Kenya’s Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) has instructed licensed betting companies to stop displaying gambling ads on the Opera Browser “speed dial” without permission from relevant authorities.
The BCLB directive was prompted by a petition filed by the Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) against the board, requesting that it take appropriate action over the continuous showing of betting advertisements that breached BCLB rules for the protection of children.
Cofek stated that millions of children with access to smartphones without parental guidance are at risk due to continuous betting advertisements. The group further explained that the Opera mini browser had a speed dial feature, which offered five to seven quick links to top betting companies at any time.
A browser’s “Speed Dial” feature displays a visual collection of frequently viewed online pages. When the images are clicked, users are directed to the linked sites.
Without considering users’ interest variations, age, fragility, etc., gambling service providers leveraged the speed dial function to include betting services, the BCLB observed.