Kenya Revenue Authority has cleared 10 betting firms whose licenses failed to be renewed by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB).
The 10 betting firms cleared by KRA are:
- Betway
- OdiBets
- Mozzartbet
- Ken Bookmakers
- Lucky 2 U
- Eazi Bet
- Kick off
- Eastleighbet
- Pals Bet
- Bet boss
It is not yet clear whether the clearance from the taxman will lead to BCLB issuing the 10 betting firms with their operational permits.
During the month, BCLB in conjunction with the Ministry of Interior failed to renew operational permits for 27 betting firms.
The firms were accused of not being treated ax compliant with some said to have been operating without valid documents.
The 200-billion shilling sector
Kenya’s betting sector is estimated to be at 200 billion shillings with the projections of hitting 500 billion shillings by 2050.
Although the figures have not been clearly confirmed, the government insists the firms have been evading paying taxes.
According to the government, in 2018, betting firms paid 4 billion shillings cumulatively in taxes contradicting some of the firms’ tax payment statements.
SportPesa, for instance, says that it paid more than 6 billion shillings in taxes in 2018 after making 20 billion shillings in revenues and 9 billion shillings in profits.
Deportations
Last week, the government, through the Ministry of Interior, ordered the deportation of 17 directors of the suspended betting firms.
According to the Ministry of Interior, the 17 directors came into the country”illegally” with some arriving on “tourist visas.”
It is not yet clear whether the 17 directors have already been deported from the country.
The gambling youth
The government estimates that 76 percent of Kenyan youth are active gamblers.
The government insists that the increased cases of depression among the youth in Kenya is as a result of gambling.
The government also insists that the reason why so many young people, 2.7 million are listed by the Credit Reference Bureaus (CRB) is because of gambling with loan money.