The government has announced a fresh crackdown on betting and gaming companies operating in Kenya after concerns emerged over how some firms are handling Kenyans’ personal data.
ICT Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo said many betting companies were operating without fully complying with data protection laws despite the rapid growth of gambling in the country.
Speaking before the Senate on Wednesday, Kabogo revealed that only a small number of betting firms had properly registered with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.
According to the CS, out of 224 betting and gaming companies identified by the government, only 15 are fully registered. Another 13 are partially registered, while five others are operating using expired certificates.
“Action needs to be taken,” Kabogo told senators as he confirmed that the ministry was already working with the Betting Control and Licensing Board and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner to begin a joint enforcement operation against non-compliant firms.
The CS said the government would continue updating the Senate on the progress of the crackdown.
Kabogo also revealed that betting and lottery advertisements made up the biggest share of enforcement cases handled by regulators in recent months.
According to him, gambling-related promotions accounted for about 61 per cent of the enforcement actions recorded during the review period.
The ICT CS raised concern over the increasing exposure of young Kenyans to betting content across television stations, websites and social media platforms.
The individual further noted the proliferation of vulgar content broadcasted during times when kids can still watch television and which subsequently gets disseminated online.
According to Kabogo, the increasing relationship between conventional media outlets and social media channels is complicating regulation, hence, necessitating the use of stern policies by the government.
However, alongside these challenges, the CS cited some media stations which are constantly breaching the regulations, noting that the government would impose harsher measures on them.
Among the measures being considered include the imposition of compliance training to media organizations as well as potential amendments to gambling regulations online.
This latest crackdown follows the continuous rise in gambling addiction among the youth and the rising frequency of gambling advertisement by various media outfits in Kenya.
