Sports betting thrives in Kenya

African markets continue to grow and Kenya tops them all thanks to sports betting and new technologies.

Kenya.- A recent survey conducted by GeoPoll has revealed that at least 54 per cent of the youth (aged 17-35) in Sub-Saharan Africa has tried a form of gambling. The study showed that younger gamblers are turning to sports betting, especially through new technologies such as smartphones.

Kenya has the highest number of gambling or betting participants in the past at 76 per cent followed by Uganda at 57 per cent. Ghana sits on the other end with the lowest number of young bettors at 42 per cent. In addition, while the rest of the countries studied has a bet frequency of once a month, Kenyans gamble once a week, especially in football matches over the weekends.

According to GeoPoll, most Kenyans use mobile phones to bet, with 75 per cent of all wagers made through smartphones. South Africa has the lowest usage of the mobile for gambling at 48 per cent despite having the highest rate of mobile penetration in the continent.