Kenya’s largest betting firm award will surely go to Sportpesa who have go world wide.
Sportpesa will also be remembered to Kenyans as the first betting firm that largely lured and taught many Kenyans on how to gamble in football sports.
But, let’s go behind the curtains and have a look at who are really the Sportpesa.
- The firm is owned by local and international investors from atleast three continents.The owners are famous millionaires who understandably are ex-Kenya Airways pilot, a shrewd Nairobi businessman, a female veteran of the gambling industry, three Bulgarians and an American businessman.
- In July 2016, Sportpesa signed a lucrative deal with English Premier League side Hull City, as its first ever best deal with an EPL club.The Hull City deal was worth £10 million (Sh13.2 billion)
- Notable Kenyan moguls under Sportpesa are former chairman of the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KAPA) Ronald Karauri, businessman Paul Wanderi Ndung’u and Asenath Wachera Maina, the brains behind the controversial
- The three millionares are also behind the ‘Shinda Smart’ lottery
- From Bulgaria in Europe, we have Guerassim Nikolov of the ill-fated Toto 6/49 lottery, Valentina Nikolaeva Mineva and Ivan Kalpakchiev
- Then from America in USA Sportpesa got a businessman named Gene Grand. He is also in the list of top shareholders of Pevans East Africa, the entity behind SportPesa.
- Kenya has also got a number of minority stake holders among them Francis Waweru Kiarie and Robert Kenneth Wanyoike Macharia
- In 2017 May, Sportpesa signed a lucrative deal with EPL side Everton from Liverpool city, the deal was about 1.3bn in Kenyan currency
- When government imposed a heavy tax on all betting firms, Sportpesa withdrew their support majorly on KPL clubs
- In record, Sportpesa has sponsored the following sports team – Kenya Rugby Union (Sh607 million), Kenyan Premier League (Sh450 million), Gor Mahia (Sh325 million) and AFC Leopards (Sh225 million).
