Companies

SportPesa most popular online betting platform

abisa

Samuel Abisai who won SportPesa jackpot last year. file photo | nmg

Betting firm SportPesa is the most popular online platform in Kenya with 82 per cent of gamblers subscribing to it, according to a report by global consumer research firm Nielsen.
The report, Understanding the East African Consumer, shows that SportPesa is followed by Betin (40 per cent), Elitebet (22 per cent), Betika (12 per cent), Mcheza (12 per cent) and Betpawa (10 per cent).

The survey done in February involved 180 respondents who said they subscribe to multiple betting firms.

The study also shows that penetration of online betting in Kenya is at 27 per cent, the highest in the region while in Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda it stands at five, four and two per cent, respectively. 

Rwanda, however, leads in online gaming with an uptake of 22 per cent, followed by Kenya (19 per cent), Tanzania (14 per cent) and Uganda (eight per cent).

“Online betting and gaming are popular activities in the region.  These trends are obviously fuelled by penetration of Internet and smartphones,” said Akash Pal, Nielsen managing director for consumer insights Africa and Middle East.

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“They also show where opportunities are for companies launching services related to betting and gaming.”

Kenya’s mobile-based sports betting industry has recorded phenomenal growth aided by the ease of placing bets online or through SMS and paying via mobile money platforms such as M-Pesa and Airtel Money.

Another survey conducted last year by GeoPoll showed that the youth spend at least five per cent of their total earnings on gambling.