According to a report aired by Citizen TV on Saturday, March 26, the betting industry in Kenya gets billions of shillings in income.
“In 2014 the betting industry in the country was estimated to generate KSh 1.8 billion annually with a projected growth that will see it top KSh 7.5 billion by 2018,” the report stated.
This explains why the sports betting companies could afford multi-million shilling deals with local football clubs and celebrities.
Former Harambee Stars captain Dennis Oliech recently inked a KSh 5 million – KSh 10 million deal with Betway. He is now the official ambassador of betting company. However, the one year contract restricts him from competitive football.
“Signing a Kenyan legend like Dennis Oliech is another significant coup for Betway and we’re looking forward to working with Dennis over the course of the next 12 months,” said Betway Group CEO Richard Akitt.
Another sports betting company, SportPesa, splashed millions in the local football league through sponsorship deals.
SportPesa entered into a deal with Kenya’s top league that saw it renamed to SportPesa Premier League (SPL). The company also beat its competition to sponsor two top clubs in the league – defending champions Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards. SportPesa will be injecting KSh 65 million per annum into Gor’s wallet for five years.
In the first two months of 2016, five Kenyans won a total of KSh 58.4 million in two separate jackpots.
On January 7, 2016, Elimah Khanaitsa, a mother of two made history by becoming the first woman to win SportPesa’s jackpot since its inception – she won KSh 22 million. About a month later, four Kenyans jointly won KSh 36 million jackpot.
However, it is not always about winning. There are those who have made big losses through sports betting. Moses Omwayo, a Maseno University student, lost KSh 40,000 in a football bet that was meant to be his fees.
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