clever for business, but it also raises questions:

- Is this a form of predatory marketing, making it too easy for people to bet?
- Should regulators allow “free internet” only for gambling apps while other services still cost?
- And could this model spread to other industries (or even crypto apps) where access is limited by data costs?

For me, it shows how far gambling firms will go to grab market share. They know people might skip betting if data is expensive, so they remove that barrier completely. Good business move, but socially… questionable.

What do you guys think?

Is data-free betting innovation or exploitation?


https://focusgn.com/africa/data-free-betting-revolutionises-africas-online-gambling-scene

[Sim_card]

o easy for people to bet?
- Should regulators allow “free internet” only for gambling apps while other services still cost.

Regulators has nothing to do on a casino providing free internet for their gamblers using their app because the casino pays the bills. This is a marketing strategy from Betika by ending the barrier of lack of data that can prevent a gambler for accessing their casino whenever he wants to gamble. I will try it out. I hope this is not another form of shilling.

[Russlenat]

This might look like good news for governments that support gambling and depend on its revenue, but making it easier with free data will likely just push addiction even higher. And considering the countries mentioned are poor, even poorer than the Philippines - that’s dangerous.

If our own government already unlinked gambling from payment apps, then I doubt they’d ever agree to something like this. Honestly, I don’t see how this benefits the people in Africa, it feels more like a win for the operators than for the players.

[Jawhead999]

That's actually a good innovation, but I think it doesn't give a big influence to make people getting addicted because internet package is cheap and most people can afford it (I've check the price of internet package in Africa is affordable).

Regulators has nothing to do on a casino providing free internet for their gamblers using their app because the casino pays the bills. This is a marketing strategy from Betika by ending the barrier of lack of data that can prevent a gambler for accessing their casino whenever he wants to gamble. I will try it out. I hope this is not another form of shilling.

Well regulators do have a part in this matter, how do people able to make deposit? either banks or e-money (if they have it), those entities are a part of regulators. If the citizen make deposit must be through cryptocurrency or visit the casinos, we can say regulators has nothing do to.

[danherbias07]

Exploitation. I think that's the priority of why they want it to be easier to access.

I don't like this. It also gives an opportunity to young people to gamble. We know kids now have their own smartphones, but most of the time they are limited in using the internet to avoid watching unwanted scenes or not for their age. If they don't even need the internet to start gambling, they will save money from buying data services, and they could use that for gambling.

It might be good for the economy of one country trying to make money through gambling taxes, but they should also consider the effects before they let these online casinos do it.

[Zigabel]

- Is this a form of predatory marketing, making it too easy for people to bet?
- Should regulators allow “free internet” only for gambling apps while other services still cost?
- And could this model spread to other industries (or even crypto apps) where access is limited by data costs?

For me, it shows how far gambling firms will go to grab market share. They know people might skip betting if data is expensive, so they remove that barrier completely. Good business move, but socially… questionable.

What do you guys think?

Is data-free betting innovation or exploitation?

A very innovative marketing strategy to capture the market i must say but it still lays in the choice of gamblers to wat to gamble with their platform or otherwise and so you cannot attempt shifting blame at them or try to call attention of authorities at them since they are not going against operational guidelines, they are only exploring innovative way of winning the market and that i believe is permitted all around. other industries can adopt this model too if they want, maybe it will help their marketing well enough only that it may cost them more because some of these platforms has got some more traffic and will require more data to load the information on their platforms so the cost may be just so much for them such that they may not wan to continue with.

Socially it doesn't seem questionable to me because there are other casinos other who are yet to be questioned only difference is that this is now coming with more accessibility but i do not want to see it as a socially questionable activity because it does not affect the society in any way negative to the point we would to say it should be checkmated if it must then other casinos should as well because they are all impacting the society almost same.

[Justbillywitt]

With or without them doing this people will still gamble, I think we have to commend them for coming up with this marketing strategy which is favouring gamblers. Gambling is still a choice, even with this move people that don't want to gamble will still not gamble. So if the gambling company has decided to help gamblers in certain areas I think we should be happy about it.

[Natalim]

o easy for people to bet?
- Should regulators allow “free internet” only for gambling apps while other services still cost.

Regulators has nothing to do on a casino providing free internet for their gamblers using their app because the casino pays the bills. This is a marketing strategy from Betika by ending the barrier of lack of data that can prevent a gambler for accessing their casino whenever he wants to gamble. I will try it out. I hope this is not another form of shilling.

Maybe the government has something to do with this. If they allowed it to happen, that means they’re supporting it. But with easy access to gambling, it will only lead to more addiction. So if the government supports it, that tells me they don’t see gambling addiction as a serious problem in the country, or they’re just ignoring the fact that this kind of easy access could cause addiction to rise.

[Charles-Tim]

It is rubbish.

Data is very cheap to afford. If someone can not afford to buy data, why should such person use small amount he has to gamble. I think addicts that have no money will prefer it.

Gambling regulators supposed not to accept this kind of thing from gambling sites.

[hyudien]

If access to gambling is made free, we must consider it a long-term problem. Imagine what will happen there with such access to gambling. While this is a good step, too many negative things will occur. I think the answer is certain: in the future, there will be even more gambling addicts in those countries. And what governments will gain from supporting such a measure will not be enough to save their citizens.

