Three betting companies on Monday urged the court to lift orders that cancelled their betting licences.
SportPesa, Betin and 1xBet also urged Justice John Mativo to quash the decision of Betting Control and Licensing Board which suspended their pay bill numbers and short codes.
Pevan East Africa trading as SportPesa through lawyer Paul Muite, argued that the board acted in contempt by suspending their paybills and short codes, despite having obtained a court order.
Jobs under threat
“The board acted arbitrarily, causing injustice to the company and threatening hundreds of jobs,” Muite said.
Gamcode Limited, operating as Betin, accused the board of acting without due regard to the law.
Through lawyer Githu Muigai, the gaming company pleaded with the court to lift the suspension, saying the board should not be allowed to act contrary to the law.
Advanced Gaming on the other hand argued the agency did not give them reason for not renewing their license.
“My client has invested heavily and if the orders are not lifted, it will lead to closure of its business,” stated the betting firm through its lawyer Mbugua Ng’ang’a.
The three gaming companies are among betting firms whose licences were recently cancelled by the government for allegedly failing to renew operational permits.
They want to continue utilising their pay bill numbers and short codes without any interference by the (BCLB).
