By Francis Zyder
In Summary
- Sportpesa opened its first office in 2014 with only 17 employees.
- SportPesa is the first company in the world to integrate gaming into the SMS platform giving access to millions. The first company in the region to successfully integrate gaming into USSD.
- Sportpesa spearheads an initiative dubbed Kits for Africa that supports grassroot teams and budding players. Over 50,000 kits have been distributed in Kenya and Tanzania.
- Sportpesa employs 678 people across 8 countries. This translates to 3 people per week!!!!
- Sportpesa has a customer base of around 20 million customers across the world.
- In 2016 Sportpesa opened operations in the UK with its global headquarter in Liverpool.
- Sportpesa is one of the top 100 employers in Kenya
- Sportpesa launched East Africa’s largest jackpot- The Mega Jackpot in 2016.
- Sportpesa sponsors over 30 teams and competitions globally.
- Sportpesa has won several prestigious awards over the last five years including the Best African Sponsorship award for bringing Everton to play Gor Mahia for the first time in Tanzania.
- In 2017, Sportpesa started operations in Tanzania. Also went live in South Africa the same year
Kenya’s leading sports gaming company, SportPesa, has marked its 5th anniversary of its service at an event held at Trademark Hotel, Nairobi.
Founded in 2014 with two- employees, in a room along Mombasa Road, then increasing the number to 17 employees at the end of the same year, SportPesa has grown to be the leading sports gaming company in the country with 678 employees across its market including Tanzania and South Africa. It has grown to support some of the local sporting teams in the region including Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards in Kenya. Simba FC, Yanga FC and Singida in Tanzania among other sponsorships.
Speaking during the event, SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri noted Sportpesa’s growth has been characterized by high impact corporate social initiatives and sponsorships that have been instrumental in changing lives and growing standards mainly in the field of sport.
“It has been a terrific five years and I believe our best days lie ahead. Our journey would not have been possible without the tremendous support from our partners, customers and many other stakeholders. I am exceptionally proud of every member of the team who has worked hard for us to reach this milestone,” Karauri said.
“We remain focused on innovation and enhancing our service offering in order to stand apart in this era of constant disruption,” he added.
SportPesa continues to expand its network across the continent and will look to scale up going ahead.
Partners and government officials including the Deputy Mayor of Liverpool City Lynn Hinnigan, where SportPesa global head office is based, attended the event.
SportPesa has grown in the past five years to be listed twice among the top 50 brands in East Africa by Superbrands – world’s largest independent arbiter of branding.
