Betway reveals why they are not in operation after getting betting license
Football
By
Odero Charles
| Jul 29, 2019
Last week on Monday, Betway was among 10 compliant betting companies that got their licenses renewed after paying their taxes.
However, seven days later, the betting firm has not resumed its operations despite meeting the set regulations.
We, therefore, decided to seek answers from them on why they are not back in full operation.
When contacted, the betting firm said that they are waiting for feedback from the government to know when exactly they can fully resume their services.
READ MORE
Doctors set 90-day ultimatum for pay talks, warn of strike
Kenya, Italy adopt four-year cooperation plan after Ruto-Meloni talks
“Hi Game Yetu, thank you for contacting Betway. Please note that as it is we have just been cleared by the Revenue authorities, however, we are waiting for feedback from all the relevant authorities to know when exactly we can fully resume our services,” read part of the statement.
On revealing when they will be back in full operation, the betting firm said: “Kindly bear with us as we work on getting all our functions back online and fully operational. We will keep you updated, we thank you for your continued patience and loyalty with Betway.”
Apart from Betway, others cleared are Mozolt Bet, Odi bet, Eastleigh bet, Lucky to you, Ken book makers, Bet boss, Kick off, Easi bet and Palms bet.
The 10 betting firms were among 27 firms, whose licenses were revoked by the Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i for non-compliance.
SportPesa and Betin are among the biggest firms whose licenses have not been renewed by the government.
The matter is currently in court, but there seems to be no end in sight at the moment over the stand-off.
A multi-agency team set up by the Government established the betting companies made about Sh201 billion in 2018 yet they remitted Sh4 billion in taxes.
State records say annual turnover in the industry rose from Sh2 billion to over Sh200 billion in the last five years.
The crackdown started in May when the government deported 17 other foreigners and also the state suspended their online payment services of affected betting firms for allegedly failing to comply with industry rules.