Kenyans given 48 hours to cash out of betting firms

Gamblers in Kenya have 48 hours to withdraw their money from betting companies or lose it, as the government intensifies its radical shutdown of the Ksh200-billion ($2 billion)-a-year industry.

In response to a plea by leading telecommunication firm Safaricom to give gamers time to withdraw the money in their mobile wallets, the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB). Thursday granted the firms a 48-hour window before shutting their paybills.

“This is to permit you to allow gamers of the subject firms to withdraw any funds they may have deposited in the material period within 48 hours from the date hereof and duly notify them of the same, quoting this letter as authority,” – wrote Mr Liti Wambua, the board’s acting director, in a letter dated July 11, 2019.

Safaricom had asked the board to allow gamblers time to withdraw their money from their mobile wallets before complying with the directive. The firm says the directive will affect over 12 million customers, and that blocking them would expose the company to legal action. It is not clear how much the paybill accounts hold in gamers’ deposits, but the Nation understands that the figure could run into hundreds of millions of shillings.

Crackdown

In another move that shows its determination to stop betting companies, the betting board has roped in commercial banks and the communication sector regulator in its ongoing crackdown.

“The Betting Control and Licensing Board has not renewed operating licences for the period of July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 for firms appearing in the list attached,” – Mr Wambua wrote to the Communications Authority of Kenya.

“This is to request you, as the communications sector regulator, to duly withdraw the content service provider licences issued to the firms.”

The Nation has learnt that commercial banks have also been asked to follow through with the crackdown that will make it hard for betting firms to get their billions of shillings out of the country. It is not yet clear why the government has resorted to such a drastic action against the betting firms since taxation matters have traditionally been resolved by a tribunal or taken to court.

However, it is understood that the directive was approved by the National Security Council, which is looking at other threats gaming and gambling might pose to the nation, among them money laundering. By last evening, the paybill numbers and short codes of all the 27 companies which the government had ordered mobile companies to shut down were still in operation.

The Nation successfully deposited money into the accounts, meaning that telcos were yet to effect the government order. It also emerged that a majority of the companies whose licences have not been renewed had not been told by the BCLB before the Tuesday announcement that they faced suspension. They learnt of their fate when the Nation published the list on Tuesday. Mozzartbet, one of the companies affected by the government’s move, came out to defend itself, saying it had paid all its taxes to the last cent and had been declared compliant.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Mozzartbet Kenya Limited has a valid and current tax compliance certificate duly issued by KRA,” – said the company.

“We are not aware of any complaint of non-compliance whatsoever, and therefore take great exception to the purported suspension of our licence,” – said Mozartbet.

Source: alleastafrica