Interior cabinet secretary Fred Matiangi has vowed to ensure that the betting firms are properly regulated.
Gambling as a form of entertainment has been present on Kenyan territory for quite some time, but it has been a little over half a century that corresponding regulation allowed the establishment of numerous land-based gambling venues.
The Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act of 1966 made way for gambling as a practice to be introduced as yet another developing industry.
Speaking while meeting the Betting and Licensing Control Board (BCLB) Matiang’i directed that no license should be renewed by the betting and licensing board effective July 1, 2019, until the licensing companies clear paying all the taxes.
He said regulation will help to streamline the industry that has been characterized by all sort of activities including failure to pay taxes.
“We are going to change the betting upside down. We will be lying to you if we don’t regulate betting,” said Matiang’i
He added that the rate at which the youths are involved in the betting is alarming and the government “cannot pretend to protect the citizens when the young people are blacklisted by lending companies” because of betting.
“76 percent of our young people are involved in one form of betting or the other. 54 percent involved in betting are from the low-income earners,” he added.
Matiangi further stated that BCLB should be prepared for tough times ahead as the government moves in to ensure they comply with all tax regulations.