Kenya unveils sweeping restrictions on gambling ads
Betting adverts to be banned during the day as well as on social media platforms
The Kenyan government has unveiled new restrictions on gambling advertising, including banning ads between 6am and 10pm and on social media.
Gambling ads will also be prohibited outdoors, as will celebrity endorsements.
Kenya’s Interior Minister, Fred Matiangi, said he was unwilling to gamble with the country’s future.
“Rogue behaviour in the betting and lotteries industry is endangering the lives of our young people,” Matiangi said in a statement. “This clean-up has just started and we will carry it through no matter what it takes, because young Kenyan lives are worth saving.
“Seventy six percent of youth in Kenya are bettors – this is the highest figure in Africa, while half a million have been blacklisted by lenders because they borrowed to bet and failed to pay back.”
Matiangi said earlier this year more than half of Kenyan punters were low-income earners who could least afford to lose.
Under the new rules, any gambling ads will need to be approved by the regulator and contain a smoking-style warning message taking up a third of the ad space.
Operators have until the end of June to comply with the changes or face closure, Matiangi said.
The Kenyan online gambling market is thought to be worth around £1.5bn annually, although the industry has faced government backlash before, with a recent tax hike that was fought by operators.