As 2019 comes to a close SBC looks through the year to highlight major news that you might have missed in the sports betting world. This seventh edition looks at July and more specifically at the Kenyan market, the product journey of BetBlocker, Brazil’s sports betting potential and Regulus Partners’ review of UK betting consequences. Winning Post – Kenya bringing …
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SportsPesa and Betin cease Kenyan operations following tax increase
“Severe consequences” are on the horizon for Kenya’s sporting sector and betting revenue following the announcement that both SportsPesa and Betin will cease operations within the country. The move follows on from a lengthy standoff with the Kenyan government regarding a change to a legal bill which saw a 20% tax increase on game, betting, and lottery winnings. SportsPesa released …
Read More »Kenyan BCLB reinstates Betway’s licence after 20% tax introduction
The Kenyan regulator has decided to reinstate Betway’s operator licence after the bookmaker had agreed to introduce a controversial 20% tax on sports betting winnings. Kenya’s Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) announced the tax this week, and has since reinstated Betway’s licence after a month-long absence from then Kenyan market. Previously, the 20% tax was only applicable to the …
Read More »SportPesa blow as Nairobi High Court denies licence renewal
SportPesa has lost its Nairobi High Court appeal in relation to the bookmaker overturning its licence restrictions sanctioned by Kenya’s Betting Control & Licensing Board’s (BCLB) this July. The bookmaker at the forefront of the Kenyan government’s betting industry dispute related to unpaid taxes on player winnings had moved to challenge the BCLB’s decision not to renew its operator licence, …
Read More »SportPesa sponsorship termination triggers Kenyan football crisis
Kenyan football is involved in the escalating tax dispute between the Uhuru Kenyatta government and the betting industry, after SportPesa – the title sponsor of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) – confirmed that it has terminated all national sports sponsorships. Closing Friday trading, SportPesa issued a media statement confirming that it would withdraw all sports sponsorships, as it had been ‘subjected to punitive …
Read More »Kenyan government triggers nightmare scenario for bookmakers
A frantic 24 hours has seen Kenyan betting’s regulatory dispute intensify, as local news sources report that the government has demanded that national telecom operators instruct their users to withdraw all funds from their betting accounts. The strict order has been sanctioned by Liti Wambua, the acting director of the Kenyan Betting Control & Licensing Board (BCLB), who is reported …
Read More »Winning Post – Kenya bringing down the big beasts
Regulus Partners details how the tables have turned on Kenyan sports betting incumbents, operating in a market which was formerly branded as the ‘leading example’ for further regulated African gambling jurisdictions… ________________ The Kenyan government has reportedly written to telcos including Safaricom, the country’s leading mobile (and therefore payments) provider, with a list of operators that have not had …
Read More »Kenyan business community embroiled in KRA betting tax dispute
The Kenyan Revenue Authority (KRA) states that it will not shy away from its tax battle with bookmakers SportPesa and Betin, in a row that could pit multiple Kenyan business stakeholders against licensed betting incumbents. This week, Asha Salim KRA debt enforcement manager demanded to Bob Collymore, CEO of Safaricom, a payment services provider for SportPesa and Betin, pay the …
Read More »Kenyan gamblers could face 10% tax under new laws
Kenyan gamblers are set to be hit with a ten per cent excise duty on bets placed after recent proposals issued by National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich seek to implement measures to curb problem gambling in the country. The proposals were detailed as part of the 2019/20 Financial Year Budget in Parliament on Thursday, in which Rotich explained: “Mr …
Read More »Kenyan High Court overrules ‘inefficient’ gambling advertising mandate
Kenyan gambling stakeholders have been granted a reprieve from sanctioned advertising restrictions ordered by Kenya’s Betting Control Board. National news sources report that Nairobi’s High Court has deemed the Betting Control Board’s advertising demands as incomplete legislation which cannot be mandated on national betting incumbents. On 30 April, Control Board Acting Director Liti Wambua sanctioned new gambling advertising laws, enforcing …
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