The Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) has demonstrated a digital Gambling Management System designed to move licence applications and renewals online while giving regulators real-time visibility into licensed gambling activity.
The platform forms part of Kenya’s transition to a new regulatory structure under the Gambling Control Act, 2025, which replaced the decades-old Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act and formally established the GRA as the sector’s oversight body.
Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said: “Once operational, all licence applications and renewals will be processed online, while the system will enable real-time monitoring of licensed gambling activities.”
The rollout comes as Kenya implements a broader set of rules published on June 30, requiring all existing licence holders to migrate to the new framework within 60 days.
The updated regime expands licensing beyond operators to include platform providers, gaming equipment suppliers, testing laboratories and key employees involved in gambling operations.
Alongside structural changes, the new system is intended to support stricter compliance obligations introduced under the Act and its supporting regulations.
These include mandatory identity checks using official documents, the introduction of a national self-exclusion mechanism and requirements for operators to separate customer funds from operational accounts.
Kenya’s move reflects a shift in regulatory focus as gambling activity has become increasingly digital and mobile-led. The new framework seeks to address gaps in oversight linked to remote betting services, continuous access via mobile devices and cross-border offerings that have challenged enforcement under the previous regime.
Authorities have also tightened advertising controls and certification requirements for gaming equipment, with the GRA expected to use the new system to monitor compliance more closely once it is fully deployed.
The authority has not disclosed a timeline for when the platform will become operational, though its introduction coincides with the wider transition period for operators adapting to the new legal framework.
In April, Kenyan authorities intensified enforcement against illegal gambling operations, forming multi-agency teams to dismantle unlicensed machines and warning operators of sustained inspections across counties as concerns grew around youth participation and unregulated betting activity.
We will examine the Kenyan market in closer detail in the upcoming August issue of Global Gaming Insider magazine.
Online gambling licences run for one year under the new framework, while land-based casino and bookmaker licences can extend to three years
