HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 1402126,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1402126/?format=api",
"text_counter": 195,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
"speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
"speaker": {
"id": 13165,
"legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
"slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
},
"content": "What have our young people and the people that are engaged in betting done? They have moved on from betting platforms that are available and can be controlled here in Kenya, and are now betting online using companies whose jurisdiction remains unknown, even globally. I know many young people - and I say this at a very difficult time because I have a young man who was a good friend and a supporter and is lying in the morgue, as I speak. He used to work at an M-Pesa shop. He went to some betting site; I am told it is called Aviator. When I was told the story, I realized that I have grown old. I sit amongst people who are older than me, and I have always imagined that I am still young. However, the reality is dawning on me that there are many things that I do not know; things that could not be said of a few years back. I hear there is this betting platform and when they placed their bet there, they lost over Kshs120,000, which is money that would otherwise be referred to as a float of the shop they were running. Since they feared the owner of the shop, they decided to take their own lives. The story is replicated across the country. There are many offline or online betting sites that are available and are being used by young people. When you bet on M-Pesa or a locally regulated platform, the tax revenue people are able to keep track of what you are doing and, therefore, are able to recover this tax. However, many of these young people, as I have pointed out, are now betting online and paying using either their cards or other forms of payment. They are using channels that are unknown to the Government. Therefore, even our regulation of the same is limited. As I have pointed out, this is not a challenge unique to Kenya. These gaming sites are so advanced in their gaming machines, such that even if you were to block their IP address, they have the ability to generate a new one within seconds. Countries that are far more advanced than us technologically have not been able to successfully regulate it. Therefore, this is an attempt to shift our thinking to know that it is almost impossible to deter them. Betting is a matter of personal choice. People decide to either bet or not to bet. Therefore, you must make ways of living and surviving with this phenomena that is here with us, so that you are in a position and are able to either control, manage or guide it in a way that provides a good platform for you as an administration or as a Government to regulate this activity. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this Bill is providing us with this framework because of the challenge that I have just explained; issues of tax evasion and underage gambling. Any person today with access to a computer can actually participate in gambling activities. Some of these sites are online and there is no regulation on age or who can access these sites. Despite the fact that there are very enhanced monitoring mechanisms for these gaming initiatives, it is crucial at this time to create a safe, fair and socially responsible gaming environment. This is basically an admission like the rest of the world has had to do, that gambling is here with us to stay and that there are people who will gamble either way. Therefore, the best thing to do is for you to set up a fair and a good environment and regulate it properly, so that it is done in a manner that you can keep site, keep track and assist people if there are issues of addiction by placing responsibility. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}