A nation at stake: The true cost of Kenya’s gambling craze

Today, betting is not just a pastime; it is a national disaster.

Recent statistics reveal that 10 million Kenyans, or 20 percent of the population, engage in gambling daily.

The statistics are staggering, and they point to an insidious menace that feeds on hope while leaving ruin in its wake. Sh24,000 vanish every second into the pockets of betting firms—Sh1.4 million every minute.

By the hour, a staggering Sh86.4 million are bet. In just one day, Kenyans pour Sh2.1 billion into betting.

This is not money spent on food, on education, or on building the future. It is money squandered on an illusion—money that leaves families destitute and communities reeling.

The figures for 2024 paint a chilling picture. In just twelve months, Kenyans bet Sh766 billion, surpassing the entire Sh656-billion- budget for education. What does it say about us as a nation when more money is staked on fleeting hopes than is invested in the minds of our children?

The rapid growth of betting avenues is impossible to ignore. From the flashy billboards in Nairobi to the constant bombardment of betting ads on television and social media, there is no escape. It is a relentless drumbeat, luring even the most cautious minds into the promise of quick, effortless wealth.

Sports betting

At the heart of this crisis lies Aviator, a new and particularly insidious form of betting. Unlike traditional sports betting, Aviator seduces with its flashing graphics and false sense of control.

In Aviator, users watch a small red aircraft fly higher and higher, cashing out before it disappears.

But what starts as a harmless thrill soon turns into a life-consuming addiction.

According to Geo Poll, while 61 percent of gamblers focus on football matches, 19 percent are now ensnared by Aviator’s digital trap. These are not just numbers—they are lives and futures at stake.

The statistics are sobering, but it is the human stories that lay bare the true cost of betting. Take the case of a reported bright young graduate from Maasai Mara University—a first-class honours student with his whole life ahead of him.

In a single night of desperation, he lost Sh900,000 to Aviator. Unable to bear the shame and the debt, he took his own life. His family, in shock and grief, buried him in Baringo. Similarly, a case of Susan Njeri, famously known as Mama Sammy, a small-scale trader in Shinyalu Constituency, Kakamega County.

In October 2024, she tragically took her own life after losing Sh60,000 on the popular betting platform, Aviator. Her friend recalls Mama Sammy’s visible distress in the days leading up to her death, a testament to the immense pressure and desperation that gambling addiction inflicts.

Or consider the fate of Dorothy Katulu, a 28-year-old pregnant woman who was trusted by her chama group as treasurer. The group had saved Sh2.1 million over months of hard work.

But Dorothy, blinded by the promise of easy winnings, lost Sh200,000 to bet on Aviator.

Today, she serves a three-year prison sentence in Lang’ata Women’s Prison—a tragic example of how betting preys on the vulnerable.

The horror does not end there. A teacher at an international school in Kenya, earning Sh240,000 per month, fell into the grip of Aviator’s siren call. It began as a game, but it ended in ruin. When he ran out of money, he told his employer a lie so deep that it stunned his colleagues: he claimed his son had died—yet he never even had a son.

When the truth emerged, he was fired in disgrace. In his desperation, he sold everything—his land, his household, even the very clothes he wore. He was buried with his dignity in tatters, a man once full of hope now another name in the growing list of victims.

Closer studies reveal a billion-shilling industry of exploitation. While families grieve and communities suffer, the betting firms thrive. These are not mom-and-pop operations. They are sophisticated businesses making billions of shillings by exploiting the hopes and dreams of Kenya’s youth.

The Betting Control and Licensing Board, chaired by Dr. Jane Mwikali has acknowledged the scale of the crisis. Yet regulation alone has proven no match for the cunning tactics of these unscrupulous companies. They flood the market with betting apps, sponsor flashy events, and saturate the airwaves with promises of instant riches.

Quick wins

Behind the facade of quick wins and easy money lies a vast ecosystem of licensed fraud, carefully curated by firms’ eager to carve out a share of the country’s lucrative gambling market.

Under the watchful eye—or perhaps the indifferent gaze—of the Betting Control and Licensing Board, these firms operate with an air of legitimacy.

Licenses are issued, regulations are proclaimed, and yet questions linger like an unwelcome shadow: are these measures truly enough to protect the vulnerable? Or are they mere illusions that embolden the predators? SportPesa, the early pioneer, has cemented its place in the hearts—and pockets—of countless Kenyans, boasting a significant market share that dwarfs its competitors. Betika rides the tide of local patriotism, drawing punters in with the allure of home grown success stories and a relentless focus on football. Mozzartbet has built a loyal following by promising competitive odds and quick payouts—an irresistible promise for those who chase fortune with each click.

Meanwhile, global giants like 22Bet and Betway have seamlessly woven themselves into the Kenyan betting tapestry, offering everything from the English Premier League to the obscure corners of international sports. The list seems endless: OdiBets, Shabiki, Dafabet, 1xBet, Melbet, ChezaCash, BetLion, Bangbet—each name a gateway to dreams, and, for many, an unending spiral of debt and despair. Together, these platforms form the bedrock of a national obsession, feeding off hopes as old as time itself.

And as these firms rake in billions, the true cost is borne not in spreadsheets or stock prices but in the lives of ordinary Kenyans. The question that lingers is whether the thin veil of “licensing” can ever truly balance the scales—or whether it merely lends a sheen of respectability to an enterprise that feasts on human frailty.

A staggering 79.55 percent of respondents in a study seeking psychiatric treatment were classified as struggling with gambling disorders (pathological and problem gamblers combined). This underscores the severe psychological impact of addiction.

 The youth are disproportionately affected. According to Munda (2022), at least 76 percent of Kenya’s young people engage in betting activities, driven by unemployment, poverty, and a lack of opportunities. Many perceive betting as a full-time job, a desperate attempt to escape hardship, rather than a mere entertainment.

Economic benefits

For the majority of gamblers, the economic benefits are non-existent. A Geopoll report indicates that 57 percent of Kenyan gamblers spend under $10 (Ksh 1,300) per month, while only a small percentage manage to win consistently.

This signifies that the vast chunk of revenue for betting firms comes from low-income earners, effectively draining household budgets.

At the heart of this harrowing trend lies the media’s complicity: A betrayal of the public trust.

Mainstream media in Kenya has become an eager accomplice in this destructive game. Turn on the television at any hour, and you will see glitzy adverts urging Kenyans to “place your bets” and “win big.” Radio jingles sing the praises of betting platforms, while print media and online sites are peppered with seductive promotions.

The media—whose duty it is to inform, educate, and protect the public—has instead chosen profit over principle. By normalising gambling, they deepen the addiction crisis and betray the trust of millions who look to them for guidance.

A Moral and Social Catastrophe. This is not just a financial crisis—it is a moral and social catastrophe. Gambling addiction does not discriminate.

It targets the young and the old, the educated and the uneducated, the employed and the jobless. It invades homes, breaks apart families, and buries dreams before they have even begun to bloom. The evidence is clear.

Gambling is not a game—it is a predatory enterprise that thrives on the suffering of the vulnerable. It is a modern form of enslavement, stealing away the very soul of a nation.

A call to action. It is time to end the silence. We must speak out against the unscrupulous business empires that profit from Kenya’s addiction crisis. We must demand that the media cease their shameful promotion of betting and instead champion stories of resilience and hope.

Let us lead in reclaiming Kenya’s future. Kenya’s future cannot be staked on the spinning wheels of chance.

We must remember that a nation’s strength lies not in the billions it gambles away, but in the lives and potential of its people.

The writer is Global Tax consultant