The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has onboarded 87 betting companies into its system to track taxes on betting firms instantly, removing tax evasion loopholes.

Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) Chairperson Jane Makau said the board is committed to streamlining tax remittance from the sector to scale up revenue mobilization and collection.

“With integration, the daily visibility is providing daily trends upon which compliance measures can be taken,” she said.

Makau stated that all betting and gaming companies in the country must join the system.

“I wish to reiterate the Government position that all gaming operators in the industry must board. It is therefore right to say that the ability to onboard will be a requirement for licensing,” she added.

Starting in October 2022, bettors were onboarded into KRA's platform to collect a 7.5 per cent Excise Duty on wagers daily and a 20 per cent Withholding Tax on winnings.

It paid off as the betting business generated Kes8.7 billion in revenue as of June 7, 2023.

Tax at source is a recent, widespread trend that enables government administrations to collect taxes directly from taxpayers instead of using the long-standing self-assessment system.