Gambling in Kenya: Mobile Phones and Football Boost Popularity

Prevalence of Gambling in Kenya

According to GeoPoll's study, 57% of people aged 18 and above in Kenya have gambled in the past, with 69% of males and 44% of females participating. Within the group of gamblers, 47% are light gamblers who stake once a month or less, whereas only 10% of gamblers place bets more than once a day. Males aged 25-34 are the most active gamblers, of whom 77% have gambled before, and of that population, 58% gamble at least once a week. Males aged 35 and above are the least likely to have gambled; only 46% of this population has ever placed a bet. For those looking for more information on gambling habits and trends, platforms such as Best Casino Sites Kenya are available to explore various kinds of gambling.

Of those who have never gambled, 39% state a disinterest in it, while 27% mention a lack of funds to engage in gambling. Money-based reasons for not gambling are cited by most of those aged 25-34 in their group of participants; 48% cited a money-based reason for not gambling, compared with 36% of those aged 35 and older and 31% of those 18 to 24, suggesting great interest in gambling and the feeling of a need to not spend their money on it.

Mobile Phones and Betting in Kenya

According to GeoPoll, mobile phones are sure to be the industry frontiers in gambling in Kenya. Users of smartphones have gambled at a rate much different from that of non-owners—40% of mobile phone users who own basic phones and 64% of smartphone owners have been counted. Females in possession of basic mobile phones are the least probable to have gambled, and a small 27% of them have placed bets or gambled.

Among gamblers, mobile applications are an overwhelmingly dominant gambling medium; an online survey of users found that using mobile devices for placing bets: 88% of gamblers nowadays used a mobile device; 55% of those who gamble on their mobile device do it on a weekly or more frequent basis. Mobile-based gambling thus represents the most common yet most frequently used gambling method, illustrating that the accessibility gives mobile gambling a clear advantage in transforming the betting industry.

Fewer gamblers visit casinos; only 36% indicated that they bet through casinos, and of those who do, only a third do so once a month or less. Other betting institutions such as cyber cafes and betting shops are even less often used than mobile betting, with only 28% and 33% of the gambling population respectively placing bets through such shops.

Here are some important factors influencing gambling habits in Kenya:

• Accessibility – The ability to place bets anytime via mobile phones increases participation.
• Football popularity – Football betting is a dominant form of gambling in the country, contributing to high gambling rates.
• Social nature of gambling – Many people still engage in gambling as a social activity, betting with friends or in group settings.
• Cultural factors – Gambling behaviors are shaped by local traditions and attitudes toward risk-taking and entertainment.
• Regulation and awareness – As the gambling industry grows, there is a push for more responsible gambling practices and government regulation to ensure consumer protection.

Kenyan gamblers are mostly isolated in their gambling, with 40 percent indicating that more often than not, they place their bets alone, but another 38 percent of them bet with friends, thus proving that despite the popularity of betting apps, it can be a social activity.

Football Betting Reigns Supreme

In Kenya, the leading type of gambling is football betting, with 83% of the respondents saying that they primarily bet on it, followed by lotteries, which 11% indicated as their number one pick. Lotteries were mostly indicated to be popular among the oldest adults, 22% of whom claimed that lotteries was the preferred type of betting. Females are also more likely to bet through lotteries than their male counterparts. It's also been evident from previous GeoPoll reports pertaining to the World Cup that the popularity of football betting is concerned with the gambling decision, where 77% of Kenyans said they had placed bets, and 83% planned to do so in the case of AFCON.

Seventy-five percent of gamblers displaying great loyalty to their betting types say they do not have a second betting type. And 26% point to sports other than football as their second most preferred betting area.