On July 30, the Parliament of Kenya proposed to raise the legal gambling age to 21. Locals are against the restrictions, believing 18-year-olds are adults.Kenya's...
Kenya introduces a new gambling regulatory authority
Kenya moves forward with implementing the Gambling Control Act 2025, which will replace the BCLB with the new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya (GRA) by the end of February 2026.
The new regulations will reform the 1960s Betting, Lotteries, and Gaming Act in an effort to improve Kenya’s gambling sector with stricter compliance requirements, better consumer protections, and unified regulatory supervision.
Licensed operators in Kenya will have to make sure that 30% of any applicant company’s shares are owned by Kenyan citizens, and applicants will have to open bank accounts in Kenyan-licensed financial institutions where all gambling proceeds will be paid.
Additionally, online gambling operators will have to follow specific requirements, including identity verification during player registration, integration with the GRA’s real-time monitoring system to allow supervision of online transactions, and compliance with Kenya’s Data Protection Act, anti-money laundering laws, and cybersecurity requirements.
Foreign operators will be prohibited; however, in the case of registering locally and meeting Kenya’s regulatory requirements, they may be granted a license.
Kenya’s National Parliament will also begin implementing a 5% tax on players when they withdraw money from their gambling accounts, which is expected to increase revenue collection from £32.9 million to £69.54 million.
Kenya’s government has reduced the excise tax on betting from 15% to 5% as part of the 2025 Finance Bill, making it cheaper to place bets in the country.Kenya wants to...
