BETTING KENYA SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri to run for Kasarani MP seat 6 months ago Iwo Bulski Post Views: 314 Ronald Karauri, the Chief Executive Officer of SportPesa betting company, has declared interest in the Kasarani parliamentary seat. In a brief text message to The Standard on Wednesday, February 9, Karauri said he will seek to unseat Mercy Gakuya in the August 9, 2022 General Election. Karauri, 44, remained mum on which party he is seeking to contest on. “I will decide on the party later,” – he said. The SportPesa boss has undergone a turbulent two-year period at the helm of the embattled betting firm, after the Government, in October 2020, revoked the company’s operating license over a Sh14.9 billion tax dispute. SportPesa’s parent company, Pevans East Africa Limited, has since ceased operations in the country. SportPesa’s subsequent attempts to bounce back to business, through court processes, were blocked. Karauri and other SportPesa shareholders were, consequently, forced to look for other ways of re-entering the lucrative Kenyan market. The firm approached newly-registered betting company, Milestone Games Limited, which onboarded SportPesa in December 2020 under its operating license. The government’s attempts to revoke Milestone Games Limited’s license have been met with opposition, and a barrage of court countersuits by SportPesa. At its peak, SportPesa was making tens of millions of shillings daily, prompting the government to dig in its tax books. At the same time, the Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i expressed concern at the rise of stress levels among the youth who had lost funds in betting. In an interview with The Standard four years ago, Karauri said the number of people who were affected by bet losses were fewer compared to those who were benefiting from gambling. “It is your imagination [that betting has destroyed careers and broken families]. It could be one or two cases, but I have not come across these ‘problems’ that people are trying to create. Most of the stories are speculative and cannot be verified. Besides, in a society, some people will always misbehave. It is important to exercise responsibility,” – added Karauri. Source: standardmedia.co.ke 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: Karauri, Milestone Games Limited, Pevans, SportPesa Continue Reading Previous Sportpesa boss Karauri bets on dirty game of politicsNext Carry your wives along when betting, says BetKing AFKON winner More Stories BETTING GHANA Ghana: Gaming Commission Must Regulate Industry 18 hours ago Szarlot BETTING KENYA Kenyans spend over KSh 300b on bets, cigarettes and liquor yearly 20 hours ago Szarlot BETTING NIGERIA All About Cricket Betting 2 days ago Iwo Bulski EXPERTS KENYA Poor tax policy erodes Kenya’s investor attractiveness – survey 2 days ago Szarlot BETTING KENYA Kenyan government orders all operators to close for election day 2 days ago Iwo Bulski BETTING KENYA The government should work with the betting industry 1 week ago Iwo Bulski KENYA ONLINE The influencers paid to push hashtags 1 week ago Iwo Bulski BETTING KENYA Eighteen new firms enter booming betting arena 2 weeks ago Iwo Bulski EXPERTS KENYA Kenya launches AML probe focusing on betting operations 2 weeks ago Iwo Bulski EXPERTS KENYA Digital scams have hit Kenya’s gambling and travel industry 2 weeks ago Samuel BETTING KENYA Tanzania joins Kenya, Uganda tax squeeze on gamblers’ winnings 2 weeks ago Iwo Bulski BETTING HOT NEWS KENYA BCLB clears 11 betting companies to receive operating licenses 3 weeks ago Samuel 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.