mCheza CEO confident his franchise can take on sports betting giants

The people behind the latest horse to enter the sports betting stable are oozing confidence.

mCheza, a franchise owned by Acumen Communications Ltd (ACL), has said it has set out to transform the country’s crowded sports betting sector.

The firm was launched on December 8 last year at a colourful event, with ACL Director Julie Gichuru describing its SMS platform as “revolutionary”.

At the time, it announced a partnership with global gaming company Intralot that would see Sh1.5 billion invested in sports betting in the country.

According to mCheza CEO Peter Karimi, his firm is keen to entertain people, not make money off of them.

“The media gets it wrong when it portrays sports betting companies as financial entities obsessed with profits. The industry should instead be referred to as ‘sports betting entertainment’,” he said.

The fast-talking CEO additionally says the sector’s growth has been curtailed by firms that allow only Kenyans with smartphones to bet.

“mCheza is different. One doesn’t have to access the Internet to bet. We have come up with an ingenious platform where all you need to do is send an SMS to us, and we can fully process your bet,” he said.

“Also, someone who doesn’t have access to newspapers can get all the information about his or her favourite teams sent through text messages. With these solutions, we can accommodate everyone, even those in rural areas.”

Betting addicts

Mr Karimi added that his company is more social-oriented than other sector players.

“To make you understand how humane we are, we have invested in projects where betting addicts are taken for counselling and rehabilitation. All an addicted player needs to do is call us, and we will get him or her professional help,” he said.

“We also have a limit on betting which we cannot let someone pass. For instance, if you have placed Sh500 and lost, we monitor your betting trend and can’t let you go beyond that limit.”

Karimi said his firm has not yet rehabilitated any addict as no one has called seeking help.

When asked if his company is planning to support cash-strapped football teams in the Kenya Premier League (KPL), like sports betting firm SportPesa has done with Gor Mahia FC and AFC Leopards, Karimi said: “We are more concerned with grassroots football teams. We don’t see reason to support big teams that have already built an audience and can woo moneyed sponsors.

“For now, we are working with two young men who have formed an organisation called Greensport. The idea is we give them money and they organise tournaments in slums where good players can be discovered. Also, we have identified a small team with talented players in Nairobi’s Langata called Gremio Sport, which we intend to sponsor.”

In Karimi’s estimation, sports betting, which has captured the country’s imagination in recent months, is set to take even deeper root and boost economic growth.

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