The shock decision of the government to revoke the licenses of 27 active betting companies earlier this year came as a surprise to many, none fewer than the Kenyan betting community.
Among those who had their licenses withdrawn were two of the biggest Kenyan operators, SportPesa and Betin who have left a gaping hole in the market.
Since the publication of the most recent BBI report, it doesn’t look like the situation will resolve itself any time soon. Betin’s site is currently inaccessible in Kenya, while SportPesa’s home page carries a fairly damning indictment of the manner in which they view the current state of affairs.
It’s left many Kenya players asking themselves where they should turn to for safe, reliable and fair betting.
While much has been made of the negative impacts, in particular by SportPesa’s exit, it represents a great opportunity for Kenyan’s to enjoy new betting sites in Kenya who hold a solid reputation internationally.
The benefits for Kenya players are multiple. Not only does plugging the gap made by the former giants in the Kenyan market allow more for more competition, in reality it means Kenyans can now find better odds, betting features, and an all round improved betting service elsewhere.
Competition can only be a good thing for Kenyan players looking to find the best betting sites, and many international operators are now looking to cater to the Kenyan market more than ever.
The likes of 22Bet and betway now offer the option to deposit and withdraw funds in accounts via Kenyan staples such as M-Pesa and Airtel, while betting behemoths such as Betfair and bet365 offer more odds markets and betting services like live streaming than ever before.
It should be made clear for any Kenyan players searching for a new betting company to always be wary and only choose recognisable international operators, according to betting authority BetBlazers.com.
While the negative effects of a number of betting sites being disbarred from plying their business in Kenya have been widely reported, Kenyan players now have the opportunity to cash in on a number of top quality international operators.