Royal Media Services (RMS) has jum*** onto the sports ******* bandwagon by launching its own service. The leading broadcast **use in Kenya – which runs Citizen TV, Radio Citizen and dozen vernacular radio stations – is running its gaming under the brand Shabiki, which covers popular football leagues across the world.
Shabiki has entered the fray at a time when gaming has gained popularity, and over five companies already in play. The new entrant w*** be up against main player SportPesa, which recently paid out a mega jackpot of Ksh221 m***ion to one individual and regularly dishes out m***ions in jackpot.
The other players in the market include Betin, Elitebet, Betway, Bet Yetu, Dafabet and Mcheza. There are also ******* sites which include: Lucky2u, Kenya Sports Bet, Eazi Bet, Just Bet, Gaming International, BetPawa, Goldbet Kenya and Uwezo Bet.
SportPesa has the lion’s share of the market and Royal Media w*** be **ping to use the wide reach of its radio, TV and digital platforms to attract players to its side. Media companies are known to run or partner with lotteries, with Standard championing Lotto while Nation Media promotes Pambazuka.
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Royal Media Services, owned by S.K. Macharia and his family, has become the first media **use to enter the sports ******* arena as an independent gaming service provider. It w*** be battling to take market share from the already e****lished players to have a piece of the b***ions generated from *******, which has become an ********* to many Kenyans including not football fanatics.
With advertising falling for mainstream media **uses due to a shift in media consumption and the government’s policy that restricts ads in commercial platforms, media **uses are looking for alternative revenue streams to boost their profits. RMS had banned ******* adverts on all its platforms ahead of the Shabiki launch perhaps to avoid diluting its ******* brand.
In the Shabiki gaming, the winner of the jackpot w*** have to make 10 out of 10 correct and valid predictions, while other players have set a limit of 13 games.
With ******* companies facing a backlash from aut**rities and other groups for fleecing un*******ing Kenyans, the ground has lately been shifting for gaming. Taxation has been increased and there have been enhanced lobbying for more taxes geared at discouraging gaming.
Responsible gaming
To encourage responsible gaming, Shabiki has, in its terms and conditions, provides tips for self-regulation among ga****.
“We are firmly committed to Responsible ******* and while we endeavour to give our custo**** an enjoyable ******* experience, we are cognisant that irresponsible ******* can pose problems to some individuals,” according to information on Shabiki website.
“We fully support responsible ******* among our custo**** as we are committed to promoting the a***eness of the problems ***ociated with ******* and facilitating prevention, intervention and treatment.”
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It has provided the following guidelines:
- Separate ******* from your daily activities.
- E****lish affordable deposit or stake limits.
- Take some time to break from *******.
- Do not bet when you are distressed or depressed.
- Strictly regulate your alco**l consumption whenever you are *******.
- Do not bet using borrowed money, or money set aside for daily necessities.
- ******* s**uld not be an alternative source of income.
It also says players can request temporary or permanent self- exclusion from the ******* system. “We w*** use all our reasonable endeavors to ensure compliance with self-exclusion,” it says.
[crp]
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