Betting licence renewal vs a new licence in Kenya: what changes for players

What do New and Renewal mean on the regulator's list?

The Gambling Regulatory Authority publishes a list headed Licensed Gaming Companies for the Trading Period 2025/26. Its STATUS column carries one of two words on every row. On the copy opened for this guide on 29 October 2026, 170 of the 187 rows read Renewal and 17 read New.

The page does not define either word. The application forms in the Gambling Control (Licensing) Regulations, 2026 (L.N. 111) use the same pair, asking an applicant to tick a new application or a renewal, and that is the plain reading of the column. A longer reading of the column is in what New means in the status column.

Neither word grades a company. Nothing on the page links the column to conduct, complaints or payouts, so a Renewal line is not a seal of approval and a New line is not a warning.

How do a renewal and a new licence compare?

The table puts the two routes side by side, using the Act and the 2026 Regulations as gazetted on 30 June 2026. The last two rows come from the regulator's page as opened on 29 October 2026.

The duties owed to you do not differ by status. Section 70(1) of the Act requires online winnings to be credited to your account within two days on either kind of licence, and the same limit tools apply to both. What differs is the record: a renewing company held a licence for at least one earlier period, while a New line shows no renewal on the list.

What carries over for your account at renewal?

Section 72(1) of the Act lets a person play only if registered and holding an account with the licensee. A renewal is granted to that same licensee, so the account you opened stays with the company that holds the licence. Your balance stays covered by section 76(2), which requires money held for players to be at least equal to all player balances at any time.

The limits you set belong to the account, not to the licence period. Regulation 84 of the Conduct of Gambling Operations Regulations, 2026 (L.N. 112) requires operators to offer deposit, loss, session and expenditure limits, and regulation 24 of L.N. 111 says nothing that resets them. A self-exclusion lasts for the period you chose under regulation 71(1) of L.N. 112, whatever happens to a licence date.

Terms can still change between licence periods. Regulation 4(1) of L.N. 112 requires a licensee to submit its terms and conditions to the Authority for approval, and regulation 4(2)(s) requires them to cover account suspension and closure. Read them again if a site says they were updated.

Ownership is a separate question. Regulation 97(1) of L.N. 112 requires a licensed company to notify the Authority in writing, for approval, before it changes ownership, directors or shareholding. A brand can keep its licence while the people behind it change, and the list does not show that.

What changes when a brand appears under a new licence?

A new licence starts a new relationship with you. If the company behind a brand is different, regulation 28(1) of L.N. 111 means it cannot use the old holder's licence, so it needs its own grant and its own line. Any balance with the old company is that company's obligation under section 76, so ask it to pay out before you move.

A new licensee has duties before the first bet is taken. Regulation 3 of L.N. 112 requires it to tell the Authority its start date seven days in advance, confirming integration with the KRA tax system and the Authority's central monitoring system. Regulation 9(1) requires a customer care centre to be set up before operations begin.

A new licence can also be lost if it is never used. Regulation 26(1)(a) of L.N. 111 lets the Authority suspend or revoke a licence when the holder does not commence business within six months of issue. A New line with no live site therefore carries a real deadline in law, even if the web page changes slowly.

What does the list show at renewal time?

The list is a picture of one trading period. Its heading names 2025/26, and the site's content system records the page as last modified on 19 March 2026. A renewal granted after that date would not appear until the page is updated.

The New rows are mostly bookmakers. Of the 17, 13 carry a number in the column headed BK, 3 in the PG column and 1 in the PL column, and none lists a domain. The page does not explain the three abbreviations, although the Act's licence categories include bookmaking, public gaming and public lotteries.

The list does not publish expiry dates. Section 39(1)(d) of the Act requires the Authority's register of licences to record each expiry date, and section 39(2) opens that register to the public at reasonable times on payment of the prescribed fee. The web page does not say that it is this register, so ask the Authority if a date matters to you.

Illustrative example: a one-year online licence that expires on 31 December needs a renewal application by 2 October, ninety days earlier. If the application is filed on 2 October and succeeds, regulation 24(3) of L.N. 111 means the renewed licence is issued by 1 November.

The 2026 transition explains why the column can look out of date. Regulation 30(1) of L.N. 111 kept licences issued under the repealed Act in force for only sixty days from publication of the Regulations on 30 June 2026. Regulation 30(2) required their holders to apply for the appropriate licence within that window, and the March 2026 version of the page predates that round.

The length of each licence is explained in how long a new online betting licence lasts. The period label at the top of the page is explained in the trading period on the GRA list.

What if a renewal is refused or filed late?

Renewal is not automatic. Section 32(1) of the Act lets the Authority refuse to renew where the application holds materially false information, misses a requirement for renewal, or does not conform to the policy on software systems. Regulation 8 of L.N. 112 adds that a capital shortfall can lead the Authority to reject a renewal application after notice and a hearing.

When it refuses, section 32(2) requires the Authority to notify the applicant with reasons, and section 32(3) gives the applicant twenty-one days to appeal. A licence that expires without renewal leaves the company without a valid licence, and section 98 makes operating without one an offence. What that means for your balance is covered in what happens if a new site loses its licence.

How do you read a line at renewal time?

1. Find the company and trading name the site shows on its licence, which section 36(3) of the Act requires an online licensee to display on its platform.
2. Match the number in the column headed BK, which carries bookmaker licence numbers; the page does not explain the abbreviation.
3. Note the STATUS word, and do not read it as a quality signal.
4. Check the DOMAINS column for the address you use. If it reads Nil, see what a missing domain on the list means.
5. If a date matters, ask the Authority on the toll-free line 0800-723-770 shown on its website.

What this comparison does not cover

This page compares the two routes from a player's side. It does not cover licence fees or the steps of an application, and it does not judge any company on the list. The companies currently marked New are gathered on our page of new licensees on the regulator's list.