What a newly licensed bookmaker must have from day one in Kenya

A bookmaker that appears on the regulator's list with a New status has passed the licensing stage. The law still gives it duties to meet before it takes a first bet, and some of them you can check yourself. This guide sets out each duty, the section that creates it and what you can see from your side of the screen.

If you only want to confirm that a site holds a licence, start with the steps for checking a new betting site's licence. The sections below explain what that licence is supposed to stand for.

What the Gambling Control Act requires of every licensee

Section 29 of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 sets two conditions for any betting licence. Under section 29(a) the licensee must be a body corporate in which Kenyan citizens hold at least 30% of the shares. Under section 29(b) it must keep an account with an authorised financial institution registered in Kenya, and all money from the licensed activity is paid into that account.

A sole trader cannot hold a betting licence under this wording. Neither can a company owned entirely by foreign shareholders that plans to take bets from people in Kenya.

Section 79(1) adds rules for a gambling operator based in a foreign country. It can only get an online gambling licence if it is registered in Kenya, has a physical address registered in Kenya and meets the requirements in the regulations. Section 79(2) also asks for its audited books of accounts for the year before.

Section 79(4) and (5) allow one exception. A foreign operator that does not intend to offer online gambling in Kenya may apply for a licence and is exempt from the 30% shareholding rule. That exemption does not help a site that takes bets from Kenyan players.

What the 2026 Licensing Regulations add for an online bookmaker

The Gambling Control (Licensing) Regulations, 2026 (Legal Notice No. 111, gazetted on 30 June 2026) set out the paperwork. Regulation 11(1) names three online licences: online bookmaker, online lottery and online casino. Regulation 11(2) lists what must come with the application.

That list includes a valid Tax Compliance Certificate and a Personal Identification Number certificate from the Kenya Revenue Authority. It also includes a gambling control system that works with the Authority's central management system, and evidence of anti-money laundering policies, procedures and staff training. The applicant must name its proposed platform, domain name and games provider, and the provider must be a supplier licensed by the Authority.

Money is part of the test. The Third Schedule to L.N. 111 sets minimum gambling capital of KES 100,000,000 for an online bookmaker. The Third Schedule to the Act sets a security of KES 100,000,000 for an online gambling licence, held as an insurance bond or a bank guarantee.

Before granting a licence, regulation 23 of L.N. 111 provides for an on-site inspection. It covers the premises, the management information system, internal controls and the security of the information the applicant holds.

What must be in place before the first bet

A licence does not let a bookmaker open the same day. Regulation 3 of the Gambling Control (Conduct of Gambling Operations) Regulations, 2026 (L.N. 112) requires the licensee to tell the Authority its start date seven days before it begins. That notice must confirm the following.

• Integration with the Kenya Revenue Authority tax system (r.3(3)(a)).
• A declaration of every paybill or other payment channel it will use (r.3(3)(b)).
• Integration with the Authority's central monitoring system (r.3(3)(c)).
• Proof of gambling capital, and staff for management, customer support, finance, compliance and IT support (r.3(3)(d) and (e)).
• A security report on the platform and confirmation that it has been tested (r.3(3)(g) and (o)).
• Evidence of registration with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (r.3(3)(r)).

Regulation 4 of L.N. 112 requires the licensee to send its terms and conditions to the Authority for approval. Those terms must cover player accounts, deposit methods, payment of winnings, account suspension and closure, complaints and dispute resolution, and a privacy statement under the data protection laws.

Regulation 9(1) requires the customer care centre to exist before operations start. Section 68(8) of the Act places that centre within Kenya.

What you should find on the site itself

Several duties show up on screen. Section 36(3) of the Act requires an online licensee to display its licence on its platform. The licence templates in the First Schedule to L.N. 111, such as the bookmaker licence, carry a licence number, company name, trading name, physical address and a validity period with a start and an end date.

Section 72(6) requires the licensee to make all game rules available, along with any processing fee a player may pay. Regulation 23 of L.N. 112 requires odds, rules and terms to be shown clearly for each bet, and bars changes to a bet's terms once it is accepted.

Registration comes with checks. Section 72(3) requires proof of age of majority before any player is registered, and regulation 82 of L.N. 112 requires identity, location and age checks before the account goes live. The detail is in what to expect from KYC at a new betting site.

Regulation 84 requires real-time control tools. The minimum is daily, weekly and monthly deposit limits, loss, session and expenditure limits, reality-check pop-ups and an easy self-exclusion option of at least 24 hours. The regulation sets no amounts, so the player picks the figures.

How complaints must be handled from the start

Regulation 9(2) of L.N. 112 gives the customer care centre its job. It must try to resolve complaints before they reach the Authority and report any matter raised by the public to the Authority within two days. It must refer a complaint to the Authority if it is still unresolved after 72 hours, or sooner if you ask in writing.

That 72-hour point matters in a site's first weeks, when support teams are new. The full route, up to the Gambling Appeals Tribunal, is set out in the complaints process a new licensee must offer.

Deadlines that run once the licence is issued

Some duties start a clock. Under regulation 26(1)(a) of L.N. 111, the Authority may suspend or revoke a licence if the holder does not start business within six months of issue. Under regulation 29, the licensee must trademark the name it trades under and send the certificate to the Authority within thirty days of being licensed.

An online gambling licence lasts one year under the Fourth Schedule to L.N. 111, for new licences and renewals alike. The renewal timetable is explained in how long a new online betting licence lasts.

What the regulator's list shows and does not show

The list on gra.go.ke is headed "Licensed Gaming Companies for the Trading Period 2025/26". Its columns are No., Operators Name, Trading Name, BK, PG, PL, STATUS and DOMAINS. The page does not explain the abbreviations; the column headed BK carries bookmaker licence numbers.

The list says nothing about shareholding, bank accounts, capital or limits tools. Those duties are for the Authority to test at licensing and inspection. The lines currently marked New are gathered on the New licensees page.

A line on the list confirms that a licence was recorded for that trading period. It does not prove that every duty above is met on a given day. If one is missing, such as a limits section or a Kenyan contact, raise it with the operator first and then with the Authority on 0800-723-770, the toll-free number the regulator's website shows.