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SportPesa

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SportPesa
Company typePrivate
IndustryOnline Gambling
Founded2014; 10 years ago (2014)
Headquarters
Liverpool
Area served
Global
ProductsSports Betting, Jackpot, Casino, Virtuals, E-Sports Betting
ServicesSports betting
Number of employees
305

SportPesa is an online gambling company founded in 2014. It offers online gambling products such as sportsbooks, live betting and online casino. SportPesa has offices in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Italy, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the UK.

Ownership

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SportPesa in Kenya is operated by Milestone Games Limited, a Kenyan-owned company.

In Tanzania, the brand is operated by SportPesa Limited, a subsidiary of SportPesa Global Holdings Ltd., a company registered in the UK.

SportPesa Pty operates the brand in South Africa.

In the Isle of Man and Ireland, SportPesa is operated by a group of companies owned by SportPesa Holdings Limited, a company registered in the Isle of Man. In the UK, the SportPesa brand is operated in conjunction with TGP Europe Limited.

Products

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The company's affiliated companies provide sports betting, live betting, and casino games such as Aviator. All these are provided online via the internet, played via a mobile phone, desktop, or tablet.

Sports Betting

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Online sports betting is the primary business at SportPesa. Customers can play over 80 games from different sports to win jackpots and jackpot bonuses. The core game of the customers is football. The other sports online bookmarkers play include basketball, tennis, rugby, ice hockey, volleyball, handball, cricket, baseball, MMA, boxing, and American football betting.

Casino games

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SportPesa offers more than 800 games. These include Drops & Wins, Aviator or crush games, roulette, tables, scratch, fruits, Bingo & Keno, slot machines, live casino, video poker, and virtual games.  

Sports involvement

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SportPesa sponsorship of Hull City in 2016

Kenya

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SportPesa Kenya invested in the development of the local sports leagues and tournaments in Kenya[1] and Tanzania and South Africa, among them, the 2014 Wambia Memorial Football Tournament in Kakamega, the Francis W. Maingi memorial Football Tournament in Kitui, the Obulala Football Tournament and the Koth Biro Football Tournament in Ziwani.

In 2015 SportPesa announced their title partnership with the Super 8 Premier League, ran by Extreme Sports Limited, with over 100 grassroots teams from Nairobi estates registered to participate it grew into a full-fledged league in 2016 after financial support from SportPesa. The league aimed to improve grass-root football, with a number of players later joining top-flight Kenyan teams.[2][3]

In football, the brand previously supported the Kenyan Premier League, Kenya's domestic top-tier club competition, as well as a key sponsor of the Harambee Stars and Harambee Starlets, Kenya's national men's and women's football teams respectively.[4] This partnership has seen the introduction of linkages with English clubs Everton FC, Arsenal, Southampton and Hull City.[5] The key focus of the contract with the Football Kenya Federation was to ensure that the country develops as a footballing nation, with the stated mission of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

At the height of its support to the Kenyan Premier League, the brand invested in a reward and honour programme working closely with a joint panel of SJAK and KPL coaches who selected the best players, coaches and team managers. The highlight of this annual programme culminated in the gathering of the football community for the prestigious Footballer of the Year (FOYA) Awards where winners selected are celebrated.[6]

In 2015 SportPesa launched their Kits for Africa initiative. An initiative that encourages football fans to donate their old kit for underprivileged, grassroots teams across Africa.[7][8][9]

In 2016 Kenya's first female WBC world super bantamweight champion, Fatuma ‘Iron Fist’ Zarika became a SportPesa ambassador and has defended her title in two fights. In 2018, Zarika travelled to Liverpool, UK, to undergo intense training with former world title Cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew and his coaching team prior to her match with Yamileth Mercado in Nairobi.[10]  

In 2016 SportPesa signed a five-year deal with Kenya Rugby Union along with Kenya Premier League teams Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards and then second division Nakuru All Stars.[11]

In February 2017 a team dubbed the SportPesa All-Stars, selected from the 18 Kenyan Premier League clubs, became the first-ever team from the country to play in England, where they lost 2–1 to a Hull City Select side at the KCOM Stadium. This partnership was geared towards exposing Kenyan players to the international stage.[12]

In April 2017 SportPesa announced a three -year agreement with Spanish top flight football League – LaLiga to become the Official Betting Partner.[13]

The company's sponsorship status of teams in Kenya was suspended following the withdrawal of its operating license in July 2019 – the license was reinstated in October 2020 after the brand signed a five-year deal with Milestone Games Ltd which then took over the rights to operate under the name SportPesa.[14][15]

In 2021, SportPesa signed a new sponsorship deal with Wazee Pamoja League.  A league that consist of 11 teams whose players are 33 years old, the focus being to provide a place for retired footballers or just people over the age of 33 to have a space to train, play and network.[16]

In October 2021, SportPesa became Murang'a Seal's primary sponsor. As part of the deal, SportPesa will support the Murang'a Seal Football Academy, which is growing into a sports excellence centre.[17]

