Gambling Laws In Kenya
Kenya has the highest number of gambling youth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and sports betting has become the most popular form of gambling, according to GeoPoll’s series of studies on the rise of sports betting in the continent.
Q&A: Gambling Regulation in Kenya A new Gaming Act is currently pending before the Kenyan parliament, which would replace the current legislation dating back to 1966. Gambling Laws in Africa. As the world’s second largest continent, in terms of both land mass and population, assessing the state of gambling law in Africa on the whole is an immense task. After all, the area is home to no less than 54 individual sovereign nations, each operating under its own unique system of governance and rule of law.
In April this year, GeoPoll ran a quantitative nationwide survey via mobile SMS to a sample of 1300 respondents whose demography had a 50:50 male to female ratio aged 18-45 years old. Our objective was to gain a deeper understanding of the Kenyan betting consumer, their consumption and gambling behavior, drivers, motivations and decision-making patterns.
- Gambling at an offshore casino or unlicensed casino is considered illegal in Kenya, but as the laws are loosely enforced and the government does not block foreign-run casino sites, hundreds of offshore casinos accept players from Kenya and there are no records of a player being punished for playing at a foreign online casino.
- Gaming Regulation in Kenya Gaming regulations continue to change in order for governments to be able to capitalise on growing revenue potential. Although the legislative systems in Africa have really gotten a bad reputation over the years, it appears that the Betting Control and Licensing Board of Kenya is the exception to the rule.
- Top 10 Gambling Sites for Kenya - 2021 Updated List. Exclusive 10% Rakeback. Rating 9.99 out of. Is Gambling Legal In Kenya? What Is The Legal Gambling Age? Is Betting Legal In Kenya? What are the Best Gambling Sites and Promotions for Kenya?
In this article, we share some of the findings, particularly from the low-income earners who fall in the lowest social economic class according to Living Standards Measures (LSM).
In Sub-Saharan Africa, gambling has become a multi-billion dollar business. It is estimated that by the year 2022, the global gambling market could be worth $635 billion according to new findings by Dublin-based Research and Markets.
A 2017 PWC report put Kenya and Nigeria among the three largest gambling markets in Africa behind South Africa. In addition, a 2017 GeoPoll study observed that gambling was becoming popular particularly among males in SSA due to their high affinity towards sports and technology, combined with the proliferation of local sports betting players and the convenience of the mobile phone as a tool for gambling.
Gambling: The Billion Dollar Industry in Africa
The gambling industry in Kenya has several sub-sectors including gaming, lotteries, sports betting and prize competitions. Kenya currently has more than 30 licensed betting firms and casinos.
A gambling outlook 2017-2021 report by PWC shows that the yearly turnover of the sports betting industry in Kenya is worth $20 million, and will reach $50 million in 2020 as demand grows. The formal Kenyan betting industry, which paid $28.3 million in taxes in 2015, is ranked third in Africa after South Africa and Nigeria, as reported by Business Daily.
Figures from the Kenyan gambling regulator, Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB), show that gross gambling revenue for the 2016/2017 financial year was nearly Ksh 20 billion ($198m) – equivalent to about half of the annual health budget according to businesstoday.co.ke.
Why Kenya has become a hotbed for Sport Betting
Gambling Laws In Kansas
In Kenya, like in many other African countries, gambling is classified and positioned as a legitimate recreational and leisure activity. The rise of mobile and online based gambling has presented new challenges to the regulatory board amidst growing concerns on addiction towards sports betting.
Although gambling in Kenya has been around for some time now, the upsurge in sports betting has been due to the burgeoning of mobile phones and internet penetration, as our 2017 survey demonstrated.
The unprecedented success of sports betting companies can be seen with SportPesa- a betting company started in 2013, which managed to accumulate revenue enough to fund major premier leagues in Kenya before breaking into the international arena. Our study found SportPesa to be the most popular online platform in Kenya with 82% percent of gamblers subscribing to it, followed by Betin 40%, Elitebet 22%, Betika 12%, Mcheza 12%, and Betpawa 10%.
The success of this booming industry is also evidenced by the advertising spend of top betting companies. According to the latest data from Reelforge. the traditional top 10 advertising spenders have been overtaken by multiple gaming companies.
Understanding the Gambling Low Income Consumer
Low-income earners classified as LSM DE, who, according to a 2017 KARF establishment survey constitute 54% of Kenya’s population, offer a rich target market for the betting industry. According to our survey, the betting industry’s rags to riches narrative of poor rural folk holding huge cheques outside their mud huts, and stories of overnight millionaires has continued to resonate with the poor and low-income earners. While our study found that this group bets with amounts as low as KSH 10 – 50, their huge numbers multiply the tiny quantities into millions.
Their Demographic Profile
The gambling low-income consumers are spread out across the various demographic breaks such as age, gender, location with higher skews on particular profiles such as those of males of a certain age based in the urban areas. Both males and females participate in gambling, though our data show that males participate more often.
