888Bets customers migrate to Bandabets as consolidation reshapes Malawi’s betting market

Malawian customers of 888Bets have been migrated to Bandabets, the two companies said, in a transition that hands the Pan-African sports betting operator a ready-made customer base in a market it had not previously served under its own brand.

The move, effective immediately, requires little of customers beyond a password reset.

Account balances, betting history and personal details have been transferred across, according to a joint statement from the companies, and customers who complete the reset will receive a MK 700 free bet as an incentive to remain active on the new platform.

For Bandabets, a betting brand launched in 2024 and currently licensed across Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the transaction extends its reach into a sixth market without the slower and costlier process of building a customer base from scratch.

Malawi’s addition follows a now-familiar playbook among African betting operators, where consolidation and brand migrations have become a faster route to scale than organic growth alone, as firms compete for market share in a continent where mobile-first wagering has expanded rapidly over the past decade.

888Bets, in its own statement, framed the transition as “a natural evolution” for a customer base it said it had served with a premium offering, rather than an exit from the market.

The company did not disclose the commercial terms of the arrangement or say whether the 888Bets brand would continue to operate in Malawi in any form.

Bandabets said the transition was designed to be seamless, with the migrated infrastructure intended to improve on 888Bets’ existing service through what it described as upgraded technology and product innovation.

The company markets itself as one of the continent’s more rewards-heavy platforms, leaning on bonuses, promotions and free-to-play products to build engagement, and says responsible gaming compliance sits alongside that push.

Neither company disclosed the size of the customer base being transferred, and the deal’s financial terms were not made public.

The transition is managed by Banda Holdings’ corporate affairs office, which is handling customer and media queries related to the migration.

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