Recently, Kenyan bettors have been worried about one question: what is happening with the famous bookmaker Betika? The situation is still unclear, but we will collect and analyze all available information to draw the most likely conclusions.
Situation Description
At first glance, everything is fine with the platform. Users can go to the site, download the Betika app apk file, and open the application. However, the service currently does not accept payments, and the support team does not respond to requests. That is, in essence, the service does not function. Of course, this state of affairs could not cause users concern. Many have tried to discover the reasons for what is happening online.
However, neither the owners of the service nor the Kenyan authorities have made any official statements. De jure, the platform is still working, but de facto is unavailable. What could have happened to the bookmaker? To answer this question, we need to go back and look at the history of the service.
Betika’s History
The service was founded in Nairobi in April 2016 and initially provided betting via SMS; a little later that year, managing an account using a USSD code became possible. By 2018, the platform had become widely known in Kenya and began collaborating with famous athletes, and in 2019, the bookmaker became one of the top Kenyan betting platforms.
In 2020, the service expanded beyond the country and became available in other African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zambia. In 2022, the bookmaker offered the maximum jackpot among betting companies. A user could win up to 200,000,000 KES by betting only 49 KES. The service actively collaborated with athletes and sponsored local teams this time.
You might think the service encountered no problems on the path to success, but this is untrue. Several times, the bookmaker became involved in high-profile scandals.
Reputation Issues
The first scandal known to the broader public occurred in 2019 when several users accused the bookmaker of rigging the results. One after another, bettors said the system automatically canceled winning bets. However, this only happened in the case of a potential big win. Service representatives stated their desire to understand the situation with each user individually and invited everyone to contact the support service.
At that moment, bloggers drew attention to the scandal. Some accused Betika of fraud and manipulation of results, but there were also defenders of the service. We do not have reliable information about the solution to the problem and the measures taken in response to each request. However, public outrage subsided after some time, and users continued to place bets and receive winnings. There were no problems with replenishing the balance or withdrawing funds, and the service maintained its status as one of the top Kenyan platforms.
The Last Scandal
A new wave of accusations has risen this year. This time, two brothers claimed that the bookmaker illegally refused to pay them their winnings of KES 500,000. The brothers claim that the service incorrectly indicated the results of one match in the coupon, which is why the bet was wrongfully declared a loser. Users announced their intention to defend their case in court and were determined to fight.
Neither the bookmaker nor the official authorities published information about the results of resolving this conflict, so we do not know whether the parties could reach an agreement. It is also unclear how this situation affected the bookmaker’s work. From the moment of the first publications about bettors’ claims until recently, it functioned as usual.
Position of the Authorities
Since receiving the official license, Betika has never fallen out of favor with regulatory authorities. Even in 2021, when the licenses of some top bookmakers were suspended, Betika continued to operate uninterruptedly. Also, the bookmaker is not subject to the new initiative to increase the minimum bet since this parameter is already higher than the level prescribed by law.
The service promotes the principles of responsible betting and warns its users about the possible formation of gambling addiction. In this area, Betika also works within local tax legislation and requirements. Thus, at first glance, there is no reason to close the service or revoke the license. In addition, government officials did not make any official statements.
Conclusion
So, what are the reasons for the sudden unavailability of the Betika platform? Judging by the information available today, the problem lies in something other than violating laws or actions of authorized bodies. Perhaps the situation is related to internal issues of the service or financial difficulties unknown to us. In any case, we hope the problem will become clearer soon and we will receive an official statement from Betika owners or representatives. In the meantime, you can use the services of other Kenyan or international platforms.
