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Gambling advert spend drops by 89pc on tighter rules
Some 226 licensed betting firms were operating in the financial year ended June 2025, more than double the number that was in the market three years ago, underscoring the gambling appeal of the Kenyan market.
The expenditure on advertising within the betting and gaming sector dropped by a sharp 89 percent in the quarter to September 2025, hit by stricter regulations from the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) earlier in June, aimed at promoting responsible gambling and protecting minors.
Fresh data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) show that the total sector advertising fell to Sh131 million, down from Sh1.2 billion recorded in the preceding quarter. Television and radio received Sh80 million and Sh51 million, respectively.
The decline followed a regulatory directive in June that imposed firmer guidelines requiring adverts to obtain prior approval from both the BCLB and the Kenya Film Classification Board.
The directive further prohibited the use of celebrities, influencers and content creators to promote betting activities, directing that all advertising content be vetted before broadcast or publication.
The new rules were aimed at ensuring gambling adverts do not embellish betting or present it as a risk-free activity to the public.
In July last year, a joint committee of the Senate and National Assembly proposed increasing the security deposit payable by betting firms for online gambling by 400 times to Sh100 million, up from the current Sh250,000, as part of the Gambling Control Bill 2023.
The substantial security was intended to protect deposits of punters in the event a company goes under, besides guaranteeing payment of winning bets.
Some 226 licensed betting firms were operating in the financial year ended June 2025, more than double the number that was in the market three years ago, underscoring the gambling appeal of the Kenyan market.
CA data shows that during the quarter to last September, the office equipment and supplies sector advertising expenditure grew at the fastest pace of 537 percent to Sh255 million, up from Sh40 million the prior quarter.
This was followed by tourism and entertainment, whose advertising expenditure grew 128 percent to Sh1.8 billion, followed by communications and transport sectors whose spend rose 124 percent to Sh2.2 billion and 122 percent to Sh1.2 billion, respectively.
Other sectors that recorded significant increments in spending during the period are publishing and education (97 percent), food (48 percent), and property and building (43 percent).
“Overall industry spending increased by 15 percent during the quarter. The industry's total spending increased from Sh15 billion to Sh18 billion,” wrote the CA.
“The predominant allocation of advertising spending is directed towards free-to-air TV, highlighting its central role in the advertising landscape. This emphasis on free-to-air TV underscores its effectiveness in reaching a wide and diverse audience.”
