Modern online betting is a world full of events and constant changes. Those usually include positive things, such as adding new technologies and becoming. Another thing that happens relatively often is new bookmakers appearing. But sometimes, things change for the worse. Recently, Bet254, a Kenyan platform, stopped working. Unfortunately, this can happen to any platform, apart from very well-established ones, since betting is a competitive field. Our article will touch on various subjects related to Bet254. Since the platform no longer operates, we won’t provide any detailed guides and tutorials on any aspect, such as the Bet254 registration. We will try to give a brief overview of what the platform offers to punters and review possible alternatives, essentially trying to answer the question in the title.
About Bet254
Bet254 was a Kenya-based platform, as you could already guess by its title, with “254” being the code of the country. The life of the platform wasn’t long. It was established in 2020. It’s not the shortest lifespan in the competitive world of online wagering, but we’d love to see the platform continue its development.
The platform provided enough features to attract punters and have their needs met. But remember that it was a rather smart website, so some functions were rather limited. For example, it didn’t provide any casino options. The list of sports wasn’t large either, but it was pretty good enough, consisting of football, basketball, rugby, and some other disciplines.
The list of wagering options was pretty wide, which is surprising for a small platform. Some new websites limit the markets to simple ones: moneylines, over/unders, and sometimes handicaps. Bet254 also provided Both Teams to Score, Double Chances, and wagers on halftime results.
Other features included jackpots, easy login, and registration processes. The platform handled deposits and withdrawals in a very straightforward manner as well, requiring only a few steps. Unfortunately, M-Pesa was the only available method, but at least it’s a popular payment system in the country, so punters were unlikely to run into big problems.
If you want to access the bookmaker from your smartphone, the options consist of a mobile website and an Android app. Unfortunately, the platform didn’t offer any version dedicated to iOS devices, but that’s to be expected, considering that Bet254 was a small bookmaker and both developing and publishing the applications for iOS required additional spending. Both mobile versions offer access to the full set of features that the service provides. The UI was also easy to navigate, although the overall interface could look better and be more modern.
Bet254 Competition
If you are a happy user of the platform and want to continue your betting activities, then taking a closer look at the competing websites can provide some results. Thankfully, the world of online wagering is rich and diverse, and finding a worthy replacement shouldn’t be difficult. But sure, there are some conditions to meet. Below, we outline what a bookmaker should offer to be a solid replacement for Bet254:
Availability in Kenya. Bet254 targeted primarily Kenyan players and was officially licensed in the country. So using it if you’re a local didn’t cause any problems at all. Moreover, the platform supported M-Pesa, a popular payment system in Kenya, for both deposits and withdrawals. If we want to provide an alternative to Bet254, then meeting this requirement must be a minimum.
Rich wagering options. As we’ve mentioned before, Bet254 stood out among many other small bookmakers by providing versatile betting options. So you have a full right to expect a similarly wide variety of markets from the competitor.
A useful mobile version. While seemingly all bookmakers at least offer a mobile website, we expect it to be a fully-functional option that includes all of the needed features and has a UI that’s not difficult to navigate. Ideally, there should also be dedicated apps. But Bet254 didn’t offer an iOS version, so we wouldn’t expect a competitor to have one, although this would be great.
And now it’s time to check out the competition. We selected a few bookmakers that meet the criteria we listed above. Some of the websites are larger than others, but overall, they can offer a similar or even better experience.
OdiBets
OdiBets is also a small bookmaker that offers its services in Kenya. The website might be limited in some features and have an outdated UI, but it nevertheless provides enough features to satisfy even a demanding punter.
First, there are different sports to wager on. You’re not limited to football only; the list of disciplines includes rugby, darts, and basketball, among many others. And similarly to Bet254, you can enjoy versatile betting markets; in soccer, it’s possible to place your wagers on whether both teams will score as well as the number of goals scored by them. For tennis, you can bet on the correct score of a set.
You can easily withdraw and deposit your funds by using M-Pesa. Everything is handled smoothly; you can even move your money around by using SMS. M-Pesa is very commonly used in Kenya and is also the only service used by Bet254, so you will feel right at home after joining OdiBets.
If you want to access OdiBets from your smartphone, then we’re sorry to say that your options are rather limited. There are no applications for iOS or Android, but you can use a mobile website, which is easy to use and offers everything you might need. But obviously, if you’re an Android user and coming from Bet254, you might be a tad disappointed.
All in all, we think that OdiBets is a nice small website that has some limitations, such as the lack of apps and casino games, but the users that prefer to play at Bet254 will feel most at home.
PlayaBet
Compared to both Bet254 and OdiBets, this platform is much more filled with features and capabilities, although we still wouldn’t group it with international heavy hitters. PlayaBet is a Kenyan platform that has almost everything to please your wagering needs.
