The African iGaming Alliance (AiA) and the Association of Gaming Operators of Kenya (AGOK) have penned a three-year MoU aimed at boosting collaboration.
The MoU, signed by AIA CEO Peter Kesitilwe and AGOK chief John Mutua, establishes a framework for closer collaboration on the issues impacting Kenya and the wider African continent.
Such areas of mutual interest include regulatory and public policy engagement, responsible gambling, consumer protection, taxation and payments.
The MoU will also allow for greater exchange of research and insights, with the hope that AGOK’s experiences in Kenya can contribute to wider discussions about the gambling ecosystem in Africa.
Kesitilwe said the partnership would help to strengthen Kenya’s role in shaping the wider African gaming sector, supporting greater cooperation on regulation, responsible gambling and tackling the illegal market.
“Kenya is one of Africa’s most important and dynamic gaming markets, and what happens here increasingly has relevance beyond Kenya’s borders,” Kesitilwe said. “Our partnership with AGOK will create an important bridge between developments in Kenya and the wider continental conversation.”
Meanwhile, Mutua explained the agreement would give Kenya’s regulated operators greater opportunities to share expertise across Africa.
“Through this partnership, we will be able to exchange knowledge and research, learn from developments across other African jurisdictions and contribute Kenya’s own experiences to the continental dialogue,” he outlined.
“We believe that collaboration of this nature can support better policy outcomes, stronger consumer protection and a more sustainable environment for licensed operators.”
Kenyan gambling at a crossroads
The MoU will run for an initial period of three years, although it can be extended if both parties agree.
It extends to opportunities to collaborate on events such as conferences, workshops and roundtables.
The announcement of the MoU arrives at an interesting time for the Kenyan gambling industry.
The landmark Gambling Control Act was introduced last year and was hailed as a positive new era for gambling in Kenya after a period of turbulence.
In July, however, the licensed gambling sector was effectively put on hold after a stay order was issued by the High Court of Kenya, suspending the licensing process due to concerns over the high licence fees.
The stay order was partially suspended, allowing the licensing period to proceed, although the matter has once again raised questions over the stability of the regulatory environment in Kenya.
非洲iGaming联盟（AiA）与肯尼亚博彩运营商协会（AGOK）签署了一份为期三年的谅解备忘录，旨在加强合作。
该谅解备忘录由AiA首席执行官Peter Kesitilwe和AGOK负责人John Mutua签署，建立了更紧密合作的框架，以应对影响肯尼亚及更广泛非洲大陆的问题。
双方共同关注的领域包括监管与公共政策参与、负责任博彩、消费者保护、税收和支付。
该谅解备忘录还将促进研究和见解的更大交流，希望AGOK在肯尼亚的经验能够为关于非洲博彩生态系统的更广泛讨论做出贡献。
Kesitilwe表示，这一合作伙伴关系将有助于加强肯尼亚在塑造更广泛非洲博彩行业中的作用，支持在监管、负责任博彩和打击非法市场方面加强合作。
“肯尼亚是非洲最重要、最具活力的博彩市场之一，这里发生的事情越来越具有超越肯尼亚国界的影响力，”Kesitilwe说。“我们与AGOK的合作伙伴关系将在肯尼亚的发展与更广泛的大陆对话之间搭建一座重要的桥梁。”
与此同时，Mutua解释说，该协议将为肯尼亚受监管的运营商提供更多在非洲各地分享专业知识的机会。
“通过这一合作伙伴关系，我们将能够交流知识和研究成果，学习其他非洲司法管辖区的发展经验，并将肯尼亚自身的经验贡献给大陆对话，”他指出。
“我们相信，这种性质的合作可以支持更好的政策成果、更强的消费者保护以及更可持续的持牌运营商环境。”
肯尼亚博彩业处于十字路口
该谅解备忘录的初始期限为三年，但经双方同意可以延长。
其范围还扩展至在会议、研讨会和圆桌会议等活动上合作的机会。
该谅解备忘录的宣布正值肯尼亚博彩行业的一个有趣时刻。
具有里程碑意义的《博彩控制法》于去年出台，在经过一段动荡时期后，被誉为肯尼亚博彩业积极的新时代。
然而，在7月份，由于对高额许可费的担忧，肯尼亚高等法院发布了暂停令，暂停了许可程序，持牌博彩行业实际上被搁置。
该暂停令被部分撤销，允许许可期继续进行，尽管此事再次引发了人们对肯尼亚监管环境稳定性的质疑。