NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Yusuf Omanga, 33, has always dreamed of making good money. After finishing university in 2005 he initially planned to be an artist, but after a decade of struggling, he decided it was time to look at other options. Since March last year, the father-of-two has been a full-time online sports better after learning that a close friend had won US$600 by predicting the final score of a football game with a 50 cent bet.

“At first I didn’t win any money so I gave up. But I returned to the game after learning that I just needed time to understand how to place the bets wisely,” says Yusuf.

The first online and mobile sports betting platforms launched in Kenya in 2013. Like most users of the 25 or so online betting companies currently operating in the country, Yusuf places bets on football games in the various top European leagues, although local leagues and lesser-known international leagues are also popular. The trick, he says, is to place as many bets as possible, to bet on small teams that offer better odds and to place bets daily. Winning is not about luck, according to Yusuf. Betting is hard work.