In 2022, SportPesa agreed a three-year shirt sponsorship with Kenya Rugby Union team Kenya Sevens Rugby and a one-year shirt sponsorship with Kenya Premier League team Gor Mahia.[18][19]

SportPesa signed a sponsorship deal with Gor Mahia FC in September 2022. The three-year deal will cover the team playing in the Africa CAF championships and the Kenya Premium League.[20]

In December 2022, SportPesa reaffirmed its support for Kenyan rugby by continuing its sponsorship of the National rugby 7s team, the Shujaa. Besides, the brand became the title partner of the National Rugby 7s Circuit in 2023, renamed SportPesa National 7s Circuit, for supporting rugby in Kenya.[21]

Tanzania

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Since 2017, SportPesa Tanzania has hosted several international clubs and players, including Everton and Sevilla, as well as renowned boxers such as Hassan Mwakinyo and Tony Bellew.[22] One of the notable events organized by SportPesa Tanzania is the SportPesa Cup. These initiatives in hosting international clubs and players have further solidified its position as a key player in the Tanzanian sports and betting landscape.[23][24][25]

In 2018 SportPesa Tanzania renovated the Dar es Salaam National Stadium. They reseeded the pitch and also improved changing rooms for both players and referees as well as improved the Stadium's infrastructure.[26]

In 2018, the company financed the construction of Kizimkazi Dispensary doctors housing units in Southern Unguja District in Zanzibar.[27]

In 2019, SportPesa Tanzania, with Arsenal FC, launched their ‘Coaches to Count On’ initiative. As part of the collaboration, SportPesa developed ‘football clinics’, across Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, with Arsenal developing comprehensive training programmes for aspiring soccer coaches.[28] Later, English Premier League side Southampton also joined the initiative.[29]

The company has actively engaged in sponsorship initiatives. SportPesa Tanzania has been a significant sponsor events, sports initiatives and sponsor of various football clubs (Simba SC, Young Africans SC, Namungo FC and Singida Big Stars) as the main club sponsor.  In 2021 SportPesa Tanzania extended its sponsorship deals with one of the top 5 Tanzania Premier League clubs, Young Africans for three seasons, Namungo FC and four-year deal with Singida Big Stars.[30][31][32]

South Africa

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In August 2017, SportPesa South Africa announced that it had signed sponsorship deals with Cape Town City F.C., a team in the South Africa's Premier Soccer League (PSL), being the first sports betting company to headline sponsor a team in the Premier Soccer League.[33]

In 2019 SportPesa announced a deal with mobile operator Cell C, allowing Cell C customers to play and manage their SportPesa accounts through USSD, free of charge.  Pioneering USSD and SMS betting in South Africa.[34]

In April 2019, SportPesa announced ‘Coaches to Count On’.  A new scheme which saw coaching staff from SportPesa partners and English football clubs Arsenal, Southampton, and Hull visit South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya to provide coaching clinics for aspiring coaches in the local communities.[35][36]

Global Partnerships

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SportPesa Racing Point RP19 at the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix

In 2016, SportPesa announced partnerships with English football clubs – Arsenal (Official Africa Betting Partner), Southampton (Official Betting Partner), Hull City (Official Shirt Sponsorship).[37][38][39]

In 2017, it was announced that SportPesa where to become English Premier League club Everton's principal partner with a Club-record multi-year agreement, the most lucrative in the club's 140-year history.[40]

In 2019, SportPesa became an Official Partner of the club's charitable arm Everton in the Community.  The partnership saw SportPesa provide funding for Everton in the Community's long-standing flagship mental health programme ‘Imagine Your Goals’, which since April 2018 was affected by external NHS budget cuts. The partnership also saw SportPesa become a ‘Founding Partner’ of Everton in the Community's mental-health focused campaign, ‘The People's Place’, a purpose-built mental health facility near to Goodison Park to support anyone in need. In addition to a financial contribution to The People's Place, SportPesa created ‘Goals That Give’, a new initiative to donate £1,000 for every Everton goal scored at Goodison Park for the entire length of the partnership.[41] In 2020, it was announced that the partnerships would end after the 2019–20 season.[42][43]

Formula 1

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On 13 February 2019, it was announced that SportPesa became the new title sponsor for the Racing Point F1 Team for the 2019 season. The team was officially entered as SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team finishing the season in 7th place with 73 points.

