My research on what this pata potea SMS games are earning.
Charges for SMS range from 50 to 20 bob.
The last winner of the Range Rover used 60,000/- (From an equity bank loan) texting. Note this was a random pick.
When I listen to radio in the morning, most winners particularly for the pata pesa promotion claim to have used thousands, I therefore decided to do my own synovate on this phenomenon.
I queried 21 people I know. One out of every three people admitted (some of course lied) to playing these games (average 700 so far). Out of this third, 8 admitted to spending more than one thousand (average 3 thousand so far) on the games; the rest all played a few hundred bob.
I extrapolated this to the general population of assumed 20million subscribers. I eliminated half of the users (to get a most pessimistic result), and used 10million.
Of ten million, 38% of 3.3million are playing an average of 3k = (3,300,000 * 3000 * 38)/100
3.7Billion Shillings
Of ten million, 62% of 3.3million are playing an average of 700 + (3,300,000 * 700 * 62)/100
14.2Billion Shillings
Bringing a Total of 18billion in collections (1billion to phone companies and advertising and 4 billion taxes and other cost)
People pocket 13billion and give out “prizes” worth 100million (Cash prizes and some second hand Toyota vitz e.t.c )
100mill/13000mill * 100 = 0 .76% of earnings to gamblers (KES 100mill)
They Pocket 99.24% (13Billion) of earnings as PAT (on the low side)
You fleece Kenyans like that and they won't complain
Ras Kienyeji Man