Betting Sites in Kenya

List Of Online Bookmakers in Kenya

Sports Betting Kenya

The first law to legalise betting sites in Kenya was introduced in 1966. It is regulated by the Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act, CAP.131. The law has been amended several times. At the time of writing this article (August 2022), the latest update is from 2018.

The act describes the basic concepts and terminology of sports betting. But most importantly, the terms of regulation and licensing of betting sites. Part II of the act is about the BCLB - Betting Control and Licensing Board. This is a sports betting regulator in Kenya, which has three functions:

There is an interesting licensing scheme for betting sites in Kenya. All the licences are valid until June 30 of the following year after the date of issue. In fact betting companies have to renew their licences regularly in order to continue operating on the Kenyan market.

The cost of a Kenyan betting licence depends on the origin of the company. The total cost for a local operator to obtain their first licence is KSH 460,000 and for foreign operators it is KSH 910,000. The price for licence renewal is more generous - KSH 110,000 for local betting sites, KSH 155,000 for overseas companies.

BCLB has made it its mission to ensure fair and responsible gambling. The regulator achieves this by legalising sports betting, protecting Kenyan bettors from fraud, promoting responsible gambling principles and completely eradicating illegal betting sites.

The Kenyan betting market is very intense. At the time of writing, there are more than 110 betting sites listed under "Licensed Operators" on the BCLB website. 

Why are there so many betting sites in Kenya? The reason is the simple licensing conditions. The fees for licences are fixed and they do not depend on the company's GGY as it is practised in the UK or other countries. Given the low cost of a licence, it can be assumed that many betting companies operate on the principle of "better to get a licence than not".

How to choose the best betting sites in Kenya

As revealed earlier, the online sports betting market in Kenya is very developed. Over a hundred betting companies offer their services to Kenyan customers. Bettors have a lot to pick from, which makes choosing a betting company very difficult.

Below we list the main parameters you need to look out for when choosing the best online betting site.

The existence of a permit from the Betting Control and Licensing Board is the first thing we look at. Online betting is legal at the legislative level. But for this, betting sites in Kenya have to get special permission from the BCLB regulator. If a betting site has a licence, it has fulfilled all conditions of the BCLB.

This is important because in case of a dispute with a licensed sports betting site you will be able to complain to the regulator. One of the functions of the BCLB is to settle disputes between customers and betting companies.

Reputation also plays a role. There are many big international brands in Kenya, like Betway. They value their reputation. With these betting websites you rarely have problems with payouts, they settle bets fairly and do not block the accounts of successful bettors. Does it mean that big international brands are always better? Not necessarily. On the contrary, local kenyan betting sites seek loyalty by all means.

The most objective way to assess a bookmaker's reputation is your own experience. Online reviews do not give a complete picture, because among them there are many "bought" comments.

It is better to sort it out yourself. Make a deposit of a small amount and use the bookmaker's services yourself - place a few sports bets, pass verification, request a withdrawal.

The second most important parameter for evaluating a betting site. Why high odds are a good thing is obvious without explanation. The higher the odds, the bigger the winnings.

The odds are influenced by the margin. Kenyan betting sites decide how much margin to put in the odds themselves, even buying the markets from one provider, 1xBet. Therefore, the odds for the same market differ significantly from one betting site to another.

For comparison, let's take the English Premier League match between Arsenal (London) and Leicester City. Let's compare the odds for the main market at two bookmakers - 1xBet and 

This comparison is notable because both betting sites operate on the same software. They also have the same sports markets provider. But the companies show a radically different approach to the odds. For the Arsenal vs Leicester match 1xBet has set the margin at 1.60%, while 22Bet has a 5.74% margin.

The value of the odds is important over the distance. Let's imagine we're placing 10 bets at KSH 5000 on the Arsenal win. Betting at odds of 1.51 will earn you more than betting at odds of 1.45.

So we advise you to consider the margins and the size of the odds when choosing a bookmaker. Fortunately, there are plenty of companies with competitive odds in Kenya. 1xBet is among the betting sites with attractive odds and low margins.

In this aspect, an analogy can be made with the odds.The more markets out there, the more opportunities you have to find a good bet. This is a case where excess is better than deficit.

Bets on main markets can be found at almost all the bookmakers in Kenya. But for betting on unpopular or uncommon markets, you have to choose the right betting sites. As with the odds, 1xBet betting site offers the widest range of markets.

The betting site offers a wide range of additional over/under and handicaps. There are bets on statistics, with markets such as possession percentage, shots on goal, fouls.

All of the Kenyan betting sites in our selection have a welcome bonus for new customers. This is an important aspect when choosing a betting company. However, it is not all obvious in this matter. It's not the size of the welcome bonus that's important to consider, but its terms and conditions. Sometimes the KSH 5000 bonus is better than the KSH 20,000. And the reason is the wagering requirements.

The size of the welcome bonus is the last thing you should look at when choosing a preferred betting site. Better evaluate the wagering, the requirements for the odds during wagering, the wagering period. These parameters are decisive. There is no point in going after a big welcome bonus if the bookmaker has set strict wagering rules.

