Reviewed by Peris WambuKenya sports betting writer
Published 26 September 2026
The Gambling Control (Licensing) Regulations 2026 put the licence behind a Kenyan betting site under the Gambling Regulatory Authority, and the High Court has left most of them running while the increased fees and capital requirements in them stay suspended.
The regulations were gazetted as Legal Notice 111 on 30 June 2026 and commenced on the same day. They put gambling licensing under a single regulator, the Gambling Regulatory Authority, under the Gambling Control Act 2025, and they treat a land based bookmaker licence and an online bookmaker licence as separate categories.
What a licence now obliges an operator to run
A licensee has to run anti money laundering and counter financing of terrorism policies, responsible gambling policies, data protection measures, dispute resolution procedures, internal controls and staff training.
Licence holders under the previous framework were given sixty days from publication of the regulations to move onto the new one.
The court case running alongside it
Justice W Musyoka of the High Court suspended the regulations on 20 July 2026 pending judicial review, after applicants challenged the fee increases and the way the regulations were adopted.
The court then lifted most of that stay in August. The Authority can receive and process licence applications, vet operators and enforce the anti money laundering rules, while the increased licensing fees and capital requirements stay suspended. Judgment on the substantive challenge, Judicial Review E251 of 2026, is set for 2 October 2026.
Where the case stands this week
The case was mentioned in court on 21 September. The Association of Gaming Operators Kenya put it to the court that the Gambling Regulatory Authority had sent messages through Safaricom threatening to switch off operators’ Paybill accounts on 24 September. The court’s response was that the existing status quo orders were intended to avert such threats, and that the regulator should be guided by its counsel.
What it changes for you
The obligations in the list above are the ones a bettor can look for. A dispute resolution procedure and a Kenyan licence are both things an operator has to have under the regulations, and both can be published where a customer can read them.
The fee question is the operator’s rather than yours, and it is the part of the regulations the court has still to rule on. Until 2 October the fee levels and the capital requirements are the parts that remain suspended, and the rest of the regulations are in force.
Where to bet: SportPesa and Betika are among the operators that price Kenyan and international sport in shillings, with deposits by M-Pesa and Airtel Money, and the Gambling Regulatory Authority is the body that licenses betting in Kenya. Check the footer of any site you deposit with for a Kenyan licence and the Authority named beside it, and compare the same market at two books before you stake. Our guide to the best betting sites in Kenya covers licensing and withdrawal times, and there is more in Kenya betting guides from AXN Sports. 18+. Gamble responsibly.
