Greek lottery and sports betting provider Intralot has announced that it is to offer mobile sports betting services in Kenya under the mCheza brand following agreement on a ten-year collaborative deal with local company Acumen Communications Limited.

The two companies plan an investment of $15 million over the next three years in an expansion plan that covers other East African nations.

The new business features an interactive platform for football fans to create accounts and predict scores for 277 leagues involved in international football matches.

The venture has the approval of the Kenya Betting Control and Licensing Board, which has licensed Acumen and the use of Intralot’s iFlex sports betting platform and backend services. Mobile payment services will be supplied by Safaricom, using its Mpesa platform.

“Numerous sports, markets and betting modes will be incorporated on the platform in the first quarter of 2016, with live betting to follow thereafter,” mCheza chief executive Peter Karimi revealed at a Nairobi press conference.

Intralot’s European and African business development manager, Antonis Markopuolos, said:

“Research has revealed there is increased potential for growth of online mobile gaming in Africa. By investing in this market; we look forward to improving the lives of Kenyans as they connect with their favorite teams.”