Across the age groups, it is notable that about half of low-income gambling consumers are 18-25 years. It is likely that the youth are most involved given the high affinity to mobile phones, sports, and unemployment rates.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2018 data, 7 million Kenyans are unemployed and out of this 1.4 million have been desperately looking for work. Our survey found that the highest proportion (40%) of the low-income gambling consumer is unemployed, and a third (29%) are students. This shows that a significant percentage of the low-income gambling consumer hope that gambling will turn into a source of income for them.
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Different types of legalised gambling were first introduced to Kenya dating back to 1966 when the Betting Control and Licensing Board was first developed. Their main function is to regulate gambling establishments so they can allow Kenyans to gamble safely.
In recent years, this governing body has regularly collected over 3 million dollars in revenue per year. Neighbouring countries do not have this type of clearly defined legal code in place, so these African neighbours don’t enjoy the wide array of gambling opportunities available to Kenyan players.
Currently Kenyan residents can access a number of online casinos with mobile devices to play table games, video slot machines, Bingo, wager on sports, and play Texas Hold’em poker.
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Gaming Regulation in Kenya
Gaming regulations continue to change in order for governments to be able to capitalise on growing revenue potential. Although the legislative systems in Africa have really gotten a bad reputation over the years, it appears that the Betting Control and Licensing Board of Kenya is the exception to the rule.
They have laid down the law concerning legalised online gambling and made the gaming laws very clear-cut. This governing body can easily control tax revenues by allowing online casinos to accept Kenyan players, while allowing residents the opportunity to safely enjoy world-class gambling experiences.
Most Kenyans rely heavily on mobile technology to access these online gambling websites. According to a study released by iHub, over 10 million Kenyans have mobile phones, and 98% of them use their phones to access the internet.
Gambling Laws In Kenya Shillings
Mobile lotteries and scratch-games have been recently gaining in popularity with Kenyan gamblers.
Online Gambling for Kenyans
It is no secret that online gambling in Kenya is big business, and in order for the most popular gaming websites to approve Kenyan players, they first need approval from the BCLB of Kenya and the eCOGRA, e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance.
These governing bodies perform monthly audits of each casino and provide Kenyan players with the highest amount of web security available. This assures that players have gambling fairness and safety each time they access these websites.
These gaming sites that accept Kenyan players must comply with strict industry standards that are set forth by the Betting Control and Licensing Board of Kenya. This gaming industry watchdog provides their seal of approval if and when the online casino meets all the rules and regulations set forth to operate in Africa.
Gambling Sites Accepting Players from Kenya
The following list of online gambling websites all accept Kenyan players and provide different types of betting opportunities for players to enjoy.
| Site | Bonus Information | Review | Visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betway Sports Kenya | Click for the latest signup offer | |||
For players who are looking for wagering on table games like Roulette, Blackjack, or Baccarat, or play video slot machines, they can register to play at:
NetBet Casino, Rizk Casino, Spinson Casino, Chance Hill Casino, Omni Slots, Royal Panda, Casino Cruise, 7Regal Casino, Cherry Casino, RealBet Casino, Lucky Casino, Betsafe Casino, Bovada Casino, Grand Fortune Casino, Poker Casino, Vegas Crest Casino, Betway Casino, Bet365 Casino, Uptown Aces Casino, Luxury Casino, Malibu Club Casino, VideoSlots Casino, Crazy Vegas Casino, EU Casino, Miami Club Casino, and Golden Euro Casino. There are many others in addition to these well-known online casinos online that accept Kenyan players.
For players who are looking to wager on global sporting events, they can register to gamble at these online sportsbook websites:
Betway Sports, BetVictor, NetBet Sportsbook, Bet365, Big Bet World Sportsbook, GTbets, Interwetten, GUTS, ComeOn! Sportsbook, Bwin Sports, Unibet, Pinnacle Sports, Intertops, 32Red Sportsbook, 138 Sportsbook, Bet-at-home Sportsbook, Bovada, RealBet Sportsbook, Ladbrokes, Betsafe Sportsbook, Odds Ring, Bet Online, and 188BET. There are many others in addition to these well-known online sportsbook websites that accept Kenyan players.
For players who are looking to play online poker, they can register to enter poker tournaments or play at live tables at:
Poker Stars, Full Tilt, Party Poker, Juicy Stakes, Betway Poker, Bet365 Poker, Betvictor Poker, 32Red Poker, Unibet Poker, and PKR Poker. There are many others in addition to these well-known poker rooms online that accept Kenyan players.
For players who are looking to play online Bingo, they can register at:
Bingo Hall, CyberBingo, Maria Bingo, Bet365 Bingo, Mecca Bingo, Unibet Bingo, Bingo Sky, Jackpotjoy, Vics Bingo, Wink Bingo, Bingo Joy, and Party Bingo. There are several other Bingo websites that accept Kenyan players.
For players who are looking to gamble on Lotto online, they can register at:
Lotto Booking, Lotto Palace, ScratchMania, EuroLotto, and Gratorama.
As a Kenyan player, it is quite natural to wonder about the availability and safety of gambling websites. The BCLB of Kenya takes extraordinary steps to ensure players have a safe gambling experience online without their private information being shared.
This betting and licensing board takes pride in being able to ensure all online gambling for Kenyans is transparent, fair, and protects the players.