Gambling Concerns

Usiku Africa is committed to delivering a safe and enjoyable gaming environment for all of our players, and our surrounding communities. We are dedicated to the mission of #GamingForGood, to ensure that our operations have a positive social impact on the world and do not cause harm. To that end we have developed our technology to make our games accessible and entertaining to all responsible users through a several safeguard measures, including:

  • All of our games are skills / knowledge based, putting the player in control of determining whether they win or lose, not some element of chance based on a random number generator.
  • All of our games are restricted by age to players 18+ yrs old. We know that our games could be fun for all ages, but the financial element requires a sense of responsibility, and so we have voluntarily created this limit and enforce it upon registration.
  • Our Player Wallets and all of our games have built in safeguards that automatically restrict play when we feel the players may be engaging in dangerous (or worse fraudulent) behavior.

However, we do understand that sometimes a small percentage of players may have problems controlling excessive gameplay. Usiku Africa also strives to minimize the negative effects of gaming and to promote responsible gameplay. To ensure that players are enjoying the games, we have implemented a number of measures to help prevent gaming addiction and irresponsible financial decisions.

If you want to have a break, you may use our self- exclusion option by emailing us at [email protected] with details of the account you have opened with us. Our representative will call you to confirm your instructions and thereafter the Company will close your account(s) for a period of 3 months, during which time it will not be possible for the account(s) to be re-opened for any reason.

Our games should be entertaining and not seen as a way of making money; Avoid chasing losses.

Below is a partial list of resources that you may find helpful to find out more about gaming or gambling addictions. You can also check with your local government for more information.

RESOURCES IN AFRICA:

RESOURCES IN USA:

RESOURCES IN UK:

Recognizing a Problem

If you think you or someone you may know may be experiencing negative effects from gaming, here are some questions you should ask:

  • Have you lied to loved ones about money lost, or the amount of time you spend playing?
  • Does gaming affect your performance at work? Or, have you lost out on occupational opportunities due to your gaming?
  • Do you have any other interests other than gaming?
  • Do you neglect your family, friends, and/or loved ones in order to go gaming?
  • Are you in financial debt due to gaming, gambling or wagering?
  • Do you have any withdrawal symptoms if you do not game for a period of time?
  • Do you keep on increasing wager amounts even though you have already lost large amounts of money in order to keep the excitement going? Or, do you continue to come back the next day, even though you lost a lot of money the day before?
  • Do you use gaming as a coping mechanism to escape from other problems (depression, guilt, anxiety, etc.)?
  • Have you committed illegal acts in order to finance your gaming activities?

People who answer “yes” to some of these questions may have a gaming addiction or gambling problem. If you think you may have an issue, please contact one of the above organizations to discuss your concerns.

Underage Players:

It is a violation of our terms of service for anybody younger than 18 to open an account or play any of the games on Usiku Africa’s platform. We have taken precautions to ensure that underage users are not able to access an account, and continuously monitor for breaches of underage gaming including:

  • Every individual signing up for a new account at www.Usiku.Africa must tick a box indicating they are 18 years and above. There is a notification that players under 18 are not accepted.
  • Once an individual has created an account using his/her date of birth, address and name, such bio-data is used to ascertain that the person is above 18 years.
  • The use of passport or original National ID to withdraw money from any of the Kenya mobile money service providers is another verification measure.
  • Our payment services are based on mobile money services. To register for such services, by law, one has to be aged 18 and above, and have a valid National ID card. For cheque or cash payments, we require proof of age through the Identity card.

If we do detect any underage gamers, we will take down the accounts in question immediately. Usiku Africa takes underage gambling very seriously. If you think someone is underage and still accessing the Usiku Africa games, please contact us: [email protected] for necessary steps to be taken. Your details will be confidential and your effort will be highly appreciated.

Usiku and Islam:

The Usiku Africa platform is open equally to all above age players regardless of gender, race, religion or beliefs. However, we recognize that some of our Muslim brothers and sisters may initially be concerned about whether it is haram to play on Usiku. Although we are certainly not theological scholars, and would never pretend that we are an authority on matters of the Holy Qu’ran, we have been asked the question before, and based on our research, this is one perspective that we have found and believe to have some scholarly founding:

We are of the belief that Usiku Africa’s games are not “gambling” because they are all by design based on skills and education not chance based, which is permissible under the Qu’ran:

Over the ages, scholars have written that it is permissible to offer prizes in different kinds of competitions when the competition brings some kind of religious or worldly benefit such as education. 

The Hanafis have stated that it is permissible to offer prizes for competitions in knowledge and mathematics.

It says in al-Fataawa al-Hindiyyah (5/324):

“If one of the educated people were to say to one of his peers: Come, let us compete and if you get it right and I get it wrong I will give you such and such, and if I get it right and you get it wrong, I will not take anything from you, it should be permissible.”

Also, see: Radd al-Muhtar (6/4040)

Our games having no chance element, they are simply engaging ways to educate our players in literacy, mathematics, and cognitive reasoning. And so their prizes are permissible.

And Allaah knows best.