Kenya

Population

The country has a population of about 60 million, with an average age of 20 years - the country has a high birth rate and a large young population. The overall literacy rate (ability to read and write) among young people (15 to 24 years old) is 85.9%

Religion: Christianity - practised by about 85% of the population.

Major cities: Nairobi (capital), Mombasa, Nakuru, Riuru, Eldoret.

Currency: Kenya Shilling (KES).

Financial opportunities

More than 63% of the population lives below the poverty line. Also 14% is in extreme poverty. The average salary is around $384

Mentality

Kenya is a multi-ethnic society with over 40 ethnic groups. Each ethnic group follows its own traditions. For example, many people in the country still believe in shamans and spirits

The official language is English and the national language is Swahili. In the cities people mostly speak English or Kiswahili, in rural areas indigenous languages prevail

Kenyans practice traditional values of humility, caring for their neighbours and maintaining kinship ties. In general, Kenyan culture is very communal in nature

Status of gambling

iGaming is legal in the country and is regulated by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB). However, the authorities are planning to dissolve the board and create a new organisation called the Gambling Regulatory Authority to better control the sector and combat ludomania among youngsters

Internet accessibility

Kenya has a very high internet penetration rate for the African continent at 40.8 per cent. Also in 2023, mobile internet penetration is almost 32.7%

As of 2024, Kenya has about 58.3 million mobile connections. The proportion of the population with mobile internet access is projected to increase steadily between 2024 and 2029 at an annual growth rate of 9.8%

Popular web applications: Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram. The number of Facebook users is steadily growing: by 2027 it will reach almost 20 million (age of users from 18 to 34 years old).

WhatsApp is considered the second largest service. In 2023 there were 7.9 million users, and the estimated growth rate between 2024 and 2028 will be almost 80 per cent.

Gambling industry

The gambling market in Kenya is dominated by sports betting (football, cricket, rugby, running, basketball and tennis), with around 40% of bettors placing online bets daily. In gambling, users favour poker, blackjack, roulette and slots.

It is important to say that Kenya leads the region in the number of young players. More than 84% of young people (18-25 years old) spend much more on gambling (often young people prioritise gambling over studying at university or looking for a job, hoping for a quick and easy income) than their peers in other African countries (in Nigeria, 78% of the young population participates in iGaming, and in South Africa - about 74%).

Kenya has high tax rates for operators: 15% tax on gross gaming revenue, 30% corporate income tax, 16% income tax, 20% tax on each winning bet and 12.5% excise tax. It is also stipulated that 30 per cent of the shares of any gambling business registered in the country must be owned by Kenyan citizens. Moreover, the business must transact with a Kenyan bank.

Such ‘punitive taxation’ is unlikely to attract new companies to the country's legal sector: already more than 10 sports betting operators have left the Kenyan market this year.

In addition, the country's outdated laws are doing their unintentional part to grow the black market. Key gambling adjustments were based on the Betting, Lotteries and Gambling Act of 1966, which does not address the online sector.