Free to Play Sports Betting App

Type: Mobile Application
Platform: iOS & Android
Category: Free-to-Play Sports Engagement App

The project involved developing a mobile application where users could select seven football players they predicted would score the first or last goals across real-world fixtures. Participants would compete against each other, and top performers would win prizes — creating an engaging, community-driven sports experience.

Challenge

Sports fans often want more ways to interact with live games beyond passive viewing. The client wanted to boost user engagement and build anticipation around matches by introducing an interactive, prediction-based experience — free to play, with prizes to maintain excitement and retention.

The challenge was to deliver real-time updates, instant feedback, and a seamless, low-latency experience even when thousands of users were playing simultaneously.

Approach

ZACHIT LTD took a user-centric approach — starting with lightweight prototypes and iterating based on user testing and stakeholder feedback.
We prioritized speed, scalability, and simplicity, ensuring fans could make selections in seconds and track results effortlessly.

Core Technologies

• React Native – for a single, performant cross-platform app.
• Redux Toolkit – for reliable and predictable state management.
• Firebase – handling authentication, analytics, and cloud data storage.
• WebSockets – powering real-time score updates and in-play event streaming.
• AWS – for scalable backend infrastructure and hosting.
• Notifee – delivering rich, customizable push notifications.

Solution

The result was a fully responsive and engaging mobile app where users could:

• Pick 7 players predicted to score first or last.
• View live fixture updates and in-play scoring in real time.
• Receive instant push notifications for goals, results, and leaderboard changes.
• Track rankings on a dynamic, live leaderboard synced via WebSocket.

To ensure fairness and real-time accuracy, the system synchronized match data and scoring logic through secure, low-latency communication layers — even during high-traffic match periods.

Design & UX

The design aimed for clean visual hierarchy and intuitive usability, even for first-time players.
Our UX process focused on minimizing taps to complete a selection, maintaining visual consistency across devices, and using subtle animations for live updates and state changes.

Delivery & Results

The app was developed and deployed within five months, from initial prototype to alpha launch.
ZACHIT LTD handled the entire delivery cycle:

Requirements gathering and UI/UX design

• React Native app development
• Backend integration and AWS deployment
• QA testing, optimisation, and release management

Post-launch feedback highlighted the smooth performance, instant goal alerts, and simple yet addictive gameplay.
The app successfully increased user retention and session time during live matches, achieving the client’s goal of deeper fan engagement.

Key Outcomes

• ⚡ Real-time updates through WebSocket integration
• 🔔 Engaging notifications powered by Notifee & Firebase
• 🧠 Predictive gameplay built around real fixtures
• 🏅 Dynamic leaderboard encouraging competition
• ☁️ Scalable AWS infrastructure ensuring reliability during peak traffic

Conclusion

This free-to-play sports app exemplifies ZACHIT LTD’s expertise in delivering real-time, scalable, and engaging digital experiences.
By combining powerful backend architecture with sleek mobile UX, the project demonstrated how innovative technology can transform sports fandom into interactive participation.