Responsible gaming the Betway way

Piece by: Random Like Arum
Entertainment

‘’Team gani zinacheza hii weekend?’’ Uliona vile Westham walichapwa na Man U in this last game?’’ Let me see what the odds are looking like for this weekend’s game and see what luck could come my way.’’ These are some of the conversations one is most like to come about amongst a group of football fans in many recreational forums today.

Online gaming has fast become a fad in Kenya especially during major football leagues in the international market. Placing bets on some of these games becomes an interesting topic of discussion for many football fans over a drink or catch up here in Kenya. To some, this is a fun way of getting past the hustle and bustle of the week.

However there has been growing concern over the likelihood of folks getting caught up in these kind of gaming experiences and developing an addiction towards them. The population affected by the addiction menace may not be big but online gaming companies such as Betway are not oblivious to the possibility of these numbers growing to an unmanageable figure.

This concern has also come up in stakeholder discussions between the government and the gaming companies. Betway has since inception taken pride in providing exceptional gaming experiences to its customers, placing great emphasis on the fact that that online gaming is for entertainment and not an income generating activity. As with any gaming activity, there is a strong desire to engage more times than usual but Betway has made its mandate to pick up on problem players and guide them into responsible betting. This function has actively been implemented by the team here in Kenya.

‘’ We accept measures that enable the industry to operate so that it promotes responsible entertainment. As a company, we have always stood for responsible betting, taming underage gaming and we obviously welcome reasonable controls. We advocate responsible betting in the country. What we always advise our youths is that betting is entertainment because that is what it is. It is a form of entertainment’’, said Leon Kiptum, Betway Country Manager.

Aside from direct engagement with the players at risk of addiction, Betway has also gone ahead to push for responsible betting through their social media platforms whereby, for every post shared, there is a clear message that esteemed customers should endeavor to bet the responsible way. The campaign dubbed ‘’Bet The Responsible Way’’ has been running for several months. Betway continues to work towards ensuring that punters betting through its platforms engage in betting for entertainment in a responsible way through its various platforms, avenues and initiatives.