Issuing a public notice on X, the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) in Kenya has confirmed a sweeping move to prohibit adverts for 30 days.
It comes as scrutiny over the Kenyan gambling market is being intensified, especially as reports underline that a new generation of players are engaging with wagering.
Providing the update on X, the BCLB stated: “Kenyans will NOT see betting adverts on TV or hear them on radio for the next 30 days.
“We have SUSPENDED all gambling advertisements across media platforms until promoters fully comply with our set guidelines on responsible marketing.”
Recently, the country’s regulator also sought to cool claims that Kenyan players spent Ksh 766bn (approximately £4.4bn) on gambling in 2024.
The BCLB issued a statement to challenge the report, conducted by GeoPoll and titled Betting in Africa 2024, claiming that the figure “inaccurately inflates the size of the regulated market” by including figures from offshore platforms.
Reports had further claimed that Kenyans bet Ksh 24,000 (£139) per second, amounting to Ksh 2.1bn (£12.2m daily).
However, Dr Jane Mwikali Makau, Chair of the BCLB, said that the data misleads policymakers and the public on the economic reality of licensed operators in Kenya.
She clarified that taxes related to the gambling sector totalled Ksh 22.3bn (£129.3m) in the 2023/24 financial year, comprising contributions from gaming and betting excise duty on stakes and withholding tax on winnings.
“The industry directly employs over 10,000 Kenyans, supports over 500,000 livelihoods indirectly, and contributes substantial amounts in community projects under corporate social responsibility (CSR),” added Mwikali.
The BCLB has estimated tax revenue from the sector in 2025 to be Ksh 20bn.
Market evolution
Changes are aligned with the evolution of how players engage with betting products in Africa, after a study by iGamingAfrika and Sharp Vision detailed that more than 70% of players utilised mobile as their preferred platform.
A significant contributor to this is the improvement of connectivity networks in Africa in recent times.
As well as this it was found that the younger generation of players are embracing gambling products with 50% of 18 to 35 year-olds stating that they had played some form of gambling in the past year.
