Tag Archives: BCLB

Kenya provides amnesty to bookmakers lowering tax rate to 7.5%

SBC News Kenya provides amnesty to bookmakers lowering tax rate to 7.5%

The fate of Kenya’s sports betting industry has been revived following President Uhuru Kenyatta’s signature of a 7.5% tax on gambling wagers. The tax measure was contained within the Kenyan Revenue Authority’s (KRA) revised ‘Finance 2021 Bill’, which saw the government modify its federal taxes on gambling and telecom sectors. Securing its presidential approval, the KRA has agreed to lower …

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Kenyan betting awaits Treasury judgement on wagering tax future

SBC News Kenyan betting awaits Treasury judgement on wagering tax future

Kenya’s sports betting sector awaits a critical judgement on whether the National Treasury will restore its controversial 20% blanket tax across all wagering verticals.  The tax proposal has been submitted to be considered as a directive of Kenya’s 2021/2022 National Budget, the final amendments of which are currently being reviewed by Treasury Secretary Ukur Yattani. Yattani will present the National …

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SportPesa in regulatory limbo as Kenyan Judiciary’s rejects Pevans re-licensing appeal

SBC News SportPesa in regulatory limbo as Kenyan Judiciary’s rejects Pevans re-licensing appeal

SportPesa continues to operate without legal certainty in its home market of Kenya, following the Kenyan Judiciary’s rejection of an appeal made by ‘Pevans East Africa’ to reinstate its gambling licence. On Friday, Kenya’s Court of Appeal rejected Pevans injunction against its licence suspension imposed by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) in July 2019. Pevans, the former operating …

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Betting companies in Kenya face competition as Betsafe move in

Kenya

It wasn’t long before the gap left by SportPesa in Kenya was filled by a number of international sites that look set to dominate the country’s betting landscape, writes Adam Grimshaw, who manages Leadstar Media affiliate brand BetBlazers.com. With the Kenyan-born betting site SportPesa barred from trading in the country since a dispute with the government and the Betting Control …

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BCLB order spoils SportPesa Kenyan relaunch  

SBC News BCLB order spoils SportPesa Kenyan relaunch  

SportPesa’s return to its home market of Kenya has been impeded following a licence suspension authorised by Kenya’s Betting Control & Licensing Board (BCLB).  Following a year-long hiatus from Kenya’s sports betting market, SportPesa intended to relaunch its betting services this weekend under a licence held by new operating firm ‘Milestone Bet’. Prior to its planned re-launch, SportPesa CEO Ronald …

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SportPesa blow as Nairobi High Court denies licence renewal

SBC News SportPesa blow as Nairobi High Court denies licence renewal

SportPesa has lost its Nairobi High Court appeal in relation to the bookmaker overturning its licence restrictions sanctioned by Kenya’s Betting Control & Licensing Board’s (BCLB) this July. The bookmaker at the forefront of the Kenyan government’s betting industry dispute related to unpaid taxes on player winnings had moved to challenge the BCLB’s decision not to renew its operator licence, …

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SportPesa tells stakeholders it has no fear in its Kenyan position

SBC News SportPesa tells stakeholders it has no fear in its Kenyan position

Leading Kenyan bookmaker SportPesa has issued a statement to media and its corporate stakeholders underlining that its business will not be ‘shut down’ by Kenya’s current hostile agenda against licensed betting incumbents. A turbulent week saw Kenyan betting grab global business headlines as the Uhuru Kenyatta government instructed a number of national departments to undertake the strictest of enforcements against gambling …

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Kenyan government triggers nightmare scenario for bookmakers

SBC News Kenyan government triggers nightmare scenario for bookmakers

A frantic 24 hours has seen Kenyan betting’s regulatory dispute intensify, as local news sources report that the government has demanded that national telecom operators instruct their users to withdraw all funds from their betting accounts. The strict order has been sanctioned by Liti Wambua, the acting director of the Kenyan Betting Control & Licensing Board (BCLB), who is reported …

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