Kenya, Aug. 9 -- Is SportPesa Kenya's betting platform (https://ke.sportpesa.com/) became inaccessible, sparking widespread speculation among users following Bonnie Kamau's historic KSh 424,660,618 Mega Jackpot win on August 3, 2025.
Kamau, the first to claim the SportPesa Mega Jackpot since 2018, correctly predicted all 17 match outcomes, igniting excitement across Kenya.
However, the sudden platform downtime has raised questions about whether SportPesa Kenya is facing a shutdown, orchestrating a publicity stunt, or undergoing routine maintenance.
Social media is abuzz with theories, with some users praising Kamau's life-changing win while others express concern over the platform's unavailability.
SportPesa announced Kamau's victory, emphasising his KSh 99 bet that secured the record-breaking KSh 424,660,618, the largest football jackpot in Kenya's history.
The win, achieved on Sunday, August 3, 2025, with SportPesa's post declaring, "Kumi na nne supuuuuuu! KSh 424,616,618 has been WON!"
However, shortly after, users reported the website and app were down, displaying error messages or failing to load. This led to accusations of a potential shutdown, with some insiders suggesting the company might be struggling.
Others speculated it could be a stunt to generate buzz ahead of the English Premier League season, while SportPesa's silence has fuelled claims of routine maintenance.
The timing of the outage, coinciding with Kamau's win, and the Gambling Control Bill 2025 have intensified the doubts. Despite SportPesa's assurance of "malipo ni instant" (instant payouts), as stated in response to user Mike Too on X, the platform's downtime has raised concerns about financial stability.
Kenya's betting culture, with 87% of young people gambling weekly, amplifies the stakes, as SportPesa collects nearly KSh 297 million weekly from three million KSh 99 Mega Jackpot bets.
Past winners, like Samuel Abisai (KSh 221 million in 2017) and Gordon Ogada (KSh 230 million in 2018), received prompt payouts, lending credibility to SportPesa's claims.
No official statement from SportPesa has confirmed the cause of the downtime. Industry experts suggest maintenance is plausible, given the platform's history of updates during off-peak periods.
However, the lack of communication has drawn comparisons to past controversies, such as Betika's fraud allegations, though SportPesa has maintained a reputation for transparency.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is expected to deduct approximately KSh 64 million, leaving Kamau with over KSh 360 million.
The uncertainty surrounding SportPesa Kenya's downtime has heightened public interest in Kamau's jackpot win. While some view the outage as a strategic stunt to boost engagement, others fear a shutdown could disrupt Kenya's betting industry.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.