This archive report was first published on 16 July 2019.
On July 16, 2019, SportPesa published a newspaper advert citing Google Analytics, which showed that most of its bettors on its platform are between the ages of 25 and 34.
The company, which has seen its license renewal refused by the government due to tax compliance and regulatory issues, stated that it does not own any betting shops but conducts its business online.
According to the analytics, people aged between 25 and 34 years are the highest bettors at 59.74% of the site visits, followed by 35 to 44-year-olds at 23.46%, and 18 to 24-year-olds at 4.90%.
The total traffic on the site stood at 705,813 visitors between June 1 and June 30, 2019.
Former Interior Ministry spokesperson Mwenda Njoka, in an interview with CNN, admitted that gaming posed a significant challenge to the nation, especially the youth.
"We have had cases of children committing suicide after losing bets," Njoka said. "What is lacking is we need to have some counseling not just for the physical but for the mindset, for people who are addicted to gambling."
As a result of the growing concern, the government ordered mobile telephony operators to close mobile money and SMS short-codes, affecting millions of Kenyans who have made betting an occupation.
