BetCris bets on conversational betting via WhatsApp as next growth frontier

BetCris has launched a conversational sportsbook experience on WhatsApp, a move the operator believes could reshape how the iGaming industry acquires, understands and retains customers. Powered by ChatBet and integrated through the Plannatech platform, the interface allows players to discover markets, ask questions, receive personalised recommendations and place bets using natural text or voice – all within the messaging app.

From Clicks to Intent

Traditional digital channels track behaviour: where customers click and how they navigate. Conversational interfaces, by contrast, capture intent – a fundamental shift in the type of data operators can collect. Every query a player makes – “Who should I back tonight?” or “Build me a 300 peso accumulator” – becomes a first-party signal that can feed better recommendations, CRM journeys and promotions. As third-party cookies phase out, that kind of insight could prove invaluable.

A Relationship-First Approach

The model also changes customer acquisition and retention. Rather than pushing users to download an app before they see value, conversational experiences start delivering utility immediately. A player can explore markets, compare stats, learn betting terms, or just talk football before deciding to wager. The sportsbook shifts from a transactional destination to a daily sports companion, extending engagement and increasing opportunities to convert intent over time.

Latin America as the Testing Ground

Latin America is arguably the ideal region for this experiment. WhatsApp is already the default channel for consumer-business interactions across banking, retail, travel and support. Rather than asking customers to leave those conversations and open another app, BetCris brings the sportsbook directly into that environment. The platform was built by native Spanish-speaking AI teams who understand regional football culture, slang and abbreviations, whether a customer writes formally, mixes languages, or sends voice notes during a live match.

Industry Voices on the Shift

Hazel Zuñiga Gutierrez, automation supervisor at BetCris, said the launch aims to create a fundamentally different relationship with players. “It’s that we’re creating a completely different relationship with our players,” she explained, emphasising value before, during and after each bet. Sean Hulse, head of product at Plannatech, noted that innovation must fit commercial realities: “Operators are under constant pressure to innovate, but innovation needs to fit within existing commercial realities.” He highlighted how open architecture allowed BetCris to add the new interface without replacing its existing tech stack.

Josh Swerdlow, co-founder and CEO of ChatBet, argued that conversation will become the primary operator-player relationship. “We believe the next competitive advantage won’t be measured in clicks, it will be measured in conversations,” he said, pointing to consumer expectations set by companies like OpenAI, Google and Apple. He sees conversational AI extending beyond betting into CRM, acquisition, retention and gaming itself.

The Road Ahead

Every major online betting innovation – live betting, cash out, streaming, mobile, personalisation – eventually became standard. Conversational betting may follow the same path. The decisive question is whether conversation itself becomes the new customer journey, and whether operators that focus on building relationships rather than simply processing transactions will define iGaming’s next generation.