Kenya: Gambling laws, betting and lotteries

Legal overview

Legal overview

Kenya replaced the Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act with the Gambling Control Act 2025. The new Act regulates betting, casinos, online gambling, prize competitions and public lotteries through the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya.

Regulatory developments

Implementation regulations under the 2025 Act were undergoing public participation on the regulator website at the review date.

Responsible gambling

Responsible gambling

The 2025 Act requires player registration and age verification for online activity and prevents the registration of children.

Regulated

Casino

Current position

Kenya's casino framework changed materially in 2025. The Gambling Control Act now places casinos, slot machines and online gambling under the Gambling Regulatory Authority rather than the former BCLB regime. A current Kenya casino guide must use the new Act and regulator, verify whether permission covers premises or online play, and avoid relying on licences or explanations issued only under the repealed Cap. 131 framework. This database records the change date so older articles can be flagged for review.

Licensing

Casino and slot-machine activity requires authorisation under Part VII of the Gambling Control Act 2025.

Online availability

Online gambling is expressly covered in Part VIII and requires the appropriate national authorisation.

Advertising and commercial links

Advertisements are governed by Part X and implementing regulations.

Responsible gambling

Kenya casino content should use the Act's child-protection and player-verification rules, show 18+ messaging and avoid presenting gambling as a way to solve financial pressure.

Regulated

Sports betting

Current position

Kenyan sports betting now operates under the Gambling Control Act 2025. The Act replaced the long-standing Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act and created a new authority with a broader digital mandate. For Kenya pages, the editorial check must cover the operator, licence type, online registration process and current advertising rules. References to the old BCLB law should appear only as history, not as the present legal basis.

Licensing

Betting is regulated under Part VI of the Gambling Control Act 2025.

Online availability

Online bettors must be registered and operators must apply age-verification controls.

Advertising and commercial links

Part X regulates gambling advertising; implementing regulations should be checked before each publication review.

Responsible gambling

Betting material should be adults-only, make uncertainty explicit and highlight account controls, time limits and the risks of repeated mobile deposits.

Restricted

Predictions

Current position

A Kenya predictions page can publish independent match analysis, but it should not blur that analysis with a wager or paid prize competition. The 2025 Act expressly covers prize competitions as well as betting and online gambling. Clear labels are therefore essential: editorial probabilities, sponsored operator offers and paid contests must appear as different products. No prediction should be called certain, and any betting link should point only to a currently authorised Kenyan operator.

Licensing

Free editorial analysis is distinct from a regulated wager, but prize competitions and paid forecasting products are expressly within the 2025 Act's wider scope.

Online availability

Registration and child-protection rules apply where the prediction becomes an online gambling activity.

Advertising and commercial links

Affiliate and operator promotion must follow the Act and current advertising regulations.

Responsible gambling

Prediction copy should resist high-pressure language, prohibit use by children and remind readers that a forecast does not reduce the financial risk of a bet.

Regulated

Lotteries

Current position

Kenya's lottery coverage should be built around the post-2025 framework. The Gambling Control Act authorises and regulates public lotteries, while the National Lottery has its own institutional framework. A page should identify which system a draw belongs to, who holds the authorisation, whether tickets are sold online and how prizes are claimed. Old references to public-lottery permits under repealed Cap. 131 need a dated historical label.

Licensing

Public lotteries are authorised under Part V of the Gambling Control Act 2025, alongside the separate National Lottery framework.

Online availability

Online lottery participation is subject to the Act's digital and player-registration controls.

Advertising and commercial links

Lottery and prize promotion must comply with the Act and applicable regulations.

Responsible gambling

Kenya lottery pages should apply adult-only access, discourage bulk ticket buying and explain that draw odds do not improve because of previous losses.

Regulators and contacts

Regulators and contacts

Primary sources

Primary sources

• Gambling Control Act 2025 — Kenya Law
• Gambling Regulatory Authority official website — Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya