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Kenya cuts betting tax from 15% to 5% despite concerns
Kenya’s government has reduced the excise tax on betting from 15% to 5% as part of the 2025 Finance Bill, making it cheaper to place bets in the country.
Kenya wants to improve its tax collection system, especially from online and foreign betting companies. Under the new rules, betting companies must still withhold 20% from any winnings as tax and pay 15% on their gross revenue.
Kenya has one of the most active gambling markets in Africa, behind only South Africa and Uganda. And this move can double gambling practices, especially among young people.
The tax will also now be charged when money is transferred from a mobile wallet to a betting account, not when a bet is placed.
Finance Committee Chair MP Kimani Kuria explained:
“When you are placing a bet, the current taxation regime is that when you have money in your mobile money account and then you transfer that money to the wallet of a betting company, the time of charging excise duty is when you place a bet. We are changing to make it for excise duty to be payable when you transfer money from your mobile wallet to the betting company wallet. There are so many entities operating virtually, some outside the country, from which we are not able to get the excise duty from them. This now means that every time a Kenyan transfers money from their mobile wallet to the wallet of the betting company, then that’s the time the excise duty is paid.”
Despite being controlled by the Betting Control and Licensing Board, illegal gambling and underage betting remain critical issues in the country. The Ministry of Health and various NGOs have raised concerns, warning of gambling addiction. With most gamblers aged 18–35, including students, critics say this tax cut may make the situation even worse.
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