This archive report was first published on 10 July 2019.
Kenya's Betting Control and Licensing Board has taken a tough stance against non-compliant betting companies, canceling the licenses of 19 firms, including SportPesa, Betin, and Betway.
The crackdown comes after a multi-agency team reviewed the licenses of all betting and gaming companies in the country, finding that the firms had failed to prove their tax compliance.
According to the Board's findings, the companies made a cumulative amount of Ksh.204 billion last year but paid only Ksh.4 billion in taxes.
Among the firms whose licenses have been canceled are SportPesa, Betin, Betway, Betpawa, PremierBet, Lucky2u, 1xBet, MozzartBet, Dafabet, World Sports Betting, Atari Gaming, Palms Bet, and Betboss.
As a result of the license cancellations, the companies now risk closure, and their senior non-Kenyan managers may be deported.
One of the affected companies, Betin, has already gone to court seeking to have its license reinstated.
It's worth noting that all betting licenses in the country were suspended and fresh applications were sought by July 1, 2019, following a stakeholders meeting between Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i and representatives of the firms in April.
