This archive report was first published on 28 November 2019.
On November 27, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga launched the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report at Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi.
The report, released in the presence of President Kenyatta, proposes replacing Kenya's sports betting operators with a government-run national lottery. The lottery's proceeds would be used for activities that benefit citizens, such as youth upliftment, sports, culture, and other social activities.
The report claims that the private betting industry is leading to hopelessness and greater poverty in the country.
Several countries have strict anti-gambling laws, including the United Arab Emirates, where gambling is illegal for citizens. In Cambodia, gambling is illegal for natives, but land-based gambling is legal for foreign visitors. North Korea has forbidden both online and offline gambling, but it is legal for tourists on guided tours.
In Japan, land-based gambling is illegal, but sports betting activities are allowed, and casinos can be opened in resorts as a form of entertainment. Singapore has banned all forms of online gambling under the Singapore Remote Gambling Act, except for public lotteries, which are permitted and regulated by the government.
Other countries with strict anti-gambling laws include Qatar, where all forms of gambling are illegal, including sports betting, and Lebanon, where the law states that gambling of any kind is unauthorized.
