How to check a bookmaker licence in Kenya

Find the company's legal name and licence number on its own platform, then look for the same company in the BK (bookmaker) column of the Gambling Regulatory Authority's list of licensed gaming companies. The published list covers the 2025/26 trading period, so confirm on the regulator's page, not on a copy.

By Nairobi Football Editorial (prepared with AI tools under our editorial policy) · Last updated 2026-10-04

What you are checking, and against what

A bookmaker in Kenya needs a licence from the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya (GRA), the body set up by the Gambling Control Act, 2025. The Authority publishes a list titled "Licensed gaming companies for the trading period 2025/26". Checking a licence means matching the company you are dealing with against that list.

This site keeps a copy of the bookmaker entries on the bookmaker licence list page. It was read on 2026-10-04 from a regulator page last modified on 2026-03-19. A copy is a convenience. The regulator's own page is the record.

Step 1: find the legal name and the licence number

A betting brand is a trading name. The licence belongs to a company. Look for the company name and the licence number where the law says they must appear:

• On the website or app. Section 36(3) of the Act says a holder of an online gambling licence shall display the licence in their online platform. It is usually in the footer or the terms.
• In a betting shop. Section 36(1) requires the licence to be displayed at a place visible to the public, and regulation 83 of the Conduct of Gambling Operations Regulations, 2026 requires clear signage displaying the licence, company branding and permit numbers.
• In advertisements. Regulation 8 of the Advertising Regulations, 2026 requires an approved advertisement to indicate the licence number and the name and address of the licensee.

Write down three things: the company name, the trading name and the number.

Step 2: open the regulator's list

Go to the GRA website and open the page of licensed operators. Type the address yourself or use the link in the sources below. Do not rely on a screenshot or a document passed around in a chat group, because a list can be edited and a period can have ended.

Check the heading of the page for the trading period it covers. If it no longer says 2025/26, the numbers on this site's copy are out of date and only the live page counts.

Step 3: read the columns

Each row is one company. The columns mean the following.

In the copy read on 2026-10-04 the list had 187 entries. Of those, 147 showed a bookmaker licence number, and 116 showed both a bookmaker number and a domain. Those counts describe that day's copy only.

Step 4: compare all the details, not one

A match on the brand name alone is weak. Imitation sites borrow a known brand and change one letter in the address. Go through this list:

1. Company name on the platform equals company name on the list.
2. Trading name equals the brand.
3. The BK cell is filled, and the number equals the number displayed on the platform.
4. The domain on the list equals the domain you are on.

If any of the four fails, treat the licence as unconfirmed until the Authority says otherwise. The GRA toll-free line is 0800-723-770.

Step 5: know what kind of bookmaker licence exists

Section 58 of the Act lists four bookmaking licences: an on-the-course licence for authorised race meetings, an off-the-course licence for authorised betting premises, a licence for both, and an online bookmaker's licence. Section 2 defines an "online bookmaker" as a person who carries on any form of betting by means of remote communications.

Separately, section 67(1) says a person who desires to operate, sell or promote online gambling in Kenya shall apply for a licence from the Authority. The public list shows a BK number but does not spell out which of the section 58 types it is. If that matters to you, ask the Authority.

On duration, section 31(3) 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". The list itself is organised by trading period. The safe reading for a bettor is simple: a licence is confirmed only for the period the current list covers.

What stands behind a licence

A licence is not a quality mark. It is a set of obligations that the company can be held to. Some of them bear directly on a football bettor:

• Local substance. Section 29 requires a licensee to be a body corporate in which at least thirty per cent of shares are held by Kenyan citizens, with an account at an authorised financial institution registered in Kenya.
• Security. Section 40(1) requires an insurance security bond or bank guarantee in the amount set by the Third Schedule to the Act, which lists KES 100,000,000 for online gambling. The Authority may use it to defray a licensee's liability arising from the licensed activity.
• Player money. Section 76(2) requires the money held for players to be at least equal to the total standing to the credit of players' accounts, with any shortfall made good from the licensee's own money.
• Complaints. Regulation 9 of the operations regulations requires a customer care centre that resolves complaints and refers unresolved ones to the Authority.

None of that exists with an unlisted site. Rules on how a bet must be settled, described in the guide to 1X2 settlement, can only be enforced against a licensee.

What the Act says about unlicensed betting

Section 98 makes it an offence to operate or conduct any form of gambling without a valid licence. A first offence carries a fine not exceeding three million shillings, imprisonment for up to three years, or both. A second or subsequent offence carries up to five million shillings, five years, or both.

Section 92(c) makes it an offence to publish or solicit any person to bet in an unlicensed gambling activity or site. Section 79(3) covers foreign based operators that serve Kenya without a licence. The wider set of offences, including cheating on a sporting event, is summarised in the glossary on match-fixing and cheating in the Act.

What a licence check cannot tell you

It cannot tell you that a price is fair, that a market will be settled the way you expect, or that betting will cost you less. Margin is present in every book; the method for measuring it is in the guide to bookmaker margin.

It also cannot tell you whether you should be betting today. That is a personal limit, set before the match. If you would rather not bet at all for a while, the responsible gambling page explains self-exclusion.