This archive report was first published on 27 November 2019.
On November 27, 2019, the Building Bridges Initiative Taskforce proposed the closure of all privately owned betting companies in Kenya and suggested the government institutes its own national lottery firm.
The move aims to curb Kenyan youths' appetite for easy money. The government had already cracked down on several well-performing betting companies, with Sportpesa and Betin being the biggest casualties.
Before having their licenses revoked, Sportpesa and Betin were raking in millions of profits from the ever-evolving betting industry. However, Kenyans have cried out to the government to reinstate Sportpesa, which had been supporting the Kenyan Premier League and several teams in the same competition.
Since the freezing of Sportpesa, top teams that had been sponsored by the company have struggled financially. Gor Mahia FC, a top team in Kenya's Premier League, has been a major casualty.
Sportpesa also sponsored other sports, including rugby, hockey, volleyball, boxing, and basketball. Celebrated boxing champion Fatuma Zarika claims her career may be over following the government's withdrawal of Sportpesa's operation license.
The National Lottery, as proposed by the BBI, will be operated on a franchise basis from the National Lottery Commission, which the government will constitute. The proceeds of this lottery will be channeled to charity and used for disaster management.
Kenyans will participate in the lottery as they used to under the watch of private firms. Some African governments that have successfully adopted this include Ghana, Algeria, Mauritius, Morocco, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, and Nigeria.
