BETTING KENYA Gamblers stake Sh620 billion in four years as betting craze rises 1 year ago Szarlot Post Views: 573 Gamblers placed Sh620.97 billion bets between 2018 and last year, highlighting the craze that has made Kenya home to the highest percentage of young punters in Africa. A report tabled before the National Assembly Committee on Sports and Culture last week lifted the lid on the betting craze as millions of Kenyans, both the unemployed and those with jobs, eye quick cash. Kenya has the highest percentage of young gamblers in Africa at 76 percent and who on average spend more to bet compared to their peers across the continent, as the craze defies increased taxation. Gamblers pay tax for every winning bet besides a further levy per amount staked while gambling firms pay a raft of taxes which have been increasing over the years to thin the appeal of the Kenyan gambling market. “Kenya has the highest percentage of young gamblers in Sub-Saharan Africa (76 percent), who outspend their peers on a per-capita basis, with 96 percent of them using mobile devices,” – the report reads. The billions of shillings spent on betting have made Kenya the third biggest gambling market in Africa with an estimated worth of Sh200 billion annually, behind Nigeria and South Africa. The report does not, however, give a breakdown of how much punters staked per year in the period, but shows that betting firms paid gamblers Sh532.72 billion as winning bets. The firms made Sh88.24 billion in gross gaming revenue between 2018 and 2022. Every betting stake is taxed 12.5 percent adding to the 20 percent withholding tax on every winning bet in deliberate efforts by the State to discourage gamblers. Besides gamblers, betting firms are taxed on the gross gaming revenue —turnover minus winnings paid out— at a rate of 15 percent while they pay corporate tax on profits at a rate of 30 percent. Gamblers have increasingly spent more on betting in the hope of making quick cash to pay daily bills amid a high level of unemployment. “A typical gambler is male, below 36 years of age, from a low-income household, with at least a secondary school level of education.” Betting firms are flooding the Kenyan market in a bid to have a slice of the billions of shillings that punters stake every year. The latest listing by the Betting Control and Licensing Board shows out of the 110 betting firms licensed to operate, some 22 are new entrants. Source: businessdailyafrica.com About Post Author Szarlot I am a fan of casino games especially roulette and blackjack. After that I analyze current events in the gambling industry. See author's posts SzarlotI am a fan of casino games especially roulette and blackjack. After that I analyze current events in the gambling industry. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print Tags: betting, Kenya, winner Continue Reading Previous Nigerian Bookmakers Strengthen Partnership with Gamble AlertNext Gamblers stake Sh620 billion in four years as betting craze rises More Stories BETTING NIGERIA Popular disciplines to predict sports betting in Africa 20 hours ago Samuel BETTING KENYA 64 Teams Ready to Kick off the Mozzart Bet Cup 2025 Season 20 hours ago Samuel BETTING ETHIOPIA Betting Banned in Addis Ababa: Ethiopia’s Gambling Industry 20 hours ago Samuel KENYA ONLINE TikTok removes 334,000 malicious videos in Kenya 2 days ago Szarlot BETTING ETHIOPIA What Ethiopian Bettors Love to Bet On 6 days ago Samuel BETTING NIGERIA Teni Celebrates $50,000 Win 7 days ago Samuel BETTING ZAMBIA What sets the online betting market in Zambia apart 1 week ago Samuel BETTING UGANDA Jinja teacher wins big in fixed games betting 1 week ago Samuel BETTING KENYA Kakamega Homeboyz renew sponsorship deal with betting firm 1 week ago Szarlot BETTING WORLD NEWS European watchdog takes aim at online gambling, gaming among youths 1 week ago Szarlot BETTING NIGERIA Profitable sports betting: basic principles and key steps for accurate predictions 1 week ago Samuel BETTING KENYA Master Aviator and Aviatrix 1 week ago Szarlot Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.