In response to a recent dispute with one of their registered gamblers, Betika has addressed Mr. Nelson Kipkogei Melly’s claim of winning Sh 477,590, shedding light on the matter.
According to the company’s response to Mr. Melly’s lawyers, it has been confirmed that he did win Sh 477,590 through virtual bets placed on October 16, 2023.
The winnings were duly credited to his Betika wallet.
However, Betika has emphasized their focus on Mr. Melly’s subsequent actions on the betting platform after his initial win.
It was revealed that he opted for the auto-play feature, selecting 20 rounds with a stake of Sh 20,000 per round on the Aviator game.
This led to a cumulative stake of Sh 400,000. Importantly, the auto-play feature can only be activated by customers, who are required to specify the number of rounds and stake amount.
It also offers a stop-loss feature, promoting responsible gambling by allowing players to set limits for potential losses.
Betika pointed out that Mr. Melly withdrew Sh 70,000 at 9:01 am, followed by an additional Sh 7,500 at 9:03 am from his Betika wallet to his Mpesa account at the end of the auto-play round.
Betika argues that these actions indicate Mr. Melly’s clear understanding of the game mechanics, including the auto-play feature.
They believe his withdrawals demonstrate awareness of his account activity and balance.
Consequently, Betika firmly maintains that Mr. Melly utilized his entire winnings of Sh 477,500 as outlined, and no further winnings are due to him.
The company claims to have communicated this position to Mr. Melly via a phone call from their customer care on October 16, 2023, although he did not accept the outcome.
Betika concludes by asserting their intention to defend any legal action vigorously and at Mr. Melly’s risk of incurring costs and other incidentals arising from such proceedings.
This incident is not the first time Betika has faced legal challenges related to bet winnings.
In a similar case in August 2023, Mr. David Juma successfully sued Betika, compelling the company to award him his Sh 500,000 jackpot winnings.
The company had argued that Mr. Juma had predicted seven out of eight matches and was therefore not eligible for the winnings.
However, Mr. Juma was able to prove that he had indeed predicted all eight matches correctly in February 2023.
In that case, Betika was also ordered to cover the suit’s costs and any related interests from the date the jackpot was initially due to be paid.
