Today, it’s difficult to run a successful economy anywhere in the world without reckoning with the sports and gambling industry. In Kenya, for instance, betting is a multimillion-dollar industry. There are numerous betting sites in Kenya. But as we have the legit and regulated ones, so also, you’ll find unregulated and fraudulent betting sites everywhere.
If you’ve been on an endless search for Kenya betting sites, this article is for you. In this article you’ll learn all you need to concerning all betting sites in Kenya. The idea behind this post is to help you locate all the best betting websites in Kenya where you can stake your money and make passive money.
You need to equip yourself with the right and proper information to avoid becoming a victim of a scam.
The simple answer to the question is yes. Gambling is legal and permitted in Kenya and bookmakers in Kenya are allowed to operate in the country. As per reports, Kenya is ranked one of the leading countries in Africa with high returns and revenue on betting. The country permits gambling and supports the operation of all betting companies, sites, and platforms.
There is a wide range of sites that the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) grants permission to operate as online betting sites. The Board licenses, regulates, monitors, and controls firms offering gaming in Kenya. However, an intending bookmaker will have to pay up 100 000 000 Kenyan shillings to obtain the gambling license and operate as a sportsbook in Kenya.
A bill is being proposed to replace the BCLB with the yet-to-be-established National Gaming Authority and the Gaming Appeals Tribunal. The latter agency will be charged with the responsibilities to arbitrate in gambling and betting-related disputes between operators and bettors.
The Betting, Lottery, and Gaming regulations apply to a range of gambling, including online and mobile casino operators, online and mobile sportsbooks, online and mobile lotteries, as well as online and short messaging system games.
Kenyan betting licensing board offers a wide range of license options for bookies. The licenses are issued to bookies in line with the betting requirements in Kenya. The regulations are based on the 1966 Betting, Lotteries, and Gaming Act Cap. 131. This is provided for under various sections of the Act, including 23, 36, 39, 54, and 58.
The following are licenses that the betting regulators issue to betting companies in Kenya to operate under a regulated regime:
There is an expiration period for each license, depending on the type of sports betting and gaming activity the bookie participates in. However, the operations of the licenses are subject to section 23 of the Betting, Lotteries, and Gaming Act.
No doubt, the Kenyan betting industry has grown and so has developed its banking options that bettors can trust and transact with. Generally, Kenyan bettors make use of either Airtel Money or M-Pesa (managed by Safaricom) as the most locally-sourced payment options.
These options make deposits and withdrawals a lot easier. Besides, they’re very trusted options, thanks to their security that is not open to third-party use. Bettors can make deposits from their mobile accounts without going through a third-party.
In addition to the aforementioned two options, bookmakers in Kenya also make use of other popular payment options, including:
Although Kenya rakes in a lot of revenue from the gambling industry, the government takes regulation very seriously. Betting sites operate under strict regulation and tax laws, thanks to the BCLB of Kenya. The board is responsible for regulating, licensing, and withholding licenses of betting sites and online gambling platforms. Hence, the Board expects strict compliance with the rules guiding gambling and related matters.
Typically, until recently, a bookmaker was required to pay up to 20% in tax for all winning stakes. The policy led to the initial exiting of Betin and Sportpesa, two major sportsbooks and gambling operators in Kenya. Meanwhile, the Kenyan government in 2020 scrapped the controversial 20% excise tax on bookies’ stakes. The new gambling taxation system and regulatory framework require bookies to pay 15% in excise tax on all stakes: gaming, lottery, and betting. However, the tax must be remitted to the Kenyan government’s purse every 20th of the following month.
Based on the provisions of section 68(b) cap 131 of the Betting, Lottery, and Gaming Act, failure to comply with the 20th payment due date attracts a 5% penalty of the tax amount payable.
Plus, late payment of the tax also attracts a 1% simple interest per month. It doesn’t apply only to operators, players also have their share of tax payment in Kenya. The law also requires players and bettors who bet with locally licensed operators to pay a withholding tax of 20%.
Kenya boasts more than 90% of its population with access to the internet. You can be sure that mobile betting occupies a central place in the gambling industry. About 90% of the gambling class use their mobile devices to stake bet in Kenya.
With a significant drop in the cost of mobile data in the last decade in Kenya, access to mobile betting has become convenient and easy. Thanks to the increasing availability of 3G and 4G network infrastructure as well as affordability of mobile data, online bettors in Kenya can bet from the corner of their rooms.
