Kenya’s gambling restrictions
There were several proposed gambling restrictions back in 2019. No celebrity, for instance, could endorse any betting company. Also, the proposed Gambling time was 8pm to 6am.
The recommended restrictions also touched on gambling advertisements. No operator could advertise on TV, radio, and social media between 6 am and 10 pm. They could do so during the off-peak hours.
Print ads were permitted, but they had to include disclaimers. This is similar to cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. Every ad had to include the negative aspects of gambling in at least a third of its space.
These laws infuriated gambling operators, and the issue was taken to court. Luckily, the High Court struck down the proposed gambling restrictions.
The proposed restrictions, according to the High Court, were impugned by illegality, unreasonableness, and improper procedural practices. Just when operators breathed a sigh of relief, the government came up with a new Bill.
The Gaming Bill of 2019, once approved, will replace the Gambling Act of 1966. It’s meant to restrict illegal gambling in the country.
Under this Bill, no casino operator should run an establishment without a valid licence. Any operator wishing to renew their licence must do so via the Board.
Also, operators must display their licence information. Failure to do this, or displaying an invalid licence leads to punishment. The punishment for this is 1-year imprisonment or a Ksh.500,000 penalty.