Is online betting legal in Kenya?

Sports betting and gambling is legal in Kenya and has been since the year 1966 when the government introduced the Betting Lotteries and Gaming Act. This means that online betting and playing online casino games is also legal in Kenya.

The law of 1966 established the first clear rules and regulations about gambling in Kenya. It required gambling operators to carry a license and pay the necessary taxes in order to offer betting games to customers.

This means that all betting sites and online casinos operating in Kenya must apply for a license and pay the annual fees and taxes to the government. The Kenyan government collects around 3 million dollars per year in gambling revenue. This may sound like a lot of money, but it's actually very little compared to European countries like the UK.

Betting sites operating in Kenya are obligated to show their gambling license at the bottom of the webpage. So you can always go and check if any betting site is legally licensed by the. It looks like this:

So does this mean that Kenyan players must join a betting site that is licensed by the Kenyan government, or are we allowed to join international betting sites as well? We will answer this question in the following chapter.

If you want to join a betting site that's licensed by the Kenyan government, then we highly encourage you to do so. This will give you the protection of the Kenyan government, in the very unlikely case that you should experience trouble with the bookmaker, such as failure to pay out the money you are entitled to, etc.

In addition, if you use a bookmaker that's licensed in Kenya, you support the Kenyan government, because this bookmaker is obligated to pay taxes on their revenue to the government.

If you're looking for a great bookmaker to join, which has a Kenyan betting license, then we recommend that you check out Betway:

Kenyan players are under no obligation to join a betting site with a Kenyan license. You are free to join whatever betting site you choose. There are plenty of international betting sites to choose from, and most of them do not have a Kenyan gambling license.

Just remember, if you do choose to join an international betting site, you are not protected under the laws of Kenya if you experience problems with this betting site and you are in need of legal help. The government of Kenya can do nothing to help you, as this betting site is not regulated by them.

Also, gambling sites not licensed in Kenya do not pay taxes to the Kenyan government. They pay taxes in other jurisdictions. The most common gambling jurisdiction is Malta, located in Europe, due to its low taxes on gambling revenue.

If you want to join an international betting site without a Kenyan betting license, then we recommend that you check out 1xBet.