Resident checklist
Do this first
- Confirm trading name and domain on gra.go.ke/licensed-operators/ (or the official list it publishes).
- M-Pesa paybill matches the licensed operator’s official app.
Licensed/Regulated
Resident guide · Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu
Sports Betting in Kenya
M-Pesa is the cashier. Football is the slip. GRA now holds the list (BCLB built the market) — verify the live register and the exact domain before you send a paybill. Licence years are on a fiscal / relicensing clock, not a vibe.
- Age of majority
- Watch
- Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) · BCLB legacy transition
- Reviewed
- 9 October 2026
Premier LeagueKPL / Harambee StarsCAFBasketballRugby sevens
Kenya
Football. Athletics. Local favourites.
Local rail
M-Pesa · Airtel Money · bank transfer
africasportsbetting.comComparison onlyNo live tote
How it feels on the ground
If a book makes M-Pesa clumsy, Kenyans leave. Saturday is EPL and the local league; Harambee Stars nights are communal. Athletics is pride, not the deep bet grid. Paybill numbers get screenshotted and forwarded — use the one on the official app only.
What is legal here
Sports betting is legal for adults of the age of majority with a current Kenyan bookmaker / online gambling licence. For years that paper came from the Betting Control and Licensing Board under the old Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act. The Gambling Control Act, 2025 creates a Gambling Regulatory Authority and a broader online-gambling licence set. Practical habit in 2025/26: look up the trading name, the BK number, and the domain on the official licensed-operator list published under GRA. GRA opened 2026 applications; public notices report existing licences varied to expire 24 September 2026. Licence years run on a fiscal clock, not a calendar vibe.
- Legal for adults of the age of majority on a currently licensed Kenyan book.
- Confirm the trading name and domain on gra.go.ke/licensed-operators/. A Facebook page with a Kenyan flag is not a licence.
- M-Pesa paybills should match the licensed operator’s official app. Cloned till numbers are a known scam pattern.
- Do not assume a Tanzanian or Ugandan app is Kenya paper.
- Withholding on winnings and excise on the operator are KRA questions. This page is not a tax computation.
Resident checklist
Do not treat as paper
- Facebook / Telegram “Kenyan flag” pages with no GRA row.
- Assume a Tanzanian or Ugandan app is Kenya paper.
Who regulates it
Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA)
Successor regulator under the Gambling Control Act, 2025. Publishes licensed-operator lists. Application portal (operators, not punters): operator.gra.go.ke. Contact: toll-free 0800-723-770.
Open the official source →Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB)
The board that licensed the market for decades. You will still see BCLB numbers and 2025/26 approval stories during the transition. The official list and matching trading name matter more than the letterhead acronym.
Kenya Revenue Authority
Tax and withholding administration — not the body that decides whether a book may take bets.
Open the official source →Operators we can pin
Trading names that appeared on Kenyan licensed-operator / 2025/26 material when we last checked (see the review date on this page). Fiscal-year rows must be re-checked. Soft comparison only — SportPesa and Mozzart stay “also licensed” until a fresh GRA check plus payments / RG checks. Confirm the current GRA row and the exact domain before you send M-Pesa.
Comparison only · re-check the live register
Betika
Shop & Deliver Limited on GRA 2025/26 material we reviewed.
Odibets
Kareco Holdings Limited.
SportPesa
Milestone Games Limited — public licence-winter history.
Mozzart Bet
Mozzartbet Kenya Limited.
BetPawa
Pan-African mobile book; Kenya pin.
Popular sports
Football carries the market — English league midweek, local league on Sunday, CAF when the national team or Gor Mahia is involved. Basketball has a younger, Nairobi-app crowd. Rugby sevens gets a following that punching-above-weight national sides always get. Athletics is pride, not a deep betting grid.
Premier LeagueKPL / Harambee StarsCAFBasketballRugby sevens
How payments work
Currency is KES. Kenya is a mobile-money market. Screenshot the GRA row (trading name + domain) and match it to the app Settings / About screen before the first deposit. A book that only wants an international card is usually not the Kenyan product.
M-Pesa
The cashier. Deposit and withdraw on the same number you already use. If the paybill is not the one in the official app, stop. Cloned till / paybill numbers are a known scam pattern.
Airtel Money
Secondary, useful, not the default. Some books treat it as a second-class rail.
Bank transfer
More common on larger withdrawals than on a KES 100 Saturday accumulator.
Responsible gambling
Age of majority only. Stop depositing if gambling starts to feel like rent money. Use operator self-exclusion tools; talk to a person you trust. GRA lists toll-free 0800-723-770 as its contact; it is a regulator line, not counselling.
Frequently asked questions
Is SportPesa still legal in Kenya?+
SportPesa is a Kenyan household name and has appeared on recent licensed-operator lists under Milestone Games Limited. Lists are renewed. Check the current GRA register and the domain on the app you actually opened — do not rely on a 2019 memory of a shutdown.
BCLB or GRA — which name do I look for?+
Look for the official licensed-operator list and a matching trading name. The agency letterhead is changing under the 2025 Act. A book that cannot show a current Kenyan licence under either branding is the problem, not the acronym.
Can I bet from Tanzania or Uganda on a Kenyan book?+
Usually no, not as a Kenyan-licensed product. East African brands often run separate country sites. A Kenyan M-Pesa book is not a regional passport.
What happened after 24 September 2026?+
Public GRA notices report existing licences varied to expire that date, with a 2026 application window. We found no GRA notice or court ruling on what followed, so the status is unconfirmed. Check the live GRA list before you send M-Pesa.
What if gambling is starting to feel like rent money?+
Stop depositing. Start with the operator’s self-exclusion tools and a person you trust. GRA publishes a self-exclusion route. This site will not cheer you into another accumulator.
Sources & updates
Last reviewed 9 October 2026.
- GRA licensed operators — Primary list. The table regenerates.
- Gambling Control Act, 2025 (Kenya Law) — Act text on Kenya Law.
- BCLB 2025/26 approval coverage — Secondary industry coverage. Prefer the live GRA list.
Betting laws and product offerings move. Check official sources before you play. This is comparison and education only.
How we label markets →Responsible gambling →