Betting on Technology: Why Banning Influencers & Content Creators Misses the Bigger Picture

At the end of May 2025, the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) banned influencers, celebrities and content creators from betting promotions.

This follows public outrage sparked by the infamous online betting game Aviator, a crash-style betting game where a small aeroplane takes off and starts to ascend on the screen. You place a bet before or just as the plane takes off; as it climbs, a multiplier increases (e.g., 1.01x, 1.25x, 2.00x, 5.00x, and so on), but you must cash out before the plane crashes/disappears. The problem is the crash point is random, so people think, “Just one more round.” This leads to a high level of addiction, particularly among younger and less affluent players.

The ban came barely a month after a similar embargo was placed on all gambling advertisements across all media platforms, including TV, radio, social media, billboards, SMS campaigns, and celebrity endorsements by BCLB for a period of 30 days.

The regulatory move reflects a growing global trend where regulators such as BCLB & NACADA struggle to balance consumer protection with the explosive growth of unregulated digital advertising.

The story of Kenya’s betting industry regulation is one of unlikely successes amidst rapid innovation and the need for oversight within Kenya’s digital economy.

Decisive regulatory actions by the BCLB, such as tighter controls, curbs on SMS-based gambling, and compliance crackdowns against betting operators, have had significant ripple effects. Betting websites, once among the top 10 most visited platforms in Kenya back in 2017, have all but vanished from the leaderboard by 2025. This shift points to a commendable public policy win.

However, recent months have reminded us that vigilance is never permanent. The rise of viral betting games like Aviator has quietly penetrated rural Kenya, luring youth and even schoolchildren into micro-bets, which reignited public outrage.

Social media influencers have been instrumental in marketing these betting platforms. Following a shift by betting firms from traditional media to celebrities, social media influencers and content creators, they now earn up to 68% of betting ad spends.

BCLB’s move to ban influencers and content creators from promoting betting was a logical extension of the state’s protective mandate. After all, this space is fast-evolving, chaotic, and often predatory. Many Kenyans, especially in underserved regions, are still vulnerable to digital exploitation.

Evolving Digital Policy

Yet, even the best regulation must evolve.

This was always a key reference in our Digital Policy and Technology class by Prof. Jung-Yong Kim, PhD, who was the Director of the AI Centre at Hanyang University ERICA, where I studied for my Masters in AI.

The challenge is the same from Nairobi to Busan to Beijing: how do you balance innovation and safety in a digital space where influence spreads faster than law can follow?

Governments around the world are grappling with this. China, for instance, has imposed strict bans on celebrity endorsements of gambling, crypto, and health products, whereas South Korea penalises influencers who fail to disclose sponsored content. The UK now requires gambling ads to avoid targeting under-18s and restricts influencer-led promotions for betting platforms. In Australia, social media promotions of gambling require responsible gambling messages, while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) mandates disclosure and truthfulness—but struggles to keep pace.

In Kenya, BCLB’s decision to ban influencers while allowing traditional media houses to continue airing betting ads showed that regulators do not know how to audit or track the chaotic, personalised and fast-moving world of influencer content.

Yet the answer is not more bans. It is smarter, tech-native regulation. Instead of wielding blunt instruments, we need new tools designed for today’s digital economy.

In the words of Prof. Jung-Yong Kim, PhD, “Digital transformation takes multiple steps to consider. What do we need to know to make the transition successful?”

Using Digital Transformation for Influencer Regulation

My recommended strategy for smart regulation of the BCLB would be built on a clear five-step progression. A simplified version without providing inundating intricate technological details would entail:

1. The first step would be to identify & map the key players because you cannot regulate what you cannot see. Therefore, we must create a clear map of the influencer landscape. This would be from both the betting companies and the influencers themselves. Making them visible and accountable through a calibrated digital licensing framework.
2. Once visible, the second phase would be to educate & set rules to create a clear standard for participation. What should they do, how, when and where should they do it, and who can they target? For example, a “Betting Literacy” post (explaining risks, odds, etc.) similar to what is mandated for alcohol & cigarette products.
3. From there, the third phase is based on the understanding that having rules is meaningless without a way to enforce them. Therefore, we would use AI to build proactive smart monitoring & enforcement tools because reactive manual policing will not work, especially with Kenya’s unique scenario of 43 tribes & multiple local dialects apart from Sheng and Swahili. Technology integration is also the only way to partner with the platforms themselves (Meta, TikTok, YouTube).
4. But regulation should not just be about punishment; it should also be about creating positive incentives. The fourth phase would entail building a system where it is more profitable and prestigious to be ethical. Such as a ‘trust-badge’ system; thus, brands/businesses would prefer to work with trusted influencers. As well as the regulator itself for “edutainment” campaigns against irresponsible gambling. Going further to incentivise & elevate good behaviour, creating a true market for trust.
5. Finally, we empower & sustain this entire framework through crowd-sourced community involvement using blockchain-powered technology and a self-funding mechanism to ensure a financially viable long-term success.

The influencer economy is not going away—it is evolving faster than traditional media ever did. A forward-thinking body like BCLB should stop trying to squeeze digital realities into analogue frameworks.

Influencers are not the enemy. They are the new broadcasters. Instead of shutting them out, let us build a system that brings them in—responsibly, transparently, and innovatively.

It is time to regulate by design, not just by decree.