The staggering size of the local betting industry has emerged from a leaked spreadsheet of revenue declarations made by gambling firms to the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) for May 2019, shortly before the government introduced tougher regulations and higher taxes.
In February this year, SportPesa also withdrew from its international sponsorship commitments, including a reported £9.6 million a year shirt sponsorship with English top-tier football side Everton FC and a reported US$10 million a year deal with Formula One team Racing Point, whose CEO reportedly explained was because SportPesa "had some difficulties in their home market."
Betika, the third biggest betting firm by declared bets in May last year (Sh1.45 billion), has retained its licence throughout those turbulent months and is now thought to be Kenya's biggest betting company.
A source who has worked in a senior management position in one of the smaller companies said that firms who operate from physical shops, where bets are wagered in cash, can "potentially get away with" under-declaring revenue by up to 80 per cent.
Mr Bwire, a campaigner for stricter reforms in the industry, said that the government should now turn its attention away from the industry as a source of tax revenue and gear its efforts towards public health and welfare, "especially in this Covid-19 era when isolation and boredom will increase gambling participation and fuel gambling addiction".
