BETTING KENYA What is the Fate of Sports Betting in Kenya? 3 years ago Samuel Post Views: 663 The fate of sports betting in Kenya is not good. The industry lacks government support and many operator licenses have been suspended. SportPesa, Betway and Betin, among others, are out of steam thanks to the country’s Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB). Apparently the rules have changed. It didn’t help when SportPesa argued its case in court. SportPesa wanted judicial support against the BCLB and its purported illegal gambling suspension. In their lawsuit, the company asserted, “The action of the respondents are only not unreasonable, irrational and highhanded but also clearly amount to deliberate abuse of office and state power to achieve ulterior ends.” In spite of its valiant efforts, SportPesa did not prevail. Kenya High Court Justice John Mativo threw out the case, explaining, “…there is no basis the petitioner can operate on an expired license. The claim for damages for alleged loss of business is legally frail. Damages must be pleaded and proven.” It always comes down to money. Officials have altered the application of the 20% tax on gambling winnings so that it now covers amounts wagered as well. Operators are up in arms over huge tax bills and assessments of back monies now due. Some gave up; like Betway they forked it over and is now back up and running. Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta was heard to say that he would approve a complete ban on gambling if lawmakers drafted the legislation. Source: tunf.com SamuelI am a journalist specializing in gambling in Africa and around the world. I am particularly interested in stories about games and casinos. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print Tags: Kenya, SportPesa, tax Continue Reading Previous Nigeria – The Nigerian Football Federation has detected corruptionNext Tanzania – Betting cannot be a daily source of income More Stories EXPERTS KENYA State seeks to hold suspect cash, properties for longer 2 days ago Samuel KENYA Court bets against former Kiron employee’s assurances 3 days ago Szarlot BETTING NIGERIA BetKing Cares: Company embarks on ‘Month of Good’ campaign 3 days ago Szarlot BETTING NIGERIA There is a glaring need for regulation in Africa’s online betting industry 4 days ago Samuel EXPERTS KENYA Regulator now orders audit on betting firms’ sponsorship deals 5 days ago Samuel BETTING KENYA Gamblers win Sh380bn through SportPesa bets 5 days ago Szarlot BETTING KENYA Low-income people finance Kenyan bookmaking companies 5 days ago Samuel BETTING NIGERIA IlotNG: Nigeria’s most convenient and reliable sport betting in Nigeria 6 days ago Samuel KENYA ONLINE Kenyans top global uptake of mobile money-based app loans 1 week ago Szarlot BETTING NIGERIA Gobet247: New Betting Platform Launches In Nigeria 1 week ago Samuel BETTING KENYA The boom in online sportsbetting in Africa 1 week ago Szarlot BETTING KENYA Registrar sued in fight for SportPesa trademark 2 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.