The SportPesa Effect

The first digital betting company in Kenya, SportPesa’s innovative platform allowed customers to place bets via SMS for the first time.

The SportPesa jackpot gives people the opportunity to win big and transform their lives. The mega jackpot in Kenya has already been won by six people over the last 10 years, but thousands of others have won on the midweek draw.

Shortly after being founded, SportPesa began its long-term investment in grassroots football, a commitment that continues today.

The long-term sponsorship of Leonardo Varese, led the legendary driver to win a further five championships in Kenyan rallying.

With a belief that Kenyan sport and society could be elevated with greater financial support, SportPesa began its transformative sponsorship of the Premier League.

Deals with English Premier League clubs launched the SportPesa brand globally, while seeking to improve the quality of football in Kenya. These partnerships would be the start of an incredible journey that saw some of the world’s biggest clubs come to Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.

Driven by our desire to improve Kenyan football, and one day have the national team reach the FIFA World Cup, we sought to improve the national stadium and equip the squad with the best equipment and facilities.

Through sponsorship of the Kenyan National Boxing League, Kenya Rugby Union, the 2016 Kenyan Open and the Oshwal cricket team, we sought to give Kenyan athletes from all sports the opportunity to be at the top of their game.

Beyond sports, SportPesa began working with the Rhino Charge, focused on nature conservation with the Rhino Ark Trust.

The transformative Kits for Africa campaign encouraged UK football fans to donate their old football kits to grassroots teams across Africa. So far, over 45,000 kits have been donated.

We began a 5-year partnership with Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, enhancing our commitment to Kenyan football.

We sponsored the Jomo Football League in Kenya, promoting women’s football in the country and provided equipment and training to the teams and players.

Building on our partnerships with EPL clubs, we partnered with Hull City to become the club’s official sponsor. The sponsorship involved Hull travelling to Kenya to play Gor Mahia in 2018.

In 2016, SportPesa was recognised by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) as a top taxpayer in the medium tax category.

We have become a leading betting brand in the country today.

Since its launch, six people have already won big on the SportPesa jackpot in Tanzania.

The partnership between Everton FC and SportPesa was built on the shared belief in supporting communities. Everton in the Community, the football clubs’ local community initiative, was supported by SportPesa throughout the partnership.

Kenya’s Gor Mahia FC won the inaugural tournament which saw them play Everton in Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Tanzania.

We continued our commitment to supporting grassroots football with our biggest investment to date in Kenya by partnering with Extreme Sports Limited, a social enterprise focused on sports and youth development.

Following our sponsorship of Cape Town FC, we launched in South Africa, bringing first-class USSD and SMS betting offering to our customers. We partnered with Cell C to bring SportPesa to market.

SportPesa brought its brand to South Africa by partnering with Cape Town City FC, a partnership that continues today.

As the African betting partner of LaLiga, we were delighted to help bring Barcelona to Johannesburg. 90,000 fans watched players such as Piqué, Messi and Suárez play in the famous FNB Stadium, as Barcelona played a post season friendly against Mamelodi Sundowns.

We were delighted to bring Arsenal and England football legend, Sol Campbell, to Tanzania to share his insights on football development and provide mentorship to players, coaches and teams. As part of this, Campbell visited Muungano, a club for people with disabilities.

For a second year running, SportPesa was recognised by the Kenya Revenue Authority in the medium tax category for its tax contribution.

The partnership saw Zarika train with some of the best boxing coaches across the world, including in Liverpool with British boxer, Tony Bellew ahead of her victorious WBC Bantamweight Title fight in Kenya in 2018.

The 2018 Champions, Gor Mahia, travelled to the UK to play Everton at Goodison Park, the first time an African team played in an English Premier League stadium.

We financed the construction of Kizimkazi Dispensary’s doctors housing units in Southern Unguja District in Zanzibar. The much-needed housing was for doctors living in the Kizimkazi suburb and nearby districts.

