KENYA LOTTERIES Kenya goverment urged to replace private betting with state lottery 5 years ago Iwo Bulski Post Views: 1,202 Kenya’s sports betting operators could find themselves out of business if the government listens to the recommendations contained in a new report. This week, Kenya’s government unveiled a report from the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), which last year was tasked with seeking public opinion on nine thematic areas identified by President Uhuru Kenyatta. These areas included corruption, safety and security, rights and responsibilities and the ‘lack of national ethos.’ Among the BBI’s observations is that “the private betting industry is leading to hopelessness and greater poverty.” The BBI recommends that betting operators “be replaced with a government-run national lottery whose proceeds, as is the case in other countries, are used for activities that uplift the youth, sports, culture and other social activities beneficial to citizens.” The BBI’s recommendations aren’t binding, although disrupting Kenya’s betting sector would seem to be perfectly aligned with the government’s current stance. The country’s two biggest bookmakers – SportPesa and Betin – both recently closed their Kenyan operations after their licenses were suspended amid a fight over how to apply the government’s new 20% tax on betting winnings. A tax court recently sided with the operators that the tax applied only to actual betting winnings, not to the original betting stake. But the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) quickly announced it would challenge this ruling, injecting still more uncertainty into the situation. Last Friday, the KRA doubled down on its tax interpretation by ordering all active betting operators to apply the 20% tax to betting stakes and to list the tax on customers’ betting slips. The KRA warned that non-compliance with this order “will attract tax recovery measures as provided for in the Tax Procedures Act.” The KRA launched its war against bookmakers earlier this year by announcing that the sector was in arrears to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. Operators disputed this assessment, leading to the suspension of 27 operators’ licenses and payment processing channels. President Kenyatta has yet to reveal to what extent he intends to implement the BBI’s recommendations, although the public will reportedly be given a say via a referendum vote. However, Kenyatta said in August that he was willing to sign a blanket ban on all gambling products if legislators were to present him with such a document, so the wrecking ball’s in your court, parliament. Source: calvinayre.com About Post Author Iwo Bulski Issues related to the gambling business is engaged in more than 30 years. My empirical experience gives me the opportunity to present events and companies from this business with full knowledge and industry knowledge. See author's posts Iwo BulskiIssues related to the gambling business is engaged in more than 30 years. My empirical experience gives me the opportunity to present events and companies from this business with full knowledge and industry knowledge. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print Tags: Kenya, national lotteries Continue Reading Previous Kenya constitutional report: abolish private betting sectorNext Life after departure of top betting sites More Stories LOTTERIES SOUTH AFRICA Two South African players win life-changing jackpots in Lotto Plus draws 2 days ago Samuel BETTING KENYA Kakamega Homeboyz renew sponsorship deal with betting firm 3 days ago Szarlot LOTTERIES SOUTH AFRICA Former Lottery Boss Is Fighting To Keep The Proceeds Of His Crime 3 days ago Szarlot BETTING KENYA Master Aviator and Aviatrix 4 days ago Szarlot BETTING KENYA Kenya Overhauls Gambling Industry with New Regulatory Framework 7 days ago Szarlot KENYA ONLINE Comparing Payment Methods for Casinos in Kenya 1 week ago Samuel BETTING KENYA The gambling market in Kenya: what it looks like in today’s environment 1 week ago Samuel BETTING KENYA How to Start Betting in Kenya: A Step-by-Step Guide 2 weeks ago Samuel LOTTERIES TANZANIA Tanzania’s National Lottery welcomes ITHUBA as new management 2 weeks ago Samuel LOTTERIES SOUTH AFRICA Someone woke up R33 million richer after bagging the Powerball Plus jackpot 2 weeks ago Samuel BETTING KENYA Homabay Electrician Wins Ksh 500,000 Daily Jackpot With Ksh 20 Stake On Maybets 2 weeks ago Samuel BETTING KENYA 1xBet support awakened the glow of Rising Stars 2 weeks ago Iwo Bulski 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.