Content creators and influencers ask BCLB to lift ban on betting ads, engage them in talks
They have told the regulator they are willing to negotiate a model for responsible advertising by age-restricted content regulation
Content creators and influencers have called on the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) to lift their ban on betting advertisements and engage them in discussions on the way forward, saying it has rendered many of them jobless.
Speaking on their behalf, lawyer Hundson Omido called on the betting regulator to suspend the ban within 48 hours and call the influencers and digital content creators for a dialogue.
“We call on BCLB to suspend the ban within 48 hours and sit down with us, as we are willing to negotiate a model for responsible advertising by age-restricted content regulation. We request to be part of the dialogue,” Omido stated.
He insisted that they want to be part of the regulation process and are ready to cooperate with the relevant authorities.
According to content creators and influencers, the ban by BCLB is a blow to young people who have now been rendered jobless.
They reiterated that digital advertising by influencers on social media has converged with traditional advertising, and BCLB should understand that.
They added that they understand the move by the regulator to protect the minors from betting, but the ban on influencers and content creators, according to them, is not a solution.
“We, the Kenyan Influencers and the Content Creators Community, are in deep concern about the recent directive by BCLB. The ban on influencers and content creators from participating in betting ads is not welcome. A blanket ban is not a solution is not even as BCLB pushes to protect those below the age of 18,” they stated.
“We understand that there is a need to protect the underage and the public. The ban is a blow to the creative economy and young people whose lives depend on digital content creation. The ban is a fight over the legitimacy of content creation as a profession. Social media has conquered advertising as influencers are at the frontline of modern marketing, and our interaction should be responsibly managed and not completely managed,” they added.
The call to BCLB by the content creators and influencers comes after the authority issued a ban on Celebrities, content creators, and influencers from gambling advertisements.
The new directive by the Betting Control and Licensing Board is part of new measures to protect vulnerable Kenyans from the dangers of betting. “Gambling adverts shall not glamorize betting or use celebrities, influencers and content creators to endorse or promote gambling,” BCLB directed.
The new directive followed the end of a 30-day suspension on gambling advertisements that had been in place since the end of last month.
A multi-agency team comprising of the Ministry of Interior, Office of the Attorney General, Communications Authority of Kenya, Kenya Revenue Authority, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB), Media Council of Kenya, and Financial Reporting Centre have been at work to draft new rules that promote responsible gambling and limit exposure to minors and other at-risk groups. The new guidelines aim to reshape how gambling is marketed in Kenya.
According to the new guidelines, gambling ads must not depict gambling as a source of income or associate it with social success.
Going forward, gambling advertisements must be pre-approved by the BCLB and classified by the KFCB before distribution.
This dual oversight ensures compliance with the Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act and the Films and Stage Plays Act. Media outlets were prohibited from airing unapproved or unclassified ads, with penalties for non-compliance.
