Speaking to the press, Kenya’s Interior Minister, Dr Fred Matiang’i, said the government will be “turning betting inside out” and suspending licenses from 1 July if companies do not pay the appropriate taxes.
The Betting Control and Licensing Board has been ordered by the Interior Minister to oversee operators and ensure they are in compliance with tax law.
Matiang’i also referenced youth gambling in the country, saying it has become too common.
A GeoPoll survey from 2017 shows 76% of 17 to 35 year-olds in Kenya participated in gambling, with 79% of those wagering on football.
Matiang’i’s announcement comes months after the President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, banned sports betting in the country.
Uganda’s State Minister of Finance, David Bahati, said no new licenses would be issued and expired licenses would not be renewed.
