FIRST-TO-MARKET MOBILE ADVANTAGE FOR A REGULATED IGAMING OPERATOR IN BRAZIL

A dedicated hybrid mobile app for iOS and Android, delivered end-to-end under hard marketplace and compliance constraints – built to accelerate time-to-market without inflating development cost.

PROOF IN ONE GLANCE

KEY MILESTONES

Behind the Brand

KTO Group is a global iGaming collective with its flagship brand positioned as “leading the way in Brazil.” Publicly shared company metrics include 1.4M active users, 200+ employees, three offices worldwide, and 5B bets placed.

Strategically, KTO’s leadership has publicly stated an ambition to capture and sustain at least 10% market share in Brazil’s licensed betting market.

Challenge

KTO had strong momentum in Brazil and needed to complement a booming web platform with a dedicated mobile product that would meet mobile-first player expectations while navigating strict Apple App Store and Google Play requirements. The project needed to land within a tight market window as Brazil’s market formalized into a regulated phase in early 2025.

The challenge was not simply “building an app.” It was shipping a mobile experience users would adopt while managing three constraints at once: an aggressive timeline, rigid marketplace compliance, and dependency on an existing platform environment with its own technical limits and release dynamics. The commercial goal was clear – secure early-mover advantage and build a defensible position in a market where speed and product quality compound.

Solution

CrustLab delivered a hybrid mobile application designed to maximize time-to-market and cost efficiency without compromising the elements that decide store approval and user trust. We implemented a native core responsible for the foundations that typically drive marketplace outcomes and session security, including navigation, session lifecycle handling, and critical native UI components required for Apple review readiness.

On top of that foundation, we accelerated delivery by reusing existing web components in embedded webviews for selected non-critical surfaces during the initial stage. This approach enabled faster launch and controlled costs while preserving a clear path to progressively “nativize” additional areas based on user feedback and roadmap priorities. The intended end state was a Flutter-based hybrid experience integrating embedded services while adding targeted native functionality for fast and secure login, registration, and session handling.

To support regulated-market expectations, we implemented KYC functionality, including biometric authentication and geolocation, and introduced Responsible Gaming features, such as deposit and betting limits. We also designed and built a dedicated mobile payments experience enabling quick access to deposits and payment methods, including PIX, Brazil’s instant payment system.

Throughout delivery, CrustLab owned execution, QA, and release readiness, treating App Store compliance as a dedicated workstream rather than a late-stage risk.

Results

KTO launched its dedicated mobile application for Brazilian players, expanding its mobile offering across sportsbook and casino verticals through the official distribution channels. The release strengthened the highest-impact journeys by moving critical steps into native flows – particularly onboarding, payments, and KYC – reducing friction and improving perceived quality at moments that typically determine registration completion and first deposit.