In a bid to encourage its over 58 million mobile users, the Kenya government also accepts the use of mobile money as a means of transaction among betting operators and their customers. With the law, M-Pesa and Airtel Money have become two of the locally authorized banking options.
In terms of regulation, gambling is not a free-for-all in Kenya. There are minimum requirements from both the operators and players. The official minimum age for anyone to gamble or bet in Kenya is 18. Betting companies in Kenya that violate the age restriction provision have a grave penalty awaiting it, including withdrawal of license and suspension from operating in Kenya.
Part of the Kenyan government’s regulation includes a proposed plan to suspend betting companies from advertising their products on social media. Besides, a bill is in the offing to ban outdoor advertising of betting firms and stakes between 6AM to 10PM daily.
Like many other betting-loving countries in the world. There are several five-star jackpot bookies on the list of betting companies in Kenya. This gives over 12 million sports bettors the chance to make an informed choice.
With the advancement in technology and intuitive brilliance of bookies, there is a jackpot section users and players can find on most of the bookies. But the case a little different some years back when SportPesa was the only guy rocking the boat.
Today, bettors can scoop jackpot by just correctly predicting the results of progressive games. You can win up to 1 million KES. Of the wide range of sportsbooks in Kenya, only 20 legitimately run progressive Mega football Jackpots on their sites.
Generally, most Kenyan bookies have impressive bonuses and promotions. You can earn bonuses upon registration.
With so much investment and regulatory changes over the years, the Kenyan gambling industry has gone to become one of the biggest markets on the continent of Africa. From the period gambling was exclusive to land-based casinos to the time when everything in the industry has gone digital, so much has changed.
Technically, sports betting can be said to start in Kenya in the middle of the 20th century. The Betting, Lotteries, and Gaming Act of 1966 made way for the legality of betting and gambling across Kenya. This legislation permits companies to operate all forms of betting and sports activity.
Upon the enactment of the law, many gambling platforms sprang up, and a variety of casinos and later betting sites developed. Although it began with land-based casinos and brick-and-mortar shops up until the mid-2000s, betting has grown with the evolution of e-gaming and online betting sites and bookmakers. Largely, many countries in Africa, the Middle East, and some parts of Asia were not too clear about the direction of government policy on gambling.
Apart from the lack of directional regulatory framework, growth in the gambling and betting industry also took a long in Kenya due to the high cost of technology and technical know-how. Mobile devices were expensive and the cost of internet services, including data fees and learning operational titbits was on the high.
The trend changed by the middle of the 2000s following the evolution of a bookie like SportPesa. This company premiered sports betting in Kenya, and till today remains the largest marketplace for bettors and players. However, by the time the likes of 22Bet, Betin, Betway, EliteBet, and Mozarbet joined the fray, a lot of investment has gone into ads. Many other land-based casino shops and online betting websites have sprung.
As of today, sports betting has become a major source of government revenue. From taxes, licensing, monetary sanctions, hardship payment, the Kenya government can smile at the bank. Yet, during this boom, many bookies, sportsbooks, and betting companies have gone bankrupt due to a lack of financial base or inability to comply with Kenya betting rules.
There are things you must consider before opting for a betting website in Kenya. They include:
There are more than 20 Kenyan betting sites. These are the ones that are licensed and operate under the Betting, Lotteries, and Gaming Act issued by the Betting Control and Licensing Board of Kenya. However, a few operators who exited the country in the past due to regulation and compliance are indicating interest to relaunch themselves.
The working of betting sites is quite simple. Generally, sports betting sites are enablers or facilitators of betting. They provide the betting odds, using software to allow bettors to find and place their chosen sporting events, games, and wagers.
Betting sites also enable players to find and play their online casinos and poker rooms. The betting sites also offer software that allows players to draft teams and stake on them in contests.
To use a betting site, a user will need to have the following:
As of this writing, there are over 20 betting sites are actively operating and legally licensed in Kenya. They include 888Sport, Betway, Betika, 22bet, Helabet, OdiBets, Shabiki, Powerbets, and M-Cheza. This development followed Kenya’s government decision to renew the licenses of many others, including the big industry players.
Do you want to get a secret bonus?
Write your email and we will send you bonuses that bookmakers hide so carefully
Cookie policyBelow is a list of the best casino deals
