SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Sanctioned by the Ministry of the Interior, Kenya’s Betting Control Board has moved to introduce a number of gambling advertising/marketing restrictions aimed at ‘protecting the general public from addiction’.
Issuing a statement on 30 April, Control Board Acting Director Liti Wambua confirmed that the regulator would introduce tougher measures restricting gambling advertising across Kenya.
These measures include an outdoor advertising ban of gambling products and services, accompanied by a further ban of gambling services being advertised on social media platforms.
The Control Board has further banned the use of ‘celebrity endorsement to promote gambling operations.
A vague mandate sees the Control Board further sanction a ‘ban on gambling advertising between 6 am to 10 pm’ – a directive which Kenyan betting stakeholders will likely challenge.
Moving forward, Liti Wambua confirms that all forms gambling advertising will have to be approved by the government, making sure that betting operators promote ‘warning messages about the negative consequences of gambling including its addictiveness’.
The Control Board will move to implement its advertising restrictions by 30 May 2019, with betting operators warned that they must adhere to new standards.
