Foreign betting sites targeting Kenya: what the law says and how to tell them apart

In this guide, an offshore or foreign betting site means one run by a company outside Kenya that takes bets from people in Kenya without a Kenyan licence. A foreign brand in an advert can look much like a newly licensed local one. Before you trust any new name, work through how to confirm a new betting site's Kenyan licence.

What does section 79 of the Act say?

Section 28(1) of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 bars offering any gambling activity or service in Kenya unless it is licensed under the Act. Section 79 then deals with operators based in a foreign country.

Under section 79(1), a foreign operator can receive an online gambling licence only if it is registered in Kenya, has a physical address registered in Kenya and meets the requirements set in regulations. Section 79(2) also asks for its audited books of accounts for the preceding year.

Section 79(3) makes it an offence for a foreign-based operator to provide online gambling services in Kenya without a licence. On conviction a natural person faces a fine of up to KES 2,000,000, up to two years in prison, or both, and a corporate body a fine of up to KES 50,000,000.

Can a site hold a Kenyan licence and still be closed to Kenyans?

Yes. Section 79(4) lets a foreign operator that does not intend to offer online gambling in Kenya apply for a licence anyway, and section 79(5) exempts it from the 30% Kenyan shareholding rule in section 29(a).

The Foreign-Based Operators Regulations, 2026 (Legal Notice No. 113, gazetted on 30 June 2026) govern that group. Regulation 2 defines a foreign-based operator as one licensed under section 79(4), and regulation 7(1) requires it to use measures such as IP geo-blocking and identity verification so that persons resident in Kenya cannot reach its platforms.

Regulation 7(2) gives the Authority quarterly technical audits of those measures, and regulation 8 requires real-time access to the operator's systems to confirm that no domestic bets are processed. Under regulation 10(1), letting Kenyan residents in can lead to suspension or revocation of the licence, or forfeiture of the security bond to the State.

A Kenyan licence alone does not settle the question, then. It has to be a licence that permits Kenyan customers, and the domain you are using should be the one listed for that licensee.

What protection do you lose on an unlicensed foreign site?

The Act's player protections are duties on a licensee. When the operator holds no Kenyan licence, nobody in Kenya is bound by them, and that gap covers each point below.

• Payout timing. Section 70(1) requires monetary online winnings to be credited to the player's account within two days.
• Player money. Under section 76(2), the money a licensee holds for players may never fall below what it owes them in balances.
• Local banking. Section 29(b) requires every licensee to pay all gambling monies into an account with an authorised financial institution registered in Kenya.
• Local help. Section 68(8) requires an online operator to keep a customer care centre within Kenya.
• Complaints. Regulation 9(2)(e) of L.N. 112 sends complaints the operator has not resolved within 72 hours to the Authority, and section 80 of the Act lets a party to an online gambling dispute appeal to the Tribunal within fourteen days.
• Limits and exclusion. Regulation 84 of L.N. 112 requires deposit and loss limits and a self-exclusion option of at least 24 hours linked to the national register.

Your personal data sits outside the system too. A licensee must hold player data on Kenyan servers under regulation 42(2) of L.N. 112, save where the Authority grants an exemption; an unlicensed foreign site has made no commitment of that kind that you could enforce here.

What are the payment risks?

Licensed operators collect stakes through channels the Act names in section 73(4): debit cards, bank transfers, mobile money, cash and any method the Authority approves. Credit is off the table too: section 72(7) forbids a licensee to advance credits or accept credit cards for a wager.

Watch for payment routes the Kenyan rules exclude. Crypto is the clearest case: under regulation 83 of L.N. 112, virtual assets may be used to gamble or withdraw only with the Authority's approval, so a cashier that offers only crypto points away from a Kenyan licence.

The Regulations also reach the services behind a site. Regulation 102(1)(d) of L.N. 112 makes it an offence to provide internet hosting, server infrastructure, domain registration, payment processing or technical support that enables an unlawful gambling platform. An individual convicted faces a fine of up to KES 1,000,000, up to six months in prison, or both.

For you, that means a deposit into an unlicensed site travels over services the law treats as unlawful. Any balance left there has no section 76 cover.

Why do adverts for foreign sites still reach you?

Kenyan law controls gambling adverts closely. Section 87(1) of the Act bars promoting gambling on any electronic medium or other form of communication without the Authority's approval, including through celebrities and event sponsorship. Section 87(4) sets a fine of up to KES 20,000,000, up to twenty years in prison, or both.

The Advertising Regulations, 2026 (L.N. 114) add two layers. Regulation 7(2) requires media owners, outlets and agencies to make sure every gambling advert on their channels is approved by the Authority and classified by the Kenya Film Classification Board, and regulation 8(c) requires an approved advert to show the licence number and the words "authorized and regulated by the Gambling Regulatory Authority".

Platforms run their own gate. Google's advertising policy lets gambling operators target Kenya only if licensed by the regulator, which the page still names as the Betting Control and Licensing Board that the Authority replaced under section 6(3), and only with an additional authorisation to advertise. Google Play allows real-money gambling apps only where the developer holds a valid gambling licence for each country in which the app is distributed.

These rules bind advertisers, media owners and platforms, but an advert can still reach your screen through a channel or an account that ignores them. An advert is therefore no evidence of a licence, and a missing licence number or regulator wording is itself a warning.

How can you tell a foreign site from a licensed one?

1. Find the operator's company name and licence on the site. Section 36(3) requires an online licensee to display its licence on its platform.
2. Look the company up on the regulator's list, headed "Licensed Gaming Companies for the Trading Period 2025/26", and match its Trading Name and DOMAINS columns to the site in front of you. The list has 187 rows, and the newest entrants are gathered on the new licensees page.
3. If the company is listed but the domain is not, read what it means when a new site's domain is missing from the list before you deposit.
4. Read the footer. A footer that names only a regulator outside Kenya shows no Kenyan licence, which section 79(1) requires.
5. Look for a physical address in Kenya and a customer care centre within Kenya, which sections 79(1)(b) and 68(8) require.
6. Open the payment page. A cashier built around crypto or credit cards points away from a Kenyan licence (L.N. 112 r.83; Act s.72(7)).
7. Check how the app is offered. A real-money app on Google Play must hold a licence for each country where it is distributed, while an app offered only as a download from the site has passed no such check.

If the answers do not line up, phone the Authority on its toll-free line, 0800-723-770, as shown on the regulator's website, and follow the guide to reporting an unlicensed betting site. Other early warning signs are collected in new betting site red flags.

What this guide does not cover

This guide names no sites. It describes the Act and the 2026 Regulations as gazetted, and it does not cover land-based gambling or whether a foreign site is lawful in the country where it is based, which is a matter for that country's regulator.