The Rise

Hundreds of lottery ticket sellers for Kenya Charity Sweepstake woke up one morning to find that their kiosks, their source of livelihoods, had been demolished by the Nairobi City Council, on the directions of then-mayor Wathika. Wathika had set the grounds for the Bulgarians who would later join hands to set up Sportpesa. If SportPesa were a puppet, Nikolov would be its master; the man behind the velvety curtains, the unseen hand pulling the strings, directing the orchestra. He was not the only Bulgarian. This is the story of how Sportpesa rose like a whirlwind and became a national sensation. Who pulled what strings and the men and women who made the billions.