Kenya gambling licence guide: the GRA under the Gambling Control Act 2025 (2026)

Who regulates gambling in Kenya?

Section 6 of the Act establishes the GRA as the BCLB's successor. Section 10 gives it licensing, vetting of shareholders, directors and beneficial owners, and enforcement. Section 5 has county governments issue trade permits for gambling premises. The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) collects gambling taxes.

Is online betting legal in Kenya?

Yes, if the operator holds a GRA licence. The Act repealed the Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act (Cap. 131), and online licences are now issued under Regulation 11 of LN 111/2026.

Licence types

Regulation 11 covers online bookmaker, online lottery and online casino licences, applied for on Form 8. The Second Schedule also prices online pool betting, bingo and totalizator licences. Land-based licences include casinos, bookmakers and long-term public lotteries. Software and platform providers, key employees, shareholders and directors, and advertising each need separate licences or approvals.

Requirements

An online application must include (Reg. 11):

• the application fee;
• a KRA tax compliance certificate and PIN certificate;
• a gambling control system compatible with the GRA's central management system;
• declarations required by the Act's Second Schedule;
• proof of capital at the Third Schedule level;
• evidence of AML/CFT measures;
• the platform's domain name;
• proof that games come from a GRA-licensed supplier, with a copy of the agreement.

Under section 20(5), the GRA also weighs the probity of significant shareholders, directors and officers, data design, capital adequacy, resources, confidentiality, customer due diligence and compliance. LN 112/2026 (conduct regulations) requires minimum capital to stay unimpaired by losses.

How much does a Kenya gambling licence cost?

Second Schedule, online licences (KES):

Other fees (KES):

• Land-based casinos and bookmakers: application 2.5M, licence 5M, annual fee 1.5M.
• Long-term public lottery: application 5M, licence 10M.
• Software or platform provider: application 200k, annual fee 1M.
• Key employee, shareholder or director: licence 100k (local) or 200k (foreign), plus a 50k application fee.
• Advertising: application 50k, plus an approval fee of 6% of the advertising budget.

The annual operating fee becomes payable once licensing requirements are met.

Third Schedule, minimum capital (KES):

• Online: 100M for casino, bookmaker, pool betting and totalizator; 50M for bingo; 150M for long-term public lottery.
• Land-based bookmaker: 50M.
• National lottery: 2 billion.

The authority's March 2026 draft had lower figures. That draft was replaced by the gazetted notice. Some reports list a three-year online term or a KES 5 million online-lottery annual fee. The Second and Fourth Schedules say one year and KES 2.5 million.

Tax

Returns and payments are due by the 20th of the following month. KRA's FAQ still cites the repealed Cap. 131.

How to apply and how long it takes

1. File Form 8 with the Reg. 11 attachments and the application fee.
2. The authority reviews the file and notifies the applicant within 14 days.
3. A Board committee decides. The full Board can review that decision within 14 days.
4. All applications are to be considered within 30 days. If an application is refused, the reasons are given within 14 days.
5. Applicants can appeal to the Gambling Appeals Tribunal within 14 days.
6. Pay the licence fee and annual operating fee, and obtain a county trade permit for any premises.

Licence term and renewal

Under the Fourth Schedule, online licences last one year and renew for one year. Casino and bookmaking licences last three years. An online bookmaker's renewal costs KES 2.5 million to apply plus KES 10 million for the licence.

Ongoing obligations

Licensees must:

• pay annual fees;
• keep ownership details current for vetting;
• connect to the GRA's central system;
• get advertising approved;
• file monthly tax returns.

The court challenge

According to press reports, the High Court suspended the regulations in July 2026, shortly after the GRA began applying them on July 3. It later let the authority collect fees on an undertaking to refund them if the challenge succeeds, when 246 applications were reported to be pending. As of late October 2026, the case had been referred to the Principal Judge and had no final judgment. The fees could change depending on the outcome. See our Oct. 25 market brief and AskSpinner's Kenya page.

FAQ

How much is a betting licence in Kenya? For an online bookmaker: KES 5 million to apply, KES 50 million for the licence and KES 5 million a year, with KES 100 million in minimum capital.

How long does a GRA licence last? One year for online gambling, three years for land-based casinos and bookmaking.

How long does the GRA take to decide? The regulations require all applications to be considered within 30 days.

Who replaced the BCLB? The Gambling Regulatory Authority, from Aug. 26, 2025.

What taxes do betting firms pay in Kenya? 15% gaming tax, 20% withholding tax on winnings, and 5% excise duty on wallet deposits.

Key official documents

• Gambling Control Act, 2025: https://new.kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/act/2025/14/eng@2025-08-12
• Licensing Regulations, 2026 (LN 111/2026), Parliament library: https://libraryir.parliament.go.ke/items/fffe9e36-b6cb-4df5-91d1-ddb77b9298f7/full
• GRA transition notice: https://gra.go.ke/transition-from-the-betting-control-and-licensing-board-to-the-gambling-regulatory-authority-of-kenya/
• KRA betting, gaming and lottery tax FAQ: https://www.kra.go.ke/helping-tax-payers/faqs/betting,-gaming-and-lottery-tax

Information as of Nov. 2, 2026.

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