The betting craze has turned into a source of pain for some families, with some committing suicide over it. It has also led to family break-ups.
The most tragic case is that of Kennedy Kosgei of Eldoret, who borrowed Sh45,000 from Kenya Commercial Bank and placed all the stake on Spanish football club Real Madrid using two different accounts on online betting firm Sportpesa.
He was found hanging from a tree soon afterwards, after his beloved team lost to arch-rivals Atletico Madrid via a solitary goal.
Another victim of betting lost Sh500,000 that he had borrowed to bet on the same match.
The 42-year-old suffered double tragedy when his wife left him after she learnt that her husband had lost their Sh500,000 loan to Sportpesa.
The company encourages responsible betting and does not take responsibility for the decisions of gamblers.
It has also spelt out strict terms and conditions of betting.
Many people, however, do not follow the advice, and that is why a Maseno University student lost Sh40,000 intended for his tuition fees to betting.
Moses Omwoyo said his Higher Education Loans Board cash "disappeared in only 90 minutes".
In another incident, Jack Ogolla, a taxi driver in Kisumu, said his wife packed and left after he lost their rent money in a bet.
An ardent fan of Manchester United, Ogolla gambled all his rent money on the assumption that his beloved team would walk over the Danish team FC Midtjylland.
He lost the bet after Manchester United lost 2-1 in the Uefa Europa League rounds. His wife packed up and left.
In a related matter, Millicent Atieno says she left her husband after he became addicted to sports betting and gambled away a lot of family property as a result.
"Most of the time, he would come back without money. When he lost his bets, he would use more money to win the earlier one back but he kept on losing," Atieno said.
The two divorced when Atieno felt her husband was becoming an emotional and economic burden.
The impact of betting has become so huge that Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario called on the Interior ministry to stop registering new sports betting companies.