We reseeded and renovated the National Stadium in Tanzania to create a state-of-the-art football pitch, and facilities including upgraded changing rooms.

For a third consecutive year, SportPesa was recognised as one of the top taxpayers in the medium tax category by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).

Working with Arsenal and Southampton FC and building on our partnership with the Football Kenya Federation, we provided comprehensive training programmes for football coaches across Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.

SportPesa becomes the first ever betting company to become the title partner for an F1 team.

Alongside the partnership, we created the “Goals That Give” campaign, where we donated $1,000 for every Everton goal scored at Goodison Park for the entire length of the partnership.

Sevilla FC visited Tanzania as part of their LaLiga World Challenge. Sevilla played a post-season match against Simba SC at the National Stadium, which concluded in a 5-4 victory for Sevilla.

As winners of the 2019 SportPesa Super Cup, F.C. Kariobangi Sharks played Everton FC in Kasarani Stadium beating them on penalties.

We sponsored Namungo FC, our fifth partnership with a team in the Tanzania Premier League to support Tanzanian football, following our sponsorship of Simba SC, Yanga SC and Singida United.

Following a ruling by The Kenyan Tax Appeals Tribunal in SportPesa’s favour, we returned to the Kenyan market after 16-months.

SportPesa’s Maternal Health Care programme is aimed at ensuring that women do not need to travel long distances to receive better health care. The programme gives much-needed equipment to maternity units in hospitals across Kenya.

In 2016, we began sponsoring Kenyan football team Gor Mahia, which saw them win the Kenyan Premier League. Following a short break, the sponsorship restarted in 2022, which saw Gor Mahia regain its title as the winners of the league in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

We sponsored six football teams from Kasarani to help support young footballers in the region by providing much needed equipment, facilities and kits to the clubs.

With a focus on requalifying for the HSBC World Series, we sponsored Shujaa, which saw them win the Africa Sevens Championship and return to the global sevens circuit once more.

Continuing our commitment to Kenyan football, we entered into a 3-year partnership with Premier League team, Shabana FC.

SportPesa launches Tujiamini to invest in talent across all disciplines in Kenya. From dancers to footballers and gamers to rugby players, Tujiamini provides essential support to all those that so desperately need it to help turn their dreams into a reality.

Working closely with Cape Town City FC, we became headline sponsors of the SportPesa DreamClub initiative, giving sponsorship and support to 100 amateur clubs in the Western Cape region.

SportPesa Shabiki Cup is a community-driven football tournament organised by SportPesa, aimed at bringing together football enthusiasts from regions.

SportPesa was recognised as a finalist in the 2025 Africa SABRE Awards (Superior Achievement in Branding, Reputation and Engagement) for its  Tujiamini Initiative, which supports talented people across Kenya through sponsorship programmes in sport and the arts.

SportPesa and the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) announced a 10-year sponsorship agreement worth Shs. 1.12 billion to support football in Kenya. As part of the partnership, the Kenyan Premier League was renamed the SportPesa League.

SportPesa became the official Online Betting Partner of Varsity Football in South Africa. The partnership is part of SportPesa’s work to support grassroots sports and exceptional sporting talent across Africa.

The biggest-ever SportPesa mega jackpot was won by Bonnie Kamau in August 2025 after he correctly predicted the outcome of 17 football matches.  Bonnie made history by winning a staggering Ksh. 424,660,618, with a stake of just Ksh. 99.

SportPesa became the official betting partner of the DHL Stormers for the 2025/26 season.  The partnership reinforces SportPesa’s commitment to supporting African sports and communities.

SportPesa was named Kenya’s No.1 betting brand at the 2025 Excellent Brands Awards, where it received a five-star rating.  The recognition reinforces SportPesa’s leading position in Kenya’s gaming industry.

SportPesa welcomed a ruling from the High Court of Justice in the United Kingdom, which found no substance to a legal claim filed by former director Paul Wanderi Ndung’u against the company, its subsidiaries, and its leadership.