Things are about to get thicker for betting firms in the country as the government mulls a new move on the de-registered firms.
According to the People Daily, the Ministry of Interior is planning to deport all foreign employees of the said firms.
The Media Max-owned newspaper further stated that the ministry targets the said individuals as most of them entered the country using tourist visas.
This move comes barely two days after President Uhuru Kenyatta stated that the government won't back down from the changes that the industry is going through.
The president revealed that he would not reverse the government's decision to shut down the pay bill and shortcode numbers of these 27 firms until their licenses are renewed.
Uhuru also blamed the court processes noting that they were being used to frustrate the taxman and other regulatory agencies.
Interior CS, Fred Matiang’i, on Friday stated that the betting customers had 48 hours to withdraw their money in betting wallets or risk losing everything.
On the same day, the government ordered all the telecom companies to shut down the pay bills and shortcodes of the affected companies.
Earlier in May, the government deported 17 foreigners involved in illegal gambling business.
A recent report by Price Waterhouse Coopers shows that the yearly turnover of the sports betting industry in Kenya is worth Ksh2 billion, and will reach Ksh5 billion in 2020 as demand grows.
Kenyans.co.ke tried to reach officials from the Ministry of Interior to speak on the new move but they were held up in meetings for the better part of Monday.
