Kenya acts on betting licence renewals

The government in Kenya has suspended 13 betting licence renewals as it warned in the past after they failed to comply with local requirements.

Kenya.- The Kenyan government has fulfilled its warning to suspend licensees that fail to comply with local regulations. The Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) has delayed the renewal of the operational licences of multiple operators.

Kenya betting licence holders hit are 13 casinos, six lotteries and eight sports betting operators. A further 19 betting operators were included, pending security vetting of their operations and ownership.

The BCLB said it “shall not hesitate to debar non-compliant operators in any category.” It detailed it will conduct a quarterly review to confirm they comply with Kenya betting licence requirements.

The new gambling restrictions

Committee chair Victor Munyaka explained Kenya’s new gambling legislation is meant to seal the numerous loopholes in the industry. He said the 170 clauses documented in the proposals will address addiction, to protect the youth.

“These proposals will seal most of the gaps in the existing law,” Munyaka said. “They will deal with and cure many of the concerns raised by Kenyans about an unregulated, uncontrolled and carelessly operated industry with many far-reaching negative effects to millions of citizens.”

“The proposed repeal is informed by the fact that the existing legislation is archaic in nature and fails to address the modern-day challenges facing the betting and gaming industry especially during this era of internet connectivity,” he said.