The Kenya Revenue Authority has officially cleared Sportpesa, allowing them to renew their license. The betting company will now resume its full operations after a period of a legal tussle with the regulator.
A Sportpesa press release read, “There has been notable progress in these sessions, and we are pleased that Kenya Revenue Authority has now cleared us to have our license renewed.” The press release, however, did not mention the tax evasion charges earlier demanded by the authority.
Previously, KRA was pursuing Sportpesa among other betting companies on alleged charges of tax evasion. Later, the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) suspended the companies’ pay bill numbers. BCLB then failed to renew Sportpesa’s license, barring the company from running its operations.
In response, the betting company withdrew sports sponsorships in Kenya citing undue pressure from BCLB.
Sportpesa will now operate under the new tax rules after the renewal of its license. The company pledged its commitment to supporting the government’s economic activity, which includes compliance with current tax laws. Current tax regulations require betting company to pay 20% tax on all winnings.
