The next super power in Kenya's gambling industry

The Kenyan gambling scene has evolved significantly over the years, right from the early days of placing sports bets in physical shops to the current online revolution.

Online sports betting remains the most popular form of gambling in Kenya, but other options are catching up quickly.

Casino-focused sites like Bongobongo and Pakakumi are gaining serious ground in the market, offering Kenyans a plethora of exciting casino games as nice alternatives to regular sports bets.

One game that has taken Kenya by storm over the past year is the Aviator game.

Aviator falls under the category of Crash games, where a virtual aeroplane flies across a screen for a period of time before disappearing. Before the start of a new aviator round, a player must stake a particular amount on the game, and as the plane flies across the screen, the potential winnings continue to increase.

However, if the plane flies away, the winnings drop to zero. Hence, the player must claim his or her winnings before the virtual aeroplane flies away from the screen.

This simple, yet intuitive gameplay has made Aviator very appealing to gamblers in Kenya.

The game was made popular by Betway, who partnered with software developer, Spribe to bring it to Kenyans, but other operators have quickly jumped on that bandwagon, and Aviator can now be found in almost all gambling sites in the country.

As is the case with all forms of gambling, it has been a bitter-sweet experience between Kenyan players and the aviator game. There have been cases of huge winnings, just as much as there have been tales of disappointment.

However, there doesn't seem to be any slowing down in the rate at which Kenyans play the game. It is already the most popular online casino game, eclipsing the likes of poker, blackjack and slots within a very short period of time.

It is easy to see why Aviator would appeal so much to Kenyan gamblers. First, the game is uncomplicated and very easy to understand. It does not require any specific skill and is mostly a test of greed, patience and ability to take risks.

A player can decide to play safe and cash out after just a few seconds, while some other player may take his chance and wait much longer so as to claim bigger winnings. The longer you wait without cashing out, the bigger your winnings, but also, the closer the aeroplane goes flying away and leaving you with zero shillings.

Aviator also derives its appeal from the speed of the game, and the fact that numerous rounds can be had within a very short period of time. One round only runs for one or two minutes, with the other round set to begin almost immediately.

Online betting affiliate giants, My Betting Sites Kenya (MBS Kenya), claim that their aviator page now gets more clicks than any other page on their site.

"It's quite amazing how well our aviator betting sites page has performed", said David Mwangi, editor-in-chief at MBS Kenya. "We only wrote the page at the start of the year, and it has become one of the best-performing pages on our site, averaging more than 100 goal clicks per month", he continued.

The Kenyan gambling industry is already worth billions of shillings, and with aviator now in the mix, that number is only going to keep going up!

Given the alarming rate at which the game is growing, it is important for Kenyan gambling authorities to keep a close eye on it and ensure that bettors are protected from exploitation, malpractices and addiction.

Bettors must realise that while the game promises so much on the surface, it isn't much different from other sports betting and casino games that are heavily dependent on luck. Players must always take on board the principles of responsible gambling, and not empty their pockets in search for quick, big wins.

While Kenya is one of the biggest aviator markets in the world, it is by no means the only country that's warming up to the game. Aviator is popular in other African countries like Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa, as well as European and South American nations.

It has become a global phenomenon entertaining gamblers all over the world, and offering them an exciting substitute for regular sports betting.