This archive report was first published on 2 October 2019.
October 2, 2019, marked a significant shift in Kenya's betting market as SportPesa and Betin, the two dominant forces, were forced to close their shops following a continued battle with the government.
The government's crackdown led to a power vacuum, allowing smaller firms to emerge and compete for market share. Among the new entrants are 22Bet.co.ke, Sportybet, Betlion, Odibets, Betway, Mozzartbet, Lucky2u, Eazibet, Betika, M-bet, Powerbets, Ken Bookmarkers, Eastleigh bet, Palmsbet, and Betboss.
However, despite the large number of operational betting firms, only a handful have managed to grab a significant percentage of users. Betika, for instance, has a fairly huge following, thanks in part to its sponsorship of a football team, Sofapaka FC.
However, Betika's introduction of a 20% withholding tax on winnings was met with backlash from Kenyans, who felt it would reduce their payouts. Odibets, on the other hand, was the only company that remained unaffected by the crackdown, with its license renewed on July 1, the same day other companies lost theirs.
Odibets has since announced several winnings for its customers, with some landing jackpots of up to Sh 430,000. BetLion, another new entrant, has also attracted attention with its goliath jackpot, playing at Sh 350 million, the biggest in Africa.