SportPesa Super Cup

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In June 2016, SportPesa announced the first SportPesa Super Cup, an eight-team football knockout tournament that featured four teams each from Kenya and Tanzania.[44] The first edition was held in Tanzania where Kenya's Gor Mahia FC emerged the tournament winner.[45] The Winner of the SportPesa Super Cup played Everton FC on 13 July 2017 in the most successful football event in East Africa ever.[46]

Recognition and awards

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In 2016, SportPesa won the Best African Sponsorship Award at the Discovery Sports Industry Awards (DSIA).[47] In 2017, was recognized as a Superbrand,[48] placed 13th in the ranking of the best companies in Kenya.[49]

References

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  1. ^ "Sportpesa: A Trailblazing Sporting Success". Bizna Kenya. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  2. ^ "SportPesa injects Sh35million into a new Super 8 league". Red.co.ke. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  3. ^ "SportPesa Super 8 Tournament to Graduate to a Full League". Standard Media. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  4. ^ "SportPesa Premier League it is! KPL unveil betting firm as title sponsors". Nation Newspaper. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Hull City coaches eye lasting relations with SportPesa AllStars' overall squad". The Standard. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Were is Sportpesa Player of the Month as LG Become SJAK Award Co-Sponsors". All Africa. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  7. ^ "SportPesa launch Kits For Africa campaign". Southampton FC. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  8. ^ "SportPesa, Everton launch new kits". The Citizen. 27 April 2021. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  9. ^ "SportPesa 'Kits For Africa' campaign starts in UK today". The Star. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  10. ^ OKEYO, DENNIS. "Fatuma retains WBC title on split decision". The Standard. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  11. ^ "SportPesa announces sponsorship of AFC Leopards". Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Hull City edge out SportPesa All Stars in historic friendly". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  13. ^ "SportPesa now La Liga's official betting partner". Nation. 4 July 2020. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  14. ^ "SportPesa fights to reinstate pay bill number". The Star. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  15. ^ O'Boyle, Daniel (30 October 2020). "Sportpesa resumes operations in Kenya". iGB. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  16. ^ "SportPesa's boss Karauri comes to the rescue of former players". The Star. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  17. ^ Oyugi, Ochieng. "National Super League side Muranga Seal FC seals sponsorship ahead of their "Handshake Derby" with Gor". The Standard. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Gor Mahia unveil Sportpesa as official sponsors". www.pd.co.ke. 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  19. ^ "SportPesa make timely return to rugby sponsorship". Nation. 9 December 2022. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Gor Mahia unveil Sportpesa as official sponsors". www.pd.co.ke. 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  21. ^ Sports, Pulse (1 July 2023). "Ronald Karauri reveals why SportPesa had to restructure its sponsorship on Shujaa". Pulse Sports Kenya. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  22. ^ "Sevilla FC arrive in Tanzania ahead of LaLiga World clash with Simba SC". Página web oficial de LaLiga. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  23. ^ "SportPesa Enters into five-year deal with Tanzania giants Simba". GhettoRadio 89.5 FM. 13 May 2017. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  24. ^ "SportPesa announces 5-year sponsorship deal with Simba SC of Tanzania". Apantech. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  25. ^ "SportPesa Tanzania Welcomes Dar Giants Yanga SC To Its Family". Tanzania Sports. 17 May 2017. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  26. ^ "SportPesa takes care of National Stadium". The Citizen. 27 April 2021. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  27. ^ "SportPesa supports construction of doctors' housing units in Z'bar". The Citizen. 27 March 2021. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  28. ^ "SportPesa unites with Arsenal for 'Coaches to Count On' initiative – Insider Sport". Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  29. ^ "Southampton coaches to train 40 Tanzanian Coaches". The Citizen. 26 April 2021. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  30. ^ "SportPesa seals sponsorship contract with Singida Big Stars FC". Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  31. ^ "Namungo FC secure sponsorship with SportPesa". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  32. ^ "Yanga sign lucrative deal with SportPesa Tanzania". The Citizen. 28 July 2022. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  33. ^ "SportPesa expands into South Africa with Cape Town City FC sponsorship". Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  34. ^ "SportPesa partners with Cell C". Media Update. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  35. ^ Communications, F. K. F. (9 May 2019). "SportPesa, Hull City "Coaches to Count on" workshop culminates". Football Kenya Federation. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  36. ^ "Saints and Sport Pesa run coaching clinic in Tanzania". Southampton FC. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  37. ^ "Saints confirm SportPesa as its Official Betting Partner". Southampton FC. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  38. ^ Dudley, George (8 August 2016). "Sportpesa enhances its deal with Arsenal". SportsPro. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  39. ^ Team, iGB Editorial (26 July 2016). "SportPesa nets Hull City sponsorship deal". iGB. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  40. ^ "Sportpesa Everton Deal – Kenyatta University TV (KUTV). All Rights Reserved". Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  41. ^ "SportPesa become official partner of Everton in the Community". Fieldmarketing. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  42. ^ "Everton To End Its Partnership With SportPesa". www.evertonfc.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  43. ^ "Everton end shirt partnership deal with SportPesa". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  44. ^ "Super Eight tournament transformed into league". www.michezoafrika.com. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  45. ^ "Superb Gor Mahia thump Leopards to clinch Super Cup". Daily Nation. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  46. ^ "Eight clubs for SportPesa Super Cup". Nation. 4 July 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  47. ^ "SportPesa Wins the DSIA Awards 2016 for Best African Sponsorship Category". SportPesa News. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  48. ^ "SportPesa receives superbrand certification for 2017". The Star. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  49. ^ "SportPesa beats Google, Facebook in Superbrand ranking". Business Today. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
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