×
App Icon
The Standard e-Paper
Stay Informed, Even Offline
★★★★ - on Play Store
Download App

How betting machines are turning children into daily gamblers

Casino machine
  • Parents worry as children even younger than 10 years become daily gamblers
  • The machines resemble mini-refrigerators emblazoned with miniature figures
  • Residents accuse police of looking the other way and allowing vice to thrive

A brawl breaks out between two schoolboys in a narrow dusty alley in Mikanjuni slum, Mtwapa, along the Mombasa-Malindi road. They are fighting over an unpaid Sh20 debt.

One boy loaned the other money to place a bet in one of the many betting machines in the area, with the understanding that he would pay back with an additional Sh10 as interest. He loses and they fight.

Premium Article

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Fact-first reporting that puts you at the heart of the newsroom. Subscribe for full access.
Continue Reading  →
What you get
  • Unlimited access to all premium content
  • Ad-free browsing experience
  • Mobile-optimised reading
  • Weekly newsletters & digests
Pay via
M - PESA
VISA
Airtel Money
Secure Payments Kenya's most trusted newsroom since 1902
Support Independent Journalism

Stand With Bold Journalism.
Stand With The Standard.

Journalism can't be free because the truth demands investment. At The Standard, we invest time, courage and skills to bring you accurate, factual and impactful stories. Subscribe today and stand with us in the pursuit of credible journalism.

Pay via
M - PESA
VISA
Airtel Money
Secure Payment Kenya's most trusted newsroom since 1902