Online gambling in Kenya

Online gambling in Kenya is exceptionally popular and most forms are legal, with regulation surrounding casino gaming, sports betting, lotteries and bingo and electronic gaming machines. While Kenyan gambling sites are often regulated locally, there are many offshore casinos that will accept your patronage. The top Kenyan gambling sites feature thousands of online slots, live dealer games, like blackjack and roulette and various other casino games. These gambling sites can be accessed via mobile, with many having Android and iOS gambling apps available. Kenyan gambling sites generally have plenty of KES friendly payment options, extensive customer service, great promotions and bonus offers and much more. Our guide to gambling in Kenya will break down everything you need to know. 

Top Kenyan gambling sites 2025

Kenya has regulated gambling sites and there are many licensed operators available to residents in 2025, with these including brands like Sportpesa and 22Bet. 

Real money gambling sites in Kenya must hold a license from the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) which regulates games of chance, casino games, sports betting and lotteries. 

The top Kenyan gambling sites will feature thousands of real money slots, table games, including live dealer versions of poker, roulette and baccarat, and various other iGames, with this industry increasing in size all the time. 

These casino games are developed by iGaming companies from all over the world, and despite many consolidating, there are still upwards of 200 legitimate developers in the world. Some of our favourites include Apricot Gaming, Net Entertainment, Pragmatic Play, Playtech and Global Games.  

The best gambling sites in Kenya cater to both desktop and mobile, with many of them featuring downloadable apps for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. 

Funding Kenyan gambling sites can be done with various methods in the Kenyan Shilling, with these including popular options like M-Pesa, which allows you to pay and receive cash-outs with your mobile phone, with it possibly as simple as sending a text message. 

Other popular KES gambling deposit options include Airtel Money, Skrill, Mastercard, Visa, bitcoin and other cryptos and in some cases, bank transfers 

Offshore gambling sites

While many gambling sites are Kenyan based, or at the very least having a license from here, there are still many unlicensed brands that will accept players from here. This does not mean they are not safe, rather it means they have got their license from another jurisdiction like Curacao, Malta or the United Kingdom. 

It’s worth noting if you choose to gamble online using one of these casino or sports betting operators you are unlikely to receive much help from the BCLB if something goes wrong, which has openly stated these gambling sites are unlicensed and unsafe. 

However, with some of the top international operators accepting Kenyans, there are plenty of unlicensed brands that will provide a safe online gambling experience. 

Gambling in Kenya 

Gambling Guides

Many online casinos accept customers from Kenya. Use our gambling guides to find your way through the process of playing real money casino and virtual games.

• Online Casinos
• Choosing a Casino
• Online Slots
• Casino Games
• Funding gambling accounts

Online Poker

Poker is popular in Kenya and various online poker sites accept players from this region. You can navigate our poker coverage here.

• Rules & Types
• Texas Hold’em
• Omaha
• 5 Card Draw
• Online Poker
• Beginner’s Poker Guide
• Greatest poker players

Casino Games & Rules

Are you a beginner to online gambling? Check out our casino games and rules guide to get started. Most casino games are available Kenyan gambling sites

• Blackjack
• Roulette
• Baccarat
• Slots
• Video Poker
• Casino Games

Sports gambling

Kenyan residents gamble on many different sports including football, tennis, basketball, athletics, winter sports and handball.

• Football betting
• Basketball betting
• FIFA World Cup
• Tennis betting
• Bundesliga betting
• Sports betting

Live gambling sites

Live casinos are very popular globally and Kenyans can play at them. Check out our live casino guides to learn more. Popular software includes Evolution, Pragmatic Play Live and OnAir Entertainment.

• Live Roulette
• Live Blackjack
• Live Baccarat
• Live dealer casinos

Horse Racing

Horse racing is very popular in Kenya, both to wager on and attend. Kenyans can bet on racing all round the world, including in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. You can learn about racing in our expert guides.

• Horse Racing
• Australian Horse Racing
• Hong Kong Horse Racing
• The World’s Top 10 Races
• World’s best jockeys
• World’s best trainers

Online gambling in Kenya has rapidly expanded under a shifting regulatory landscape. Historically governed by the Betting, Lotteries, and Gaming Act (Cap. 131) and overseen by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB), digital platforms operated with sparse legislation—a gap that led to widespread unregulated betting.

That changed with the enactment of the Gambling Control Act, 2023, signed into law in August 2025. The Act replaces the BCLB with the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) and formally brings online gambling under strict regulation. New provisions include specific licensing for online casinos, sportsbooks, and lotteries, strict compliance standards, and financial security deposits — KEN 200 million required for online operations.

Additional safeguards mandated include a minimum online bet of KSh 20, mandatory age verification systems, transparent player registration, and guaranteed payouts within two days of wins. To combat illicit finance, the 2025 Anti-Money Laundering Amendment strengthens oversight, enabling authorities to vet investors and impose sanctions on high-risk operators.

In summary, Kenya is transitioning to a robust, modernized framework, aiming to balance innovation and digital growth with player protection and regulatory enforcement. It remains to be seen whether Kenya’s online gambling regulation 2.0 will be respected more by international operators, who tended to ignore any efforts by the BCLB to stop them from accepting customers from this African country. 

Best gambling apps in Kenya

With a regulated gambling industry at their fingertips, Kenyans have some great gambling apps that they can download. 

The best Kenyan gambling apps generally come on Android in Kenya, with these able to be downloaded directly from operators, or via Google Play. 

To download non-market Android apps you will need to change the settings on your device to allow them, but most are in the Google Play store and can be downloaded after you have register an account 

Gambling apps for iOS or Apple smartphones and tablets can only be downloaded from the App Store, and these are far less common than Android, with roughly six percent of the market share of all handheld devices in Kenya. 

