Salasya decries Aviator addiction, calls for divine intervention
By Ascah Mwango, July 28, 2025Mumias East Member of Parliament Peter Salasya has raised alarm over the growing addiction to Aviator, a popular online betting game, calling for both divine intervention and stricter government regulation.
In a statement shared on his Instagram page on Sunday, July 27, 2025, Salasya expressed concern over what he described as the exploitation and manipulation of players by betting companies running the game.
He expressed dismay at reports that players can deposit large sums of money up to Ksh20 million in a single day, yet are restricted to withdrawing as little as Ksh140,000 per day. He characterised this as outright theft and manipulation designed to trap users in a cycle of gambling dependency.
Salasya described Aviator addiction as a spiritual and social problem, calling on religious institutions to pray for those caught in its grip.
“Those people who are still playing Aviator, I declare released in captivity in the name of Jesus. Ati you can deposit up to 20 million a day, but you can’t withdraw more than 140,000 a day – wizi mtupu,” he wrote.
Adding;
“Anyone playing Aviator, I pray to God help you get out of that addiction.”
Aviator on betting platforms
Salasya’s remarks come just days after Members of the National Assembly grilled the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) over the spread of Aviator across various betting platforms.
During a meeting with BCLB officials on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, Gilgil MP Martha Wangari expressed concern about the game’s growing influence, particularly among vulnerable groups. She accused betting firms of aggressively promoting the game through the media, without proper oversight.
Wangari urged Parliament to launch an investigation into the game, calling it “an addictive game of chance.”
“I rise to seek a statement from the chairperson of the Committee on Finance regarding the measures being taken by the government in respect to its mandate of regulating and controlling gaming activities in Kenya, specifically the so-called Aviator game of chance,” Wangari stated.
She also demanded clarity on whether the game was legally licensed and what role the BCLB was playing in monitoring its operations. The matter has since been referred to the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning for further inquiry.
Aviator, developed by Spribe, is a multiplayer online betting game where users wager on a rising multiplier represented by a flying plane. The goal is to cash out before the plane crashes. If a player delays too long and the plane flies away, they lose their entire bet.