This archive report was first published on 16 July 2019.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has been at the forefront of the government's efforts to regulate the betting industry in Kenya.
However, SportPesa, one of the leading betting companies in the country, has come out to defend its business model, citing data from Google that shows the majority of its users are between 25-34 years old.
According to the data, people between 25-34 years old make up 59.74% of the site visitors, followed by those between 35-44 years old at 23.46%. The age group of 18-24 years old, on the other hand, makes up only 4.90% of the site visitors.
The data was released by SportPesa in a newspaper advert, which also showed that the company collected Sh20 billion in revenues, made Sh9 billion in gross profit, and paid Sh6.4 billion in taxes in 2018.
Defending its activities, SportPesa listed a number of social responsibility initiatives within the sports community and local communities, including investing Sh693 million in football, Sh600 million in rugby, and Sh75 million in boxing.
However, the company's efforts to defend its business model have been met with criticism from some quarters, with former spokesperson for the interior ministry, Mwenda Njoka, admitting that gaming posed a greater challenge to the nation and especially the youth.
"We have had cases of children committing suicide after losing bets," Njoka said in an interview with CNN.
"What is lacking is we need to have some counselling not just for the physical but for the mindset, for people who are addicted to gambling," he added.
