NAIROBI, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has moved to control runaway sports betting by banning gambling adverts on social media, billboards and mainstream media between 06:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

The east African nation has also banned the endorsement of sports betting or gambling operations by celebrities.

In a statement on Thursday, acting director of the Betting Control Board Liti Wambua said gaming is a demerit good and all such goods have the potential to harm the consumer with a possibility of leading to addiction.

"Any form of advertisement of gambling henceforth must be approved by the board and such messages must contain warning messages of the consequences of gambling including its addictiveness," Wambua said. "The warning message must constitute a third of actual advertisement."

The ban must be adhered to by May 30, the director said.

The move comes about a month after the government linked the fast-growing sports betting industry to increased digital debt among the youth and suicide cases.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Mating'i said the majority of the Kenyan youth, many of them jobless, are borrowing multiple times from the about 50 digital lending platforms to bet.

Up to 76 percent of Kenyan youths aged 35 and below are engaged in some betting; of the 76 percent, 54 percent are from poor backgrounds, Matiang'i said. "What are we doing to our youth?"