There are plenty of sports and wagering markets; if you get tired of over/unders and money lines, you can simply enjoy other options, such as Draw No Bet, halftime/full-time predictions, and double chances.
Another interesting capability is that the platform can handle everything just by using SMS. You can log in, register, place bets, and move your funds by using the services. This can be helpful in situations where you can’t access the Internet or if you own an older phone.
Speaking of mobile phones, the platform doesn’t offer apps for iOS or Android. This is a step down for Bet254 users, but at least they can enjoy a mobile website. The latter offers pretty much everything without compromising on features. PlayaBet is a small and relatively young bookmaker, so we can expect to see some applications in the near future.
Overall, PlayaBet can be a good replacement for Bet254. Sure, there’s a lack of apps and some other disadvantages, but at the end of the day, it’s a small but capable platform with all of the needed features and versatile wagering options.
Betika
Betika is a well-known wagering platform operating in Kenya. Compared to PlayaBet and OdiBets, it’s much more famous and, in turn, has more features, but we still wouldn’t call it a large platform. But if you’re looking for a great betting experience, Betika might scratch that itch.
Betika offers quite a long list of disciplines that you can bet on. It’s much longer than what the bookmakers that we’ve reviewed above offer. You can place your predictions on soccer, basketball, baseball, MMA, and rugby, as well as on less common sports such as futsal and bowls. And that’s far from the whole list. The markets are also very diverse. For example, in football, you can place double chances, try to predict goal range, or guess the correct score, as well as bet on Both Teams to Score.
Betika was established in Kenya, so it has headquarters in the country and possesses a local license. Kenyan punters can enjoy all of the platform’s features without encountering issues. Moving the funds isn’t difficult, and the platform supports M-Pesa, making the deposit and withdrawal procedures more accessible to Kenyan punters.
And if you ever get tired of betting, the platform offers additional ways to spend your time. You can test your luck with casino options and virtuals, and jackpots can make wagering even more fun. If you want to access the service from your smartphone, then there are plenty of options: there are apps for iOS and Android, as well as a feature-packed smartphone-optimized website.
We think that Betika is among the best local Kenyan websites that you can use as a replacement for Bet254. It offers even more features, including various casino options and mobile applications for iOS and Android. The bookmaker has Kenyan origins and primarily targets punters from the country, offering M-Pesa for deposits and withdrawals.
SportyBet
Our article wouldn’t be complete without SportyBet. This is a well-established platform, although a relatively small one. It’s important to mention right at the beginning that the bookmaker is based in Nigeria. But you don’t have to worry; it perfectly works in Kenya, has a local license, and supports M-Pesa for deposits and withdrawals. It’s just that the website is an international one and offers its services in other African countries as well.
SportyBet was established in 2012, making it the oldest sportsbook on our list. The bookmaker has plenty of features to offer, although its slightly outdated design makes it look like the website is far from modern.
The platform has a sizable list of disciplines for wagering: football, basketball, tennis, table tennis, MMA, and snooker, and that’s only a few games. Dota 2, CS GO, and League of Legends represent eSports.
The betting markets are very diverse. For example, in football, you can bet on Both Teams to Score, a team winning with a “clean sheet,” or guess the correct score. Halftime options are also included. Moreover, you can even try to guess the winning method for a team. If you want to wager on basketball, your options are pretty wide, too: you can place Draw No Bet wagers and predict the results for either halves or one of many quarters. Of course, for all of these sports, you can place over/unders, moneylines, and handicaps. Unfortunately, the platform doesn’t take advantage of the flexibility of possible betting options that eSports can provide, so instead, most CS: GO and League of Legends events only feature betting on the map/series winner.
If you’re tired of regular betting, you can try virtuals. Unfortunately, the platform doesn’t offer any casino options, instead focusing on its sportsbook capabilities. Live betting and jackpots can make an experience more enjoyable. And sometimes you can participate in promotions, although currently, the website doesn’t offer any.
For mobile users, SportyBet provides iOS and Android applications. If you don’t want to install it or experience some issues, you can always use the mobile website, which features the same UI as the apps, as well as all of the crucial capabilities that you might need.
Conclusion
Of course, it’s usually sad to see your preferred bookmaker go. But things and times change, and the competition is fierce, so going out of business isn’t unheard of in the world of betting. The thing is not to get attached; withdraw your funds before everything is closed (although, usually, the platforms handle it automatically before they stop working), and find a worthy replacement.
And our article was fully dedicated to the last part: finding a platform that you can use instead of Bet254. We’ve reviewed some other Kenya-based bookmakers: OdiBets, PlayaBet, Betika, and SportyBet. We described how they could compare to Bet254 and provided quick overviews of their other features. We hope that the text will be helpful and, as a result, that you will discover another bookie that you will enjoy. And if you found the replacement before reading this article, we still wish you luck in your wagering activities!
