This archive report was first published on 25 September 2019.
Kenya's betting industry has been under scrutiny in recent months following a government crackdown led by Interior CS Fred Matiang'i on tax compliance.
On April, Matiang'i announced plans to introduce tough measures to regulate the sector, which he accused of leading youth astray.
As part of the crackdown, Matiang'i gave all betting firms three months to seek fresh renewal of licenses upon proving tax compliance. The deadline was July 1.
Following the deadline, the State shutdown the pay-bill numbers of the betting firms in radical measures to ensure they toe the line to the new regulations.
Despite the companies moving to court and public outcry, only licenses of about 10 companies were renewed, which were deemed to be tax compliant by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
Some of the betting firms that have had their licenses renewed include Odibets, Eazi Bet, Ken Bookmakers, Eastleighbet, Mozzartbet, Lucky 2u, Betika, Palms Bet, Bet boss, Kick off, and Dafabet.
However, the State has declined to renew the licenses of betting giants SportPesa and Betin, whose fate still remains unknown.
