Gambling in Kenya: Mobile Phones and Football Boost Popularity

Prevalence of Gambling in Kenya

The GeoPoll research indicated that, among all Kenyans above age 18, 57% have gambled at some point in time, including 69% of males and 44% of females. In the light of gamblers, 47% are light users, betting once in a month or less and only 10% of these gamblers bet more than once a day. The most popular gambling is, among the men, for those aged 25 to 34: 77% of these gambled in the past, and 58% of them gambled at least once a week. Yet, females over the age of 35 were the least likely to participate in gambling, with only 46% of this group ever having gambled.

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Among persons who have never gambled, 39% say they are not interested in gambling, whereas 27% say lack of money prevents them from gambling. Of those who do not gamble and belong to the 25-34 age group, most would cite reasons rooted in a lack of money or fear of losing money. In fact, 48% offered a money-based rationale for their nonparticipation, as opposed to only 36% of older people (the 35+ category) and 31% of young people aged 18-24; when it comes to this group, one would say there is desire to gamble but it is their sense of responsibility that is stopping them from spending their money on gambling.

Mobile Phones and Betting in Kenya

Mobile phones are also right in the gambling epicenter, according to GeoPoll. The proportion of prevalence of gambling will vary widely among smartphone users and non-smartphone users; 40% with basic phones gambled while a 64% of smartphone owners gambled. Females with basic mobile phones are the least likely to gamble, with only 27% of such women placing bets or gambling.

Also, mobile applications are overwhelmingly the most prevalent way of gambling among those who do; 88% of gamblers use mobile devices to gamble, of which 55% gamble on their phones at least once a week. Therefore, mobile gambling is both the most popular and the most frequently used mode of gambling, which indicates that the convenience of mobile gambling has profoundly shifted the betting market.

Gamblers are apparently no longer that much into the casino scene, with only 36% of them defining themselves as casino enthusiasts, a third of which fit into the once-a-month or less frequency. Compared to other modes of betting such as mobile gambling, cyber cafés and betting shops are even less trendy with only 28% and 33% respectively of the gambling population declaring that they have ever placed bets through such establishments.

The 40% of Kenyan punters have a tendency to place their bets by themselves; 38% are reported to be betting with friends; this is an indication that even with the popularity of mobile applications, betting can be a social activity.

Football Betting Reigns Supreme

People in Kenya mostly bet on football, with 83% of respondents claiming this as their most common betting option, followed by lotteries at 11%. Older members of society find lotteries more appealing, with 22% of the older age group claiming lottery betting is their preferred gambling form. Females are also more inclined than males to bet through lotteries. This trend toward football betting was found previously in other GeoPoll reports on World Cup betting, where 77% of people surveyed in Kenya said they had placed bets, and for AFCON, when 83% of Kenyan gamblers planned to place bets.

Thirty-seven percent indicated loyalty to their preferred betting type, stating they have no second one, while twenty-six percent indicated that sports other than football were their second most frequent source of betting.

Key Insights on Gambling in Kenya

  1. Prevalence of Gambling:

    • 57% of Kenyan adults (18+) have participated in gambling.
    • 69% of males and 44% of females have gambled at least once.
    • The most common gamblers are males aged 25-34, with 77% having gambled.

  2. Types of Gamblers:

    • 47% of gamblers are light gamblers (bet once a month or less).
    • 10% of gamblers place bets more than once a day.
    • 39% of non-gamblers are simply not interested, while 27% cite a lack of money.

  3. Mobile Phones and Gambling:

    • 64% of smartphone owners gamble, compared to 40% of basic phone owners.
    • 88% of gamblers use mobile devices for betting, with 55% gambling on mobile at least once a week.
    • 40% of gamblers prefer betting alone, but 38% enjoy betting with friends.

  4. Gambling Locations:

    • Mobile betting is the most popular method, followed by casinos (36%), cyber cafés (28%), and betting shops (33%).

  5. Football Betting:

    • 83% of gamblers prefer betting on football, making it the dominant sport in betting.
    • 11% bet on lotteries, especially among older demographics and females.
    • Football betting has high engagement during events like the World Cup (77%) and AFCON (83%).