On Wednesday morning, the Parliament in Kenya approved a bill that aims to replace the Betting, Lotteries, and Gambling Act. Thus, it targets to regulate betting and gambling activities in the country. A Member of the Parliament spoke about the need to regulate the Kenyan betting industry. Here, he stated that the young population must be discouraged from uncontrolled and imprudent use.
Moreover, he said, “In the 2017 survey by Geopoll that covered 18- to 35-year-olds, Kenya recorded the highest proportion of young bettors compared to Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. We destroy an entire generation. Financial despair and unemployment merge with the constant ads, the appeal of gambling and the media coverage that includes those on the winning players’ happiness.”
Furthermore, he explained: “We should include gambling losses among the social evils. The uncontrolled and imprudent use produces the same consequences of corruption, irresponsible sex, alcoholism, drug abuse and other things. Additionally, the Constitution provides that the Media Council of Kenya sets standards to encourage the ethical dissemination of information. The authority sees some media houses that contribute to the uncontrolled and imprudent use of gambling. This should definitely be stopped.”
A mandatory savings account for betting users
In March, the government announced the investment of part of the billions that users wager annually in a mandatory savings account. This is based on the model of the so-called Hustler Fund. This credit project was introduced by the Kenyan government with the aim of developing a savings culture among the Kenyan people. The bill, which would involve the millions of Kenyans that bet annually, therefore emulates the Hustler Fund. The latter already took beyond 1 billion Ksh and represents the government’s most innovative tool for saving money in the informal sector.
Plus, the draft law stipulates that a user of online gambling may not bet less than 20 Ksh per gamble. Additionally, the minimum amount includes a savings mechanism for the gambler. That must be determined by the authority in consultation with the Cabinet Secretary. In the last September, the Head of State decried the opaque space in which online betting sites currently operate. Therefore, he called for their regulation so that they pay taxes.
Alice is half Austrian and half Italian. So, she experienced the 1990 World Cup in Italy at very close quarters. And that sparked her enthusiasm for football. Since she loved to write since childhood, Alice began to engage in journalism while still at school....
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By Alice Kopp
Alice is half Austrian and half Italian. That's why she experienced the 1990 World Cup in Italy at first hand. And that awakened her enthusiasm for football. Since she has loved writing since childhood, Alice began to study journalism while still at school. It was very convenient for her that her class took part in a project of a German daily newspaper. She was also allowed to write for the children's pages of an Austrian daily newspaper and to get a taste of the sports department of the same medium. This is how she received her first press accreditations, which was of course anything but a matter of course for the then 18-year-old.
Although she was partly advised against it, Alice decided to study journalism and communication sciences. After a few years, she decided to use the exams she had taken as an elective. Nevertheless, she applies the knowledge she has acquired in her further professional life. The same applies to her language skills. In addition to her mother tongues German and Italian, Alice is also proficient in English and Spanish. She also understands French and can use this language in research.
During her studies, Alice was involved in an Austrian football club. At the same time, she wrote for a total of three Austrian portals and worked as an Austria correspondent for an Italian-language online medium. This collaboration started during Giovanni Trapattoni's era at Red Bull Salzburg and continued during EURO 2008. This gave her the opportunity to interact with Trapattoni as well as with Italian journalists.
From the following year, Alice initially worked with a Swiss portal before discovering sports betting content for herself. On the one hand, this kept her in sports journalism, and on the other, it broadened her horizons. And that both in the context of the sports betting industry and with other sports as well as countries. In the field of sports journalism, she focused in particular on football from around the world, volleyball and beach volleyball.
In addition, she naturally wrote several guides, bookmaker profiles, bonus articles and other content for betting enthusiasts. She did this for the same company for about ten years, writing articles in German and Italian. She also built the Italian-language website together with the managing director. Meanwhile, Alice started working with another Austrian football club. Furthermore, she joined the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS) in 2016. This gives her the opportunity to watch teams and athletes on the ground relatively often.
Not only sports betting, but also radio
In January 2019, the next step in her professional development followed. For: she started creating premium content on the topic of sports betting. In the process, she finally put out feelers to almost all countries and all continents. And this was not least due to the fact that both German and English-speaking users subscribed to her content. Nevertheless, Alice continued to use her knowledge of Italian, among other things. On the one hand, because she regularly exchanges ideas with Italian colleagues, and on the other, because she works with a web radio station.
The Corona crisis had a strong impact on the sports world and on interest in sports betting, primarily in the early days. Therefore, a fresh start was necessary and, on balance, Alice found the fields of activity that suited her best. She also writes articles for an agency on almost all disciplines as well as on eSports and content for a German online medium.
Alice is half Austrian and half Italian. That's why she experienced the 1990 World Cup in Italy at first hand. And that awakened her enthusiasm for football.
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