Betting firms top Kenyan Google search trends

Betting sites topped the list of search items on Google by Kenyans in the first two months of the year indicating the growing popularity of gambling in the country.

Data from search engine Google indicates that six out of the top ten rising search queries  since the year began related to betting sites.

Betting site Sportpesa led the list of search items with two other searches on the top ten list— Sportpesa.com and “sportpesa games” — relating to the site.

Other betting companies on the list of top ten queries included ‘Betin’, ‘elitebet’ and ‘Betway’ ranking third, fourth and ninth respectively on the list.

Sport betting has become popular over the last two years with numerous betting companies setting up shop in the country and punters from all walks of life striving to strike it rich.

In early January, Swedish betting firm SpiffX became the latest to make an entry into the Kenyan market through a deal signed by Cheza Gaming Limited.

Top on the list of ‘how to’ searches made by Kenyans during the same period was ‘how to write an application letter’. This indicates that a large number of Internet users were on the look out for job opportunities, and also a sizeable portion of them lacked adequate skills in drafting an application letter. ?

Other top search queries during the first two months of the year included “Two Rivers Mall” officially opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta last month. The mall, which is the largest in the region sitting on 100 acres, opened its doors on Valentine’s Day. French retailer Cerrefour is the anchor tenant.

Nyeri’s deceased Governor Nderitu Gachagua was the most searched personality during the period under review as Kenyans sought for news on the leader who died at the age of 64 while undergoing treatment in London.

Kenya Airways took the tenth position in the list with people following up on the announcement that Kenya’s main airport has been granted category on status. Other top ranking searches included e-commerce site Jumia, social networking sites Instagram, VK and Whatsapp.

Google is the largest search engine in the world, processing 40,000 search queries each second and its search reports show a strong correlation with what many internet users find intriguing within a specific duration of time.