How long a bookmaker licence lasts in Kenya and when it renews

Under the Licensing Regulations, 2026, a bookmaking licence lasts 3 years, new or renewed, and an online gambling licence lasts 1 year. A renewal application must reach the Authority at least 90 days before expiry. The Act itself says at least three months and a default term of 36 months.

By Nairobi Football Editorial (prepared with AI tools under our editorial policy) · Last updated 2026-10-23

The short answer: it depends on the kind of licence

There is no single bookmaker licence term in Kenya. The Gambling Control Act, 2025 sets a default and lets the regulations change it, and the regulations then give a different term for each activity. The bookmaker licence types matter here, because a shop licence and an online licence do not run for the same time.

Section 31(3) of the Act says a gambling licence is valid for thirty-six months from the date of issue or for such other period as may be prescribed in regulations. Section 35 adds that the duration of every licence varies for each gambling and betting activity, subject to section 31(3). The activity-by-activity answer is in the Fourth Schedule to the Gambling Control (Licensing) Regulations, 2026 (Legal Notice 111 of 2026), which regulations 22 and 24(5) point to.

What the Fourth Schedule says

The schedule has two columns, one for a new licence and one for a renewal. For the activities that matter to someone who bets on football, it reads as follows.

The schedule is titled "Duration of Licences" and cites regulations 22 and 24(5). Prize competitions and short-term public lotteries are listed at three months, with no renewal column.

Which row applies to a betting app

Regulation 11 of the same Regulations treats an online bookmakers' licence as one of three online licences, next to online lottery and online casino. The schedule has a row called "Online gambling" with one year. Reading the two together, a company that takes football bets through a website or app falls under the online row, so a one-year term is the natural reading.

The schedule does not spell out how a shop licence under regulation 5 and an online licence interact for a company that holds both. The regulations do not say, so this guide does not guess. The Authority is the body to ask.

When a renewal has to be applied for

The Act and the Regulations each set a deadline, and they are worded differently. Section 31(2)(b) of the Act says the application must be lodged at least three months before the licence expires. Regulation 24(2) says at least ninety days before expiry.

Three months and ninety days are rarely the same number of days, so the safer reading is the earlier date. Illustrative example: suppose a licence shows an expiry date of 30 June 2029.

• Three months before 30 June 2029 is 30 March 2029.
• Ninety days before 30 June 2029: 30 days back reaches 31 May, a further 31 days reaches 30 April, and a further 29 days reaches 1 April 2029.
• The earlier of the two dates is 30 March 2029, which satisfies both rules.

The dates are made up to show the arithmetic. They are not the expiry date of any real licence.

What the renewal process requires

Regulation 24(1) asks for three things from an operator who intends to renew. It must comply with the specific requirements for that licence, apply in the right form in the First Schedule, and pay the fees in the Second Schedule. Section 31(2) adds that the application is considered in the same way as a new application under section 30.

The Authority has set response times. Under regulation 24(3), within thirty days after an application is made the Authority shall issue a successful applicant with a licence. If it rejects the application, regulation 24(4) requires written reasons within fourteen days of the decision. Section 32 of the Act lets the Authority refuse a renewal if the information is false in a material particular or the application does not meet the requirements, and a person aggrieved may appeal to the Committee within twenty-one days of notification.

Renewal fees in the Second Schedule

Renewal has its own fees, separate from the first licence. The figures below are the bookmaker entries in the Second Schedule, in Kenya shillings.

Regulation 27 says fees are not refundable if a licence is cancelled or revoked or the operator stops trading, and are not payable pro rata when paid part way through a year. For a bettor the fee table is background only. It shows that renewal is a paid, form-based step and not an automatic roll-over.

When a licence can end early

A licence term is a maximum, not a guarantee. Section 34 of the Act lets the Authority suspend a licence where the holder breaches the Act, made a statement it knew to be false in the application, is wound up or dissolved, or breaches a condition required for issue. Section 33 deals with revocation and requires a notice giving the licensee fourteen days to give reasons, served not less than twenty-one days before the intended revocation.

Regulation 26 adds further grounds: not starting business within six months of the licence being issued, and ceasing or suspending operations for more than three months without approval. The Authority must tell the licensee of a suspension or revocation within seven days, and the licensee must surrender a revoked licence within seven days of being notified. Regulation 28 also makes a licence non-transferable.

Licences issued under the old Act

Section 122 of the 2025 Act says licences issued under the repealed Act remain valid for the period of the licence, and the holder must apply for a new licence on expiry. Regulation 30 adds a savings provision: a licence subsisting immediately before the Regulations began continues for sixty days from publication, and the holder must apply for the appropriate licence within that period. The two provisions are worded differently, and this guide does not reconcile them. The Authority's published list is the practical record.

What this means when you check a licence

A licence that is valid today may lapse at a date you cannot see from the betting site. The step-by-step licence check explains how to match a company to the GRA list, and the dated copy of bookmaker entries shows what the list recorded for the 2025/26 trading period. That list was last modified on 2026-03-19, so it cannot tell you whether a licence was renewed afterwards. Check the live page, or ask on 0800-723-770.

The consequence of a lapsed licence is covered in the guide on unlicensed betting sites, and the wider legal position is in whether football betting is legal in Kenya. Gambling is addictive, so play responsibly. 18+ only.