Betting board bans gambling adverts, endorsements by celebrities

The Betting Control and Licensing Board has banned all outdoor, media and social media gambling adverts.

The board has also banned betting firms from using celebrities to endorse their operations.

” Consequently this board has banned advertising gambling between 6am and 10pm… The above directive bust be complied with on or before May 30, 2019,”

In a statement issued on Thursday, the licencing board cited potential harm to the consumer with a possibility of leading to addiction as reason for the ban.

” … gaming is a demerit good and all demerit goods have the potential to harm to the consumer with a possibility of leading to addiction as well as some disorder. This board therefore a regulator has a duty to present its customer, members of the public, the young and the vulnerable,” read the statement.

The board further directed that all gambling advertisements must seek approval from the board adding that they must all contain a warning message of the consequences of engaging in gambling.

” …such an advertisement must contain a warning message about the consequences of  gambling including its addictiveness, and that the warning message must constitute a third of the actual advertisement and be of the same font,”

In January, the government launched a crackdown on the growing number of illegal gambling establishments across the country.

In a notice, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) further banned the importation of gaming equipment, machines and devices used for gambling.

“Kenya Revenue Authority wishes to notify all importers, customs agents and the general public that the government has stopped importation of all gaming equipment, machines and devices forthwith,” the revenue authority said.

According to the Betting Control and Licensing Board, there are over 30 licensed gambling companies in the country, with others operating outside the confines of the law.