Cell C is bringing online sports betting to its mobile subscribers in partnership with former Altech CEO Craig Venter’s betting start-up ClickaBet.

The companies are launching a pilot in Cell C’s Gauteng stores, with ClickaBet-branded prepaid debit cards on offer. Cell C said it is the first mobile operator in South Africa to offer sports betting as a value-added service.

Cell C executive head of marketing Doug Mattheus said the online sports betting market is growing exponentially. He said the total sports betting market in South Africa is worth about R36bn, while about R2bn of that is purely online. “We’d like to grow that with ClickaBet.”

To register for the service, customers need to purchase the ClickaBet prepaid debit card for R57 from participating Cell C stores in Gauteng. Upon purchase, the card is loaded with R25 of “free” betting credit, and the first time a punter places a bet, the value of their bet is doubled — up to R2 000. The R25 from ClickaBet is only for betting purposes and cannot be withdrawn.

Winnings are paid directly into a ClickaBet e-wallet. Money can be transferred out of the card, and can be used to purchase goods wherever Mastercard is accepted.

Cell C customers can register for the service and get access to sports betting on USSD by dialling *147# and selecting option 10. Once the Fica registration process has passed, customers’ mobile wallets will be created and activated on the ClickaBet USSD menu.

Only Cell C customers can purchase the ClickaBet card, and the card is linked to a customer’s Cell C mobile number. The service has been zero-rated on Cell C’s network.

Venter said the service is limited to the popular sporting codes of soccer, rugby and tennis, though this will be expanded to others soon. The plan is also to take the service national after the Gauteng launch. — © 2017 NewsCentral Media