Betting promotions are held for active customers and it also makes a difference. The more offers available, the better. Cashback, risk-free bets, free bets for bets placed are all nice additions to the user experience.

An important but subjective parameter. Each bettor has their own decision on what is easy and convenient and what is not. One example is the 1xBet betting site. Its interface is controversial, the bettors' opinions are divided in two. Some find the site overloaded and too complicated. Others don't have any problems, they can easily navigate, find the necessary pages/elements and are happy that there are more sports events and bets.

If you find the betting site or the sports betting app too complicated, give yourself some time to get used to it. Many betting sites in Kenya are wide-ranging. As well as sports bets, they have virtual sports, casino, totes and other sections. All of these are consolidated in one place. That is why many betting sites and apps seem, at first sight, to be complicated in terms of structure.

If you are planning to choose a company from our list of betting sites, this parameter applies to all mentioned betting companies. We only review legal Kenyan betting sites where you can bet online. This means they accept payments and betting in KSH by default.

By "convenience", three aspects are meant:

Must-have for every modern bookmaker. A betting site in the phone is no longer exotic, but rather commonplace. Of course, a company may have a mobile version of the website, which is just as good as the desktop version. But the betting app is more convenient for mobile users and they have the same betting features. And here is why:

There are three parameters for evaluating customer support of a betting site:

The last parameter combines several other features. These include:

Top 5 Betting Sites in Kenya Reviews

1xBet is an international bookmaker that takes sports bets from customers from many countries. The bookmaker works legally on website 1xbet.co.ke in Kenya under local licenses No.348 for betting and No.198 for casinos, issued by Advanced Gaming Limited.

It's easy to sign up to 1xBet in Kenya: enter your phone number, receive an SMS with a code and enter it on the website or in the application. After that, select the account currency, indicate your first and last name, enter the password for the new account, select or refuse a welcome bonus.  It is also possible to enter a promo code.

In addition to the Kenyan shilling, in 1xBet, you can open a betting account in Congolese francs, Tanzanian or Ugandan shillings. The services of the betting site are available on several languages: English, Swahili, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and French.

Right after registering all the possibilities open up except for the withdrawal of funds: you can replenish your account and start betting on sports events. For funds withdrawal, verification is required.

There are about 50 sports for betting on 1xBet, but their availability depends on the season. You can also place bets on weather, politics. Long-term bets are available too.

The betting site offers many markets to bet on. So you can choose your favourite sports. There are combined markets, wagers on less significant statistics and individual players in team sports, Asian O/U and handicap. You can build your own combined bet in a bet builder. It goes without saying that, in addition to single bets, accumulator bets and system bets are available.

The margin in some cases, usually in football, can drop to 2%. In popular sports, the betting site pays out 96-97% and in other sports – 89-95%.

In addition to betting, 1xbet Kenya has a casino. There are slots (slot machines), quick (arcade) games, live-casino (with a real dealer) and TV-games (with a real dealer, but without participation in the game process itself); bingo, roulettes, etc. are also present. There is a demo access in sections without broadcasts.

You can make a bet on mobile devices via the mobile version of the website or mobile application.

You can receive a welcome bonus from the bookmaker as well as gain bonus points and after a while buy promo codes for them.  In the future, promo codes can be exchanged for Free bets. Also, in 1xBet Kenya, small bonuses like risk free bets are offered and promotions are performed regularly.

If you have any problems or questions, you can contact 1xBet support team.  It has an online-chat and feedback form on the website and in the application, furthermore, email [email protected], hotline 0 (800) 600 070 and a WhatsApp account at +254 (702) 400 200 are available for appeals.

22Bet calls itself the biggest bookmaker in Europe where it accepts bets under an offshore license. There are two licenses listed on the website of 22Bet in Kenya:  No.320 for sports betting and No.156 for casinos. No.320 is indeed present in the register of gaming companies that received the license for various types of activity on the official website of the Kenyan regulator.  But No.156 does not appear in it.

Moreover, it is indicated on the betting site that it is ruled by Pesa Bets Ltd Company, and its brand is 22bet. At the same time it is indicated in the register of gaming companies that the company’s name is Pesabets Ltd, and the brand is 22bets. It must be said that such inaccuracies occur in other gambling companies.

To make a bet in 22bet in Kenya, you need to register an account. During registering you have to:

After registering, you do not need to verify your identity. You can get down to account replenishment and betting placement right away.

22Bet runs on BetB2B platform. This platform provides a large variety of markets and usually high odds. In 22Bet, for many sports, the margin starts in the area of 4-5%.

The betting site offers several bonuses, including two for active bettors that can be obtained many times:

22Bet in Kenya works on both computers and mobile devices. You can make bets in the mobile version of the website in the same way as via Android, iOS or iPadOS applications. The application for Apple devices is available in the Kenyan App Store. For Android, it will have to be installed by running the installation of an APK file downloaded from the official betting site. 

If you are unable to register on 22Bet in Kenya, face any other problems or have questions, you can contact the bookmaker’s support team. You can do this in the live-chat, by email [email protected]  or using the feedback form.