Verify a phone number at betting sign-up by sending a one-time code to the number and creating the active account only after the player enters it correctly.
The flow
- Normalise the number to international format, for example +254712345678
- Send the code and keep the returned token on your server
- Verify the code the player types, with a limit on wrong guesses
- Mark the number as verified and lock it to one account
Details that matter
Reject numbers that are already attached to another account before sending, so you do not pay for a code that cannot be used. Expire codes after a few minutes, and make each code single use.
If the SMS does not arrive
Offer a resend after a short cooldown and switch to WhatsApp or voice automatically. With Tambua you set that order once per app and send requests without a channel.
Need OTPs that reach users across Africa? Read the API docs or get a free test key.