Kenya MP wants to ban slots machines

Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo recently failed in an attempt to tighten up gambling laws in Kenya, but still believes the spread of gambling threatens to make the operators extremely powerful when ‘an average of six million Kenyans place Sh100 (75p) bets daily’.

“We are not trying to put them out of business...” he complained. “Slot machines around the country should be declared illegal by executive order.”

Midiwo, who is also deputy minority leader in the National Assembly, also questioned whether it would hurt the country’s work ethic.

"Why go into poultry farming when you can get money on your phone without working hard? In Nyeri, when a mama mboga sells their wares, you find them gambling in slotting machines. Is this not hurting the economy?"

He was also critical of the money spent by Kenyan bookmaker Sportesa in sponsoring the shirts of English Premier League side Hull City.

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When a company sponsors a foreign team, they are telling you that they can export your money. That company could be exporting more money than what the government is borrowing

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Sportesa’s sponsorship has been unexpectedly controversial in Kenya, given that the three year sponsorship deal has cost approximately £9m (Sh1.2bn).

Sportesa CEO Ronald Karauri stated that plan was for the company to open up betting in Europe and other African countries. He added: “SportPesa is a brand powered by Kenyan technology. The plan is to have the brand doing business in four continents going forward.”