Kenya, Aug. 9 -- Before President William Ruto assented to the Gambling Control Bill (No. 2), 2025, at State House on 7th August, there was a void on gambling rules after the finance bill 2025/2026 enactment. Sportesa, owned by Milestone Games Limited in Kenya, has surprised Kenyans after the winning of the historic Sh 424 million mega jackpot that had no fanfare compared to the earlier announcements.

Kenyans compared the winning with the previous events, saying, "Mchezo wa Taoni".

One fan said, "When Cosmas Korir won the SportPesa Mega Jackpot, there were no allegations of fixing it." You could see the celebrations in the village where Korir hails from. It is a legit win. He had predicted all the 17 matches correctly."

"Then came Abisai back in 2018; he won the Mega Jackpot. It was legit. Even after he was called, the tone in that phone call said everything."

"The one which was eaten the other day, jamaa anapigiwa simu. Amekula has 424 million shillings. Hana furaha. Hajui, even what's going on. Zero excitement. Huyo jamaa hata hajui Sportpesa runs a Mega Jackpot. It was all FIXED.

"If it is legit, let him share his bet slip that he had staked with friends in Ol Kalou. Let us hear testimonials from them. If not so, hizi zote ni vipindiree tu."

Another noted with concerns about the current jackpots, saying, "Kwani sportpesa mmeanza ukora, how do we know mtu akishinda that huge amount huendewa na chopper? How come alijipeleka town to confirm what's going on, because hakua anashikanisha hio story ya ati amewin, which means no porojo tu."

"Of course something fishy is cooking. The winner was "found" two days just before the president assented to the gambling bill, which would affect taxes on winnings. Remember, there's been a window of no taxes for about a month.

"They took out their money before it got taxed; remember the tax would have been close to 100 million to KRA. It's almost like someone knew the bill was about to be signed, so they "discovered" the winner just in time to beat the taxman."

Another fan also noted, "SportPesa was good when it was under Pevan E.A Limited, not this useless thing that exists now."

" Mchezo ya taoni plus the win just comes when the league is almost kicking off. That's a marketing strategy for people to go back and throw their hard-earned money in that money dump site."

"Several questions linger in one's mind. all of a sudden, a change in tax policy on betting." then a jackpot bet has three options (1X2), so I expected 3 people to have 16 games correct, waiting for the public draw. before the public draw new started circulating, we may have a winner. Remember, with Kasongo's economy, no one can risk 0.424b period," another one cited.

The Gambling Control Bill has also established the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya, taking over from the Betting Control and Licensing Board of Kenya, which shall bear the responsibility of licensing and regulating the gambling sector.

A key highlight of the new law is the introduction of a minimum bet threshold of Sh20. Any operator who permits bets below this amount risks a fine of not less than Sh5 million or imprisonment for up to five years.

"A player in an online gambling activity shall not bet an amount of less than twenty shillings in a competition. The minimum amount set under subsection (1) shall be inclusive of such a saving component for the player as shall be determined by the Authority in consultation with the Cabinet Secretary," reads the new law.

"An operator shall put in place mechanisms to ensure that a child is not registered for an online game, lottery, or bet for which they are licensed to operate. An operator shall require proof of age of majority prior to the registration of every player," the law states.

Companies must now have at least Sh100 million to operate, which is a big jump from the old requirement of Sh250,000. This change is meant to make sure that only strong and stable companies can enter the market, helping to keep people safe.

To protect young people from gambling problems, new laws say that celebrities and influencers cannot promote gambling in ads. Also, part of the ads must talk about responsible gambling. Additionally, the minimum amount someone can bet online has been increased to Sh50. This is to help stop low-income young people from gambling too quickly without thinking.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.