SportPesa, the sports betting platform based in Kenya, has sued the Kenyan Government for betting losses after the state switched-off their pay bills and shortcodes. Pevans East African Limited, which owns SportPesa, says they are seeking compensation for money lost since the shutdown began.
The suspension of the Pay Bill, SMS and Short Codes have affected the ability of bettors to withdraw their funds deposited in the gaming wallets.
In the suit, SportPesa says that it had not broken any regulatory requirements and conducted its business according to the law. The betting company also accuses the state of refusal to renew its licence and wants the court to stop a directive by the government to Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom to suspend its M-Pesa pay bills and SMS shortcodes.
“The action of the respondents are not unreasonable, irrational and high- handed but also clearly amount to deliberately abuse of office and state power to achieve ulterior ends,” the suit stated.
