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{
"id": 1581038,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1581038/?format=api",
"text_counter": 432,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Molo, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Kuria Kimani",
"speaker": null,
"content": " On 16th April 2025, the Member for Gilgil, Hon. Martha Wangari, sought a statement from the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning on the status of the Aviator game of chance. In particular, the Member sought a response on the following questions: 1. The legal status of registration of the Aviator game of chance in Kenya. 2. How much revenue the country has received in terms of taxes from betting and gaming activities in the country. 3. Statistics on how much Kenyans spend per year on betting and gaming. 4. The steps being taken by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) to control the proliferation of all manner of advertisements on audio, visual and print media relating to Aviator gaming. 5. The criteria and regulations used by BCLB to authorise and regulate the Aviator games of chance in the country. 6. A list, together with licence numbers and dates of firms, including media stations, that are authorised to conduct the games of chance in the country. 7. A list from the Betting Control and Licensing Board of the ongoing and concluded disciplinary cases that have been taken against errant betting and gaming firms and media stations in the country over the last one year. Due to the busy schedule the Committee has had during the preparation of the Budget process, we conducted the first meeting with the Kenya Revenue Authority. They gave us the first preliminary report on Thursday, 3rd June, 2025. However, there are still pending discussions with the Betting Control and Licensing Board because it is the one which is mandated by law to license, monitor, deregister or suspend any operations on a need basis. The BCLB is established under Section 3(1) of the Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act, Cap. 131 of 1966. Betting and gaming activities fall into three categories; namely, sportsbook, casinos and lotteries. Casinos are sub-divided into online casinos (including Aviator, jackpots and other virtual games) and land-based casinos (including slot and table games). Sportsbook is a form of gambling that involves wagering on sports such as golf, football, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, horse racing, boxing and mixed martial arts. The public gaming sector, commonly known as casinos, consists of online gaming and land-based casinos. The games include aviator, jackpot, other cash games like visual games, and table games like blackjack, poker and roulette. There are also other games like slot games. The lotteries are a form of gaming that is conducted by registered institutions to raise funds for charitable purposes under Section 36 of the Betting, Lotteries and Gaming (BLG) Act. Those are undertaken by purchasing raffles or lottery tickets, and draws are conducted to determine the winners. I believe that most of us have participated in such activities during church harambees since we were little. The taxation currently applicable to Aviator and Jackpot gaming includes a 5 per cent excise duty on all deposits or stakes placed by punters. That tax is collected at the point of deposit and is deducted at source in real time. You will note that amendments effected through the current Finance Act have changed how that excise duty is applied. Previously, it was taxed when one placed a bet. Now, it is taxed at the point of depositing funds into the betting company’s wallet. In addition, there is a 20 per cent withholding tax on all gambling winnings. This applies to gross winnings from betting, lotteries, gaming and prize competitions. The tax is also deducted at source in real time. We also have a 15 per cent gaming tax levied on gross gaming revenue. Gross gaming revenue is defined as gross revenue turnover minus the amount paid The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}