Giant betting firm, SportPesa, will remain out of operations following a Friday ruling by a court in Nairobi.
The firm had moved to court to seek an order to have the government, through the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) lift a ban placed on its operations.
In the suit presented before Justice John Mativo, SportPesa also wanted the government forced to compensate it for the losses it has incurred during the time it had been in the cold.
This comes weeks after the state also ordered mobile money service providers to cancel the company's paybill numbers, on grounds that it has not not been paying taxes.
However, Justice Mativo said that the court cannot allow the firm to operate on an expired licence, another of the excuses the government cited when banning it earlier.
He added that the court is not privy to any agreement between the state and SportPesa, and cannot ,therefore, order for a compensation.
“The circumstances of this case are that the petitioner’s licence has expired. Even if the court quashes the decision there is no basis the petitioner can operate on an expired licence," said the judge.
The firm has since dropped its initial sponsorship for a number of sporting entities which it has been supporting financially.