Unpacking Betting in Kenya
A joint survey by Ipsos and GeoPoll
The burgeoning Betting and Gaming sector has been riddled with controversy and success stories over the past few years. With the suspension of betting firms, the media industry stands to lose 10% of 2019 advertising expenditure. Equivalent to KES 14 billion projected loss! 73% of Kenyans that are aware of the suspension are bettors.
With the suspension of betting firms the media industry stands to lose 10% of 2019 advertising expenditure. Equivalent to KES 14 billion projected loss! 73% of Kenyans that are aware of the suspension are bettors. The majority of bettors are unhappy and close to 1 out of 5 will not watch major football tournaments as a result of the suspension.
6 out of 10 of bettors are looking to spend their money on other items or other betting channels. 28% of bettors are unemployed, they are more likely to seek alternative betting channels than all other bettors.
But what does this mean for the Bettor?
73% of Kenyans aware of the suspension have engaged in betting.
The profile of the bettor who is aware of the suspension is largely male, 25 to 34 years, with household earnings of up to KES 77,000 and self-employed or unemployed.
Kes 1,550 is the average spend on betting by Kenyans aged 18 to 29 years, in a given month. Whilst 40% of bettors intend to save this money, 60% intend to spend it, either on other items (35%) or other betting channels (25%). Bettors with a monthly household income of more than KES 77,000 are most likely to use the money they would use to bet, to spend on other items.
