Without a doubt, the Kenyan online gambling market has a glut of online casinos. New casinos are constantly launching into the Kenyan niche to offer their services to gamblers. However, that not only happens in Kenya but globally. Brick-and-mortar casinos that required players to carry cash are almost extinct.
The new wave of online casinos has simplified gambling in collaboration with popular casino banking methods. In Kenya, M-Pesa is the reigning casino payment method for punters, and its reputation is so far unrivalled. With M-Pesa, depositing and withdrawing funds into and from your player accounts is very straightforward. Before diving in too deep, let's learn what M-Pesa is.
So, what is M-Pesa?
In a nutshell, M is the abbreviation of mobile, while 'Pesa' is a Swahili word that translates to money in English. Therefore, it's a Kenyan-based e-mobile money service that allows customers/users to make payments online. In addition, you can send and receive money via mobile phones with M-Pesa. The service was officially launched in 2007 in partnership with Safaricom, Vodacom, and Vodafone.
Safaricom is the leading phone network operator in Kenya and M-Pesa is its product. On the other hand, Vodacom is a South African-based telecommunications company. Lastly, Vodafone is an established UK-based mobile communications firm. Initially, M-Pesa was founded to help individuals receive funds and pay for goods and services without utilizing physical banking services.
Since its founding in 2007, it has revolutionized the payment processes and procedures in and out of casino platforms. In Africa, it's the leading fintech company, and globally it ranks amongst the top e-mobile money services.
Among Kenyan gamblers, it's the most preferred banking method due to its swift and instant services. It takes a minute or less to deposit funds into your player account. Similarly, you can withdraw/cash out your winnings and receive the funds within seconds. How incredible is that? Its elegance speaks for itself, and other payment alternatives are struggling to compete and keep up.
This article will review the jurisdictions in which M-Pesa operates and how to register for an account. Furthermore, you'll have a step-by-step guide on how to deposit and withdraw funds into and from your casino accounts. Finally, we'll review M-Pesa partnership deals with other global banking methods along with its pros and cons.
M-Pesa Casinos Jurisdictions
Although initially founded in Kenya, M-Pesa's is gradually attracting global appeal from various countries. Hence, it's bound to expand its service offer to other continents in the world. Currently, its services are available in the following countries, excluding Kenya:
South Africa.
Egypt.
Tanzania.
Ethiopia.
Mozambique.
Ghana.
Lesotho.
DR Congo.
Afghanistan.
M-Pesa had already launched in Romania, India, and Albania, but services in those countries were halted. Despite that, achieving what it has is no mean feat, and in years to come, M-Pesa will achieve global status. That means you'll be able to use its services from any geographical region.
The payment method's services are available in Swahili and English in Kenya. M-Pesa is regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and has only collaborated with licensed casinos. The Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) authorizes casinos to operate in Kenya. Therefore, for online casinos in Kenya to accept M-Pesa services, they must have an operating license from the BCLB.
In that regard, M-Pesa casinos in Kenya also have licenses from globally accepted gaming commissions. These authorities include the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, Curacao Gambling Commission, and the Malta Gaming Authority. That way, you'll gamble at legalized online casinos.
M-Pesa Casinos in Your Country
Here is a list of the best M-Pesa casinos available in the country you reside:
How to Register for an M-Pesa Account
As earlier mentioned, M-Pesa is an e-mobile service powered by Safaricom. Therefore, you need to have a Safaricom SIM card inserted into your phone to create an account. The registration procedure is simple once you have a SIM. In fact, there's little for you to do in the process.
To register, you'll need to visit any authorized M-Pesa agents or the official Safaricom centre near you. You need to have one of the following valid identification documents:
Kenyan Passport.
Kenyan National ID.
Military ID (Kenyan).
Foreign Passport.
The authorized agent will then register you using one of the above IDs. All you require to do is activate your new M-Pesa account. To activate, follow the simple instructions on your phone. Remember to change the sent default 4-digit PIN and create your own. Note: Don't share your unique PIN with anyone, not even the customer support agents.
How to Deposit and Withdraw
You need not have a bank account to deposit or withdraw at your favourite casino. You'll need to visit an authorized M-Pesa dealer with cash, and they'll deposit the money into your M-Pesa account. However, if you have a bank account, M-Pesa has partnered with all Kenyan banks. Therefore, you can move money from your bank account straight to your M-Pesa account.
You can use the offline M-Pesa menu on your phone to make casino deposits. Alternatively, you can download the M-Pesa app from the Playstore (Andriod) and Appstore (iOS). The deposit process will be as follows:
On your phone, proceed to the M-Pesa menu.
Click Lipa na M-Pesa. (That means to pay with M-Pesa).
On the menu that pops up, click Pay Bill.
Select Enter Business Number and enter the casino's pay bill number. The casino will provide it.
Choose Account number and type the casino's account number. Mostly, it'll be the casino's name.
Press Okay and then enter the amount you'd like to deposit.
Type in the M-Pesa PIN you set before and click send.
You'll finally receive an SMS with details of the transaction.
That procedure seems hectic, eh? Don't worry; there's a concise way.
Log in to your casino player account.
Proceed to the cashier's section and select deposit with M-Pesa.
Enter the amount you wish to deposit.
The deposit process will initiate, and you'll only need to enter your M-Pesa PIN on your phone. If you're using the mobile app, your fingerprint will be required to authorize the transaction.
Cashing out is easy, too easy.
After winning, proceed to the cashier's section
Click 'withdraw'
Enter the amount to withdraw and confirm withdraw.
You'll receive your funds instantly.
The transactions are fast, efficient, and instant. However, you may incur charges while depositing or withdrawing, depending on the casino operator. You can contact customer support that's available 24/7 via a toll-free Kenyan phone number and social media platforms like Twitter.
M-Pesa has partnered with e-wallets such as Skrill and PayPal, among other payment methods. Hence, you can withdraw funds straight from your PayPal wallet to your M-Pesa account through an online service. That online service converts PayPal's USD currency to KSHS at a fixed rate. Thus, you'll receive the money in KSHS in your M-Pesa.
Benefits and Drawbacks of using M-Pesa to make casino Payments
Pros
It has lightning-fast withdrawals and deposits.
Payments are secure and safe.
Easy registration process.
Cons
M-Pesa isn't available in many regions/countries.
You may incur deposit/withdrawal costs.
Final Verdict
M-Pesa is a reputable banking method in Kenya. Hence locating M-Pesa casinos can be easy for gamblers. However, finding the best platforms could be tricky since they're many of them. Why don't you leave that for the experts in the craft?
You can visit the Top Online Casinos in Kenya to play only with crème de la crème venues for the ultimate casino experience. M-Pesa offers Kenyan punters fast, convenient, and efficient services from their comfort to cut to the chase. A true Industry Gem!
