Gamblers who stake less than Ksh 50 risk paying a fine of up to Ksh5 million or a jail term not exceeding six years.
This development is according to the Gaming bill that is currently under debate in parliament.
“A player in an online gaming activity shall not bet an amount of less than Ksh 50 in a competition,” clarified the Bill.
“Those who engage in an online gaming activity for an amount less than that prescribed under subsection (1) commit an offense and shall be liable upon conviction to a fine of not less than Sh5 million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six years,” an excerpt of the bill disclosed.
This move is therefore set to illegalize placing of bets that are below Ksh 50 by sports betting enthusiasts.
Firms that allow staking of bets below the new proposed threshold would effectively risk being run out of business if the bill will be enacted.
Reports by Business Daily maintained that the proposed law seeks to establish a real-time monitoring system accessible to the Communications Authority of Kenya in order to facilitate remote tracking of gaming transactions.
This comes after Kenya established strict measures such as imposing a new tax on betting firms and gamblers alike, in order to curb the growth of the gambling industry, the move also barred the endorsement of betting by celebrities.
The move also imposed a ban that restricted the advertising of gambling to between the hours of 6 am and 10 pm.
Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang'i, further revealed that he had already received a report from the Betting Control and Licencing Board, adding that many betting firms had failed to comply with the new tax laws.
Earlier on, Parliamentarians had tabled a bill that aimed at banning betting on mobile phones in the country.
According to the bill, anyone who used a mobile phone to place a bet on an online gaming platform would be slapped with a fine of Ksh2 million or face two years in jail.
If the number used to place a bet is registered to a company, the recommended fine would subsequently shoot to Ksh50 million.
Matiang'i had on several occasions condemned betting for frustrating youth who, after making losses in that industry, resorted to committing suicide.
He further blamed the firms, that have sprouted from all corners, for turning the country into a gambling nation stating that the government was not going to condone it.