[coin-investor]

Sounds clever for business, but it also raises questions:

- Is this a form of predatory marketing, making it too easy for people to bet?
- Should regulators allow “free internet” only for gambling apps while other services still cost?
- And could this model spread to other industries (or even crypto apps) where access is limited by data costs?

It’s a good marketing scheme, but the cost of betting is more expensive than the cost of data, so gamblers are unlikely to start betting solely because of the free data.

Casinos will add features and giveaways to attract new and old players to play. The data is something new and country-targeted. I don’t know the cost of data, but it’s not something that will make people pour money into a casino because of free data.

Casinos will offer free bets and bonuses, which are more than enough to cover the cost of data. All marketing is a form of predatory marketing made to entice people to bet; it's good marketing for a country that lacks access to data.

[Moreno233]

This will not have any significant impact on gambling in general because majority of people who gamble real money have internet connection or rather gamble in physical shops. I have not seen this in my country and even when it gets here, nothing will change regarding gambling. Meanwhile, if you cannot pay for internet services, which is cheap in most African countries, you have no business with gambling and your focus should be how to get a decent source of income so you can have excess money from your basic needs with which to gamble.

[_act_]

This will not have any significant impact on gambling in general because majority of people who gamble real money have internet connection or rather gamble in physical shops. I have not seen this in my country and even when it gets here, nothing will change regarding gambling. Meanwhile, if you cannot pay for internet services, which is cheap in most African countries, you have no business with gambling and your focus should be how to get a decent source of income so you can have excess money from your basic needs with which to gamble.

Yes, if a gambler can not be able to afford internet, the person supposed not to gamble. Or if he can not be able to afford internet, he can just go to betting shop for it. I think the reason some gambling sites did this is because they think people going to betting agents shops is because they do not have money to do internet subscription but some people did not even have browsing phone, which is the reason they go to getting agent shop.

[rdluffy]

It’s a good marketing scheme, but the cost of betting is more expensive than the cost of data, so gamblers are unlikely to start betting solely because of the free data.
...

My initial thought was something like this: anyone who has money to gamble probably has money to pay for a mobile internet plan
However, this is not always the case. I know some people who don't top up their cell phones regularly, only enough to keep their line active. These people use Wi-Fi at home and in public places

Which leads me to believe that it could be a great way for betting companies to get more customers
I think many people will be able to use the app more often without having to have an active internet connection on their cell phones

I don't think it's unethical on the part of companies, since this isolated fact alone is not sufficient reason to bet, but rather a convenience for not using cell phone data

[Agbamoni]

Lol, gambling companies will do anything for the money 

This is a wise thinking from their team. If users know they can gamble without bothering about consuming their data, they will stay longer in the app, especially in an economy where the cost of paying data is very high. One good advantage of this is that, gamblers in areas with poor connection can gamble as long as they have their bankroll deposited already in the app.

[Rockson1]

Lol, gambling companies will do anything for the money 

This is a wise thinking from their team. If users know they can gamble without bothering about consuming their data, they will stay longer in the app, especially in an economy where the cost of paying data is very high. One good advantage of this is that, gamblers in areas with poor connection can gamble as long as they have their bankroll deposited already in the app.

What a good strategy, you see gambling sites are improving everyday because they understand that without coming up with such ideas on how to lure players in areas like this, they might be losing much customer because of things they can actually fix to make it easy for gamblers to gamble without making excuses, this business is getting very stronger day in day out, what a smart move, just as you pointed out gammblers will be needing in this situation is just a despite and every other thing will be in place for them to enjoy their long stay in the platform gambling.

[Samlucky O]

I came across something interesting in the African gambling scene: several betting companies (like Betika in Kenya with their “Bila Bundles”) are now offering data-free betting. Meaning, you can place bets on their apps without using up your mobile data.

well if that is true then they have something in mind or an interior motive for doing that, which could possibly be for the gamblers or  their customer to keep gambling to their losses. using the free internet will make the gamblers to keep gambling even when they are not in the mode to gamble, just because of the free internet.

Sounds clever for business, but it also raises questions:

- Is this a form of predatory marketing, making it too easy for people to bet?
- Should regulators allow “free internet” only for gambling apps while other services still cost?
- And could this model spread to other industries (or even crypto apps) where access is limited by data costs?

For me, it shows how far gambling firms will go to grab market share. They know people might skip betting if data is expensive, so they remove that barrier completely. Good business move, but socially… questionable.

What do you guys think?

i think you have said it all from this post you have made here

Is data-free betting innovation or exploitation?

i think it is an innovation and also exploitation altogether.

[BitGoba]

Interesting, but also a bit worrying. On one hand, data-free betting makes it easier for people with expensive mobile data to play, but on the other, it makes it way too easy to keep betting, which could lead to addiction. Great for business, but socially questionable.

[Findingnemo]

When something is offered for free then we are the price here, so yes it makes it obvious that they are trying to make it every possible advantage to bring more users to them but it doesn't make it unacceptable. Thety are trying to lure the users and probably trying to exploit the povery because if they can't even afford the data which is pretty cheap then how can we expect them to be a responsible gambler like only bet what they can afford to lose.

[Alphakilo]

This is obviously a new marketing strategy and although it may raise some concerns, it is quite innovative.
Some might say it's a good idea while others argue that it is not, but the truth is that the perspective you take depends on your priorities as a business man or as a strong supporter of technological advancement.
Other concerns may of course include the ethical consideration of which addiction and public well being is at the fore front and it is such that highlights that there should be stronger regulations that secure and protect a standard in the gambling industry.