Celebrities banned from endorsing gambling

The Betting Control and Licensing Board this week banned celebrities from endorsing gambling operations.

Through a letter seen by Ureport, the regulatory body noted that gaming is a demerit good that has the potential to harm the consumer with a possibility of leading to addiction.

The board further outlined three more conditions that gaming companies should observe and banned the following:

• Outdoor advertising of gambling
• Advertising on gambling on social media platforms
• Advertising gambling between 6am and 10pm

Further, it was decided that any form of advertisement of gambling must be approved by the Board and must contain a warning message about the consequences of gambling including its addictiveness and that it must contribute a third of the actual advertisement and be of the same font.

All gaming companies were ordered to comply with those requirements on or before May 30, 2019.

Netizens were quick to react to the new regulations and some asked the government to also ban the lottery that will supposedly be used to issue houses under the affordable housing programme.

Others, however, supported the move saying it was long overdue.

Joe Mungai: This is a very good move unless we are no longer a working nation that Kibaki created. A betting nation is a failing nation.

Kithikamau: But we are going to have a lottery to win government housing, no?!

Charles Mwabili: You first raise their taxes to 35% and then ban them from advertising their business. It is an excruciating pain to operate a biz in Kenya.