Online betting is legal and regulated in Kenya. Operators must be licensed by the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) — the successor to the long-running Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB), established under the Gambling Control Act, 2025 (Act No. 14 of 2025), with the transition running through early 2026. Betting is deeply mainstream, runs overwhelmingly on M-Pesa, and is taxed at the transaction level; crypto gambling is possible under a new licensing regime but sits in a legal grey zone and remains a fringe payment method for most Kenyans.

Yes. Kenya has one of Africa’s largest and most established regulated betting markets. Sports betting, online casino, virtual games and lotteries are all lawful when offered by a licensed operator. For decades the sector was overseen by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB), which had regulated gambling since 1966. In 2025 Parliament passed the Gambling Control Act, 2025 (Act No. 14 of 2025), assented to by President Ruto in August 2025, which replaces the BCLB with a new, better-resourced regulator: the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA). The handover has been running through early 2026, and the BCLB placed a moratorium on new annual licence applications to allow a smooth transition.

The regulator and licensing regime

The GRA licenses and supervises all gambling in Kenya. The 2025 Act raised the bar for operators: applicants must be registered as a body corporate in Kenya, and at least 30% of shares must be held by Kenyan citizens. There are new controls on advertising — a ban on celebrity endorsements and glamour ads, and no TV or radio gambling adverts between 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM (except during a live sporting event) — plus a requirement for the GRA to pre-approve gambling advertisements. Licensed operators must also integrate approved responsible-gambling and monitoring measures.

Licensed vs offshore operators

Many international sites accept Kenyan players, but the safest route is a GRA-licensed operator. Licensed brands must offer local dispute resolution, honour self-exclusion, and cannot extend credit to players. Offshore sites fall outside Kenyan consumer protection, and the Finance Bill 2026 explicitly targets the crypto-and-offshore “escape valve” that some bettors use to sidestep local taxes and rules. Stick to licensed operators.

Payments Kenyans actually use

M-Pesa is king. Almost every licensed site integrates Safaricom’s M-Pesa via a paybill number, with instant deposits; withdrawals typically clear quickly. Airtel Money, bank transfer and debit cards are also common. Crypto is a fringe method used mostly on offshore platforms.

MethodSpeedNotes
M-PesaInstant depositDominant rail; paybill per operator
Airtel MoneyInstantSecond mobile-money option
Bank transfer / cardSlowerSupported by larger operators
CryptoVariesGrey-zone; mostly offshore sites

Crypto is not legal tender in Kenya, and the Central Bank of Kenya has long warned against dealing in it. However, holding or trading crypto is not itself illegal. The Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Act, 2025 (enacted 15 October 2025) introduces a dual-licensing regime: a crypto-based betting platform would need both a virtual-asset licence (from the CBK or the Capital Markets Authority) and a gambling licence from the GRA. The Finance Bill 2026 further proposes tightening disclosure of crypto and offshore betting flows to the tax authority. Bottom line: crypto betting now has a legal path but remains lightly bedded-in and higher-risk — the mainstream, protected route is M-Pesa on a licensed site.

Tax on player winnings

Since the Finance Act 2025 (effective 1 July 2025), Kenya taxes bettors at the transaction level: a 5% excise duty on every deposit and a 5% withholding tax on every withdrawal, both deducted automatically. The 5% withholding tax on withdrawals is treated as the final tax on betting activity. The Finance Bill 2026 has proposed reintroducing a 20% withholding tax on winnings, but at the time of writing that is a proposal (public participation closed in May 2026) and is not enacted law — and the GRA itself has publicly opposed it as hard to enforce. Because rates are in flux, always confirm the current position with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) before assuming a figure.

Safer gambling and help

Gambling harm — especially among young, unemployed men — is a well-documented concern in Kenya. If betting stops being fun, licensed operators must offer deposit limits and self-exclusion, and the Gambling Control Act, 2025 requires a centralised self-exclusion register across all products under a licence. For support, call the national gambling / NACADA helpline 0800 723 253 (free, 24/7), the BCLB/GRA toll-free line 0800 723 770 (business hours), or Befrienders Kenya 0722 178 177 for emotional support.

18+ only. Gambling should be entertainment, never a way to make money. If it stops being fun, take a break, set limits, or self-exclude — help is free and confidential.

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