Gambling apps in Kenya allow you to access various types of casino games, with online slots and live dealer probably the two most popular, even on mobile. 

To download gambling apps in Kenya you will need a relatively new phone or tablet, with a decent internet connection and upgraded web browser. 

Gambling laws in Kenya

The first gambling laws enacted in Kenya came in 1966, when the Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act was written into law, officially making the practice legal in this African country. 

The Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act established the Betting Control and Licensing Board, with the intention of it regulating sports betting, lotto, casinos and land-based gambling venues.

This structure worked well in Kenya for many years, but then came the internet, and new ways for people to gamble. 

While there was talk of updating Kenya’s gambling laws to include the online realm, and despite tinkering, this took many years and it was not until 2023 the Gambling Control Act was put forward by politicians, effectively replacing the BCLB when it came into effect in 2025. 

The Gambling Control Act allowed Kenya to establish the Gambling Regulatory Authority, with these body having powers that far exceeded the BCLB, with these including an expanded licensing regime, further anti-money laundering practices, age verification, KYC and betting limit changes. 

Kenyan gambling’s gross revenue is taxed at 15%, with it also possible there will be local levies applied on top of this. 

Another quirk in Kenyan gambling is that licensed operators must have at least a 30% Kenyan ownership stake. 

While there are regulated gambling sites in Kenya, many people choose to wager with the offshore industry, with very little done by the GRA to stamp out offshore online casinos. 

The Gambling Control Act requires operators to apply or renew their license every 12 months, or another period suggested by the regulator. 

Who is the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya?

The Gambling Control Act, 2023, which was signed into law in August 25 allows for the formation of the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA), which replaces the Betting Control and Licensing Board. 

The GRA is in charge of licensing, regulation and enforcement of gambling operations in Kenya, with this scope covering both national and county levels .

The GRA has a board and chairperson with seven to nine members expected to run the show at any given time. 

Authorities are hopeful the new body can stamp out the issues that plagued the BCLC, including money laundering issues, enhance transparency, governance and operational efficiency. 

This new body, for the first time, has the power to police online casinos and digital gambling, with it formally recognised and regulated. To operate as an online bookmaker for instance, must secure the correct license and meet the financial and security obligations. 

What gambling licenses are available in Kenya?

The Gambling Control Act essentially licenses various forms of gambling in Kenya, and this has involved establishing distinct licensing categories. 

• Public gambling (table games and slot machines)
• National lottery
• Bookmaking
• On-course and off-course totalisators
• Prize competitions
• Bingo
• Pool betting schemes
• Public lotteries
• Online gambling
• Manufacture, assembly, sale, distribution, testing, and servicing of gambling equipment
• Gambling software/platform provision
• Key gambling employees
• Media promotions involving prizes across multiple counties

Kenyan KES payment at online gambling sites

Kenyans have got various deposit methods available to them at online gambling sites, with the regulated industry catering to the Kenyan Shilling (KES) and accepting familiar payment options. 

The most popular payments at real money gambling sites in Kenya include debit cards, EFT, mobile payments (like M-Pesa) or various other GRA approved options. 

Credit cards are explicitly not allowed to fund online gambling accounts under the GRA’s regulations, with this a popular gambling mitigation effort right around the world. 

Without a doubt most KES gambling transactions online are facilitated by mobile, with M-Pesa undoubtedly the no.1 payment method, but others like Airtel and T-Kash have made inroads as deposit options. These mobile KES payment options at gambling sites often use a USSD short code (and SMS) to facilitate payments, which will then show up on your mobile web wallet or Paybill. 

While it’s possible the GRA will approve crypto payments in the future, options like bitcoin and ethereum have yet to be seen at Kenyan gambling sites cashiers. 

The full list of deposit options at Kenyan gambling sites include: 

• Visa
• Mastercard
• M-Pesa
• Airtel Money
• Telkon T-Kash
• Debit cards
• EFT
• Mobile money
• Pesapal
• iPay

Gambling history in Kenya

Gambling in Kenya has a long and diverse history, with it first addressed in laws in 1966, when Parliament passed the Betting and Lotteries Act (Cap.131), which essentially lead to the Betting Control & Licensing Board (BCLB). 

In the late 1960 the first casinos opened in Kenya, with these including Nairobi Casino, which was opened by an Italian count, while other gambling venues also opened in Mobasa. The early clientele were largely made up of Indians living in Kenya. 

in 1966 The Kenya Charity Sweepstake was launched, with this introduced as a way of raising money for public causes, and it remains a popular pasttime to this day. 

While current forms of gambling has been taking place in Kenya for over 60 years,  it wasn’t until after 2000, and the introduction of online wagering that it really exploded in popularity. 

A big factor in this gambling explosion was the launch of M-Pesa in 2007, which is the no.1 way people fund online accounts in Kenya, with this mobile deposit option allowing people to use smartphones to faciilitate payments.

The massive growth in online gambling is highlighted by punters staking KSh 30billion in May, 2019, the single biggest month in their wagering history. 

The next four years in Kenya’s gambling history were punctuated by spats among government authorities, and an upset betting community, which was hurting after unprecedented taxes were added to wagering in Kenya. This lead to several big brands like Sportpesa and Betin to leave or halt operations in kenya. This battle over taxation continued for several more years, but ultimately authorities decided they needed to refresh and modernise their gamblign framework. 

In August of 2025, the new gambling regulator was formed after the President William Ruto signed the Gambling Control Act into law. This new licensing scheme replaces the BCLB with the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA). 

Online gambling in Kenya